The ‘Generation Yes… and?’ campaign emphasises that the majority of young people already care about equality and diversity and reject violence. However, young people often think that their peers are less open-minded than they themselves are. This incorrect perception may partly contribute to transgressive behaviour.
Campaign
The campaign turns a topic into a non-topic by tapping into young people’s typical ‘whatever!’ attitude. This removes the emotional charge from the subject and makes broadening norms about masculinity, femininity and sexuality more accessible. The campaign thus emphasises that it is normal not to expect sex in return for paying for drinks, that two men can simply kiss each other and that you do not harass a girl wearing a short skirt.
At www.GeneratieJaEn.nl, the new generation presents itself in a special manifesto video, and young people can find out whether they already belong to this new generation. Through social media, young people also see videos that actively promote the social norm with the message: ‘Yes… and?’. In addition, educational materials have been developed to enable young people to discuss their norms with one another. The campaign will run for three years and was developed together with young people.
Positive
Although most young people already hold open-minded views, they do not always act in accordance with these beliefs as individuals. Nor do they speak out about them very often. A survey conducted by Atria and Rutgers among 1,000 young people in 2018 paints a positive picture of young people who disapprove of transgressive behaviour. For example, 90% of young people consider it important to respect each other’s sexual boundaries while dating. And 83% of young people consider it unacceptable to share nude photos or sex videos of someone else without their consent.
Crossing boundaries
Although the survey shows that a majority of young people have open-minded views about masculinity, femininity and sexuality, transgressive behaviour still occurs far too often. For example, Seks onder je 25e (Rutgers, Soa Aids Nederland, 2017) shows that 17% of boys and 44% of girls have experienced sexual acts against their will, ranging from kissing to anal sex. In addition, European research shows that one in five young women (aged 18–29) in the Netherlands have experienced intimate partner violence at some point, and that on average one in three (33%) young Dutch women (aged 18–27) have experienced cyberviolence at some point (FRA, 2014). And 12% of boys have been kicked or beaten because of their sexual orientation (Rutgers/Soa Aids Nederland 2017).
Act4Respect
The public campaign is part of the broader Act4Respect project, which works with and for young people, young adults and professionals in policy and practice to prevent physical, sexual and online violence. In addition to the public campaign, Act4Respect consists of professional development, the development and further development of interventions, and a knowledge hub for professionals. See also: www.act4respect.nl.