Real Talk, Zero Lectures: What students told us about tackling sexist attitudes on campus

Every young person deserves to learn in environments where they feel respected and safe. But right now, too many are telling us the reality is different: sexist jokes brushed off as humour, pressure to fit into rigid gender boxes, silence in moments when support is needed most.

This year for the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign, WAGEC launched We Need To Talk: Campus Edition — a new digital conversation tool co-designed with students at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) to help challenge the attitudes and stereotypes that show up long before harm occurs.

To make sure the campaign was shaped by lived experiences, we spoke with three of the students who helped craft the campaign. Their reflections make one thing clear: the future’s in good hands.

There’s a rising tide of sexism and harassment happening across Australian universities, and students are feeling it. And yet, according to Our Watch research, only 22% of young people (aged 14-20) feel completely confident knowing what to do when they feel uncomfortable, disrespected and/or unsafe.

For some of our student collaborators, jumping on board this campaign came from witnessing sexist behaviour firsthand. For others, it came from a desire to use their skills to create social change.

“I wanted to be involved in this campaign as I think that being able to talk about, share personal experiences and challenge opinions about gender stereotypes and injustices in a safe environment is something that is important and acts as a good form of primary prevention.” — N, 21 years old

That idea, that honest conversation is prevention, came up again and again. So did the belief that sharing real experiences can make it safer for others to speak. 

For others, the work was also deeply personal because they know campus cultures don’t shift on their own. They shift when a groundswell of people decide enough is enough, and take brave action.

“As a student, I’ve seen and heard the kinds of comments this campaign is talking about. Working on it felt like a way to use what I love doing, design, to make a difference in my own community.” — H, 22 years old

When we asked why conversations about gender inequality and microaggressions matter, students reflected on both the personal and the cultural impacts.

“Genuine conversations are really great for realising you aren’t alone in your feelings and experiences. Being able to openly discuss and unpack stereotypes and sexism helps people think more critically about what they have picked up from the environment around them as they grew up.” — R, 23 years old

The awareness of where attitudes come from, how they’re reinforced, and what it feels like to challenge them is the heart of prevention. And when young people are given opportunities to reflect, challenge assumptions, and speak candidly, change becomes something within reach, not an abstract idea.

“Uni is where a lot of people start figuring out who they are, and if those spaces aren’t safe or equal, that shapes how we all move through the world.” — H, 22 years old

Campaigns made about young people often miss the mark because they’re built from the outside looking in. What we know is that meaningful change happens when the people most affected are at the centre of designing the solution. It’s the difference between building a campaign for a community and building a movement with them.

Our student team described the experience of co-designing the Campus Edition of WAGEC’s popular We Need To Talk conversation cards as empowering, eye-opening and grounded in purpose.

“Working with WAGEC was a valuable experience that taught me a lot about how support is provided to those who have been through domestic violence. Looking at methods of primary prevention and how genuine conversations and open sharing can help with this issue gave a strong purpose when working on this campaign.” — N, 21 years old

For many of the students, the process opened a window into how prevention work actually works, and how much care sits behind the scenes of prevention initiatives like WAGEC’s All In program.

“It was such a great experience. Being able to learn about the work they do and being able to contribute to it is something I think we are all really proud of.” — R, 23 years old

At every step, students spoke about feeling genuinely heard. The co-design process wasn’t symbolic. Their perspectives and insights really did shape everything from tone to content, including a series of downloadable posters and shareable tiles for social media.

“They were so open to our ideas and trusted us to bring a fresh, youth perspective to something really important.” — H, 22 years old

As part of the campaign, students were keen to put one of the most common campus moments under the microscope: the so-called “joke” that isn’t a joke at all, and quietly keeps harmful ideas and behaviours alive.

“Don’t be so sensitive. That time of the month?”

“Make me a sandwich, love — haha, kidding.”

“Women say they want equality until the bill comes.”

We asked the students how they would respond to sexist ‘jokes’ and comments. Their answers?

“Although the person that said it was ‘just a joke’ might think it’s a joke, I would explain to them that it can reinforce harmful gender stereotypes and has the impact of making someone feel unsafe or undervalued.” — N, 21 years old

Gender stereotypes aren’t harmless, they shape who gets interrupted, who gets heard, and who gets left behind. If we want to make change, we need to name them, disrupt them, and start real conversations about what equality looks like.

“When you dismiss something as a joke, you normalise that way of thinking.” — R, 23 years old

“Sometimes just asking, ‘Why is that funny?’ is enough to make someone think twice.” — H, 22 years old

Because this is what prevention looks like in practice: everyday people asking better questions of themselves, their peers, and their environments.

Every tool in prevention needs an entry point. A moment that invites curiosity rather than defensiveness, and this is something the students understood intuitively.

“I hope the cards become something people can casually pull out with their friends. The goal isn’t to lecture anyone, but to get people thinking about stuff we all see or experience but don’t always talk about.” — H, 22 years old

From encouraging deeper self-reflection to finding their place beyond the campus classroom, students hope that these cards can be used to ground everyday conversations from the sharehouse dinner table to the pub. 

“I hope that people will be able to think and reflect deeply on their own personal responses and share genuinely… I also hope that they would feel safe to voice their ‘controversial’ opinions and that the conversations that are had will be intentional and honest.” — N, 21 years old

Campus sexism doesn’t begin and end in a single classroom. It echoes across sharehouses, group chats, tutorials, societies, workplaces, and families.

The good news is: so does courage. So does curiosity. So does change. That’s how we can end gender-based violence in a generation.

Thank you to UTS and the students who shaped the We Need To Talk: Campus Edition cards. Your leadership is already creating safer, more respectful campus cultures, and this is just the beginning.