• Kaitlyn Moore and Nadia Saeed
Arts + Culture, People of LoganMay 03, 2023 / 6 minute read

Tough subjects, frank conversations at R4Respect

For R4Respect coordinators Nadia Saeed and Kaitlyn Moore, there’s no subject that’s off limits. 

R4Respect, run by YFS since 2015, is focused on talking to young people about a range of things often seen as taboo – from consent to porn, coercive control and sexting. The goal is to ensure they know their rights, what a healthy relationship looks like, and to help them pick up red flags early. 

Nadia has been working with R4Respect since 2016. 

‘For a long time, the conversation has been around working with domestic violence survivors, and the prevention space is relatively new,’ Nadia  says. 

‘We really need to tap into that space across the board, for all young people – but particularly in communities like mine, the Muslim community, and other culturally diverse groups who might not otherwise have some of these open conversations. 

‘Being someone of colour, speaking up about toxic behaviours is really powerful and we have seen the impact we have on the young people we speak to.’ 

Nadia, Kaitlyn and their team visit schools, juvenile detention centres, and community events, as well as outreach work in the community and advocating to all levels of government and peak bodies. They also have a strong online presence, with social media campaigns focused on getting young people talking. 

‘It’s a mix of grass roots work and a top-end approach, liaising with decision makers,’ Nadia says. 

Their impact is significant: the program has reached 600,000 young people since it began and 400 in the past 3 months. 

Kaitlyn says that while some of the conversations and disclosures from young people can be confronting, the job is also rewarding. 

‘Knowing we can help young people identify red and green flags so they don’t have to be in the situation where it is too late and they are in a toxic relationship is really rewarding,’ she says. 

‘As confronting as some of the work can be, and it definitely takes a toll, it is so good when young people recognise you and talk to you, and it’s clear you have made an impact.’ 

Both women say the conversation has shifted in the past few years. 

‘We get asked a lot about consent, nude images, alcohol use and how that relates to consent – and we just talk about these things really openly,’ Kaitlyn says. 

‘We also never really used to talk about pornography until recently – the harmful impacts it can have, the correlation to domestic violence and assault.’ 

Nadia says TikTok has impacted the language around healthy relationships and domestic violence. 

‘When our program was new, these topics weren’t as out there but since then, a lot of young people have the lingo and we are talking to them about coercive control, the effects of porn and addiction, sexual assault, gaslighting,’ she says. 

‘It has been positive that these things have been brought more to light and I feel we have a really positive young generation.  I do feel for them because there is so much information out there and you might be hearing one thing at home and seeing another on social media. 

‘Being young is hard and they’re trying to process all that – I take my hat off to them. 

‘It really shows that the work in this prevention space is so important, and we need more support for programs like this.’ 

Nadia and Kaitlyn encourage young people, parents and carers to use the resources on the R4Respect website – including easy-to-decipher legal fact sheets – and reach out to them if needed.  

To parents worried about the teenager in the house, their message is simple. 

‘Just listen and provide reassurance,’ she says. 

‘It can be hard, but just really be there to actively listen to what that young person is saying, be their support system.’ 

As well as the website, you can also follow R4Respect on Instagram and Facebook.

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