Liz Walker
Managing Director | Youth Wellbeing Project
Brisbane Area, Australia, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Educator and advocate responding to porn harms. Author and professional speaker.
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Biography
An educator and advocate responding to porn harms, I am dedicated to culture-shifting initiatives that equip children & young people.
I provide schools and community education as Managing Director of Youth Wellbeing Project: educating for tricky conversations. Initiatives include IQ PROGRAMS, a school and homeschooling curriculum focussed on safety and mental wellbeing to prevent porn harms; and Porn Resilient Kids: equipping families for tricky conversations through children’s books and resources.
I am also Co-Chair of Connecting to Protect: a Global Response to Address the Mental Health and Safety Consequences to Children and Young People Accessing Online Pornography.
Previous roles include co-founding the Australian registered health promotion charity eChildhood. Key focusses included progressing Age Verification forward in Australia and collaborating to develop a public health approach to mobilise responses that reduce the harms of pornography on children and young people. Additionally, I facilitated parent education for four years as Director of Health Education at Culture Reframed: the global lead in solving the public health crisis of the digital age.
Well-connected internationally, I regularly provide consultancy to government, non-profit, and professional organisations. Delivering everything from keynotes, student cohort presentations, parent workshops, and professional development throughout Australia and Internationally, I’m also a regular contributor to media outlets. I provide strategies to counteract porn culture through a ‘Critical Porn Analysis’ educational response, and my work includes the children’s books: Milly's Message and Hamish and the Shadow Secret.
Liz Walker
★Accredited Sex Educator ★Professional Speaker ★Author ★Specialist support for youth sexuality education
Specialities: Pornography Education | Pornography as a Public Health Issue | Online Safety | Sexual Wellbeing | Relationships | Wellbeing | Leadership | Education | Curriculum | Teaching | Blogging
| Children's and Youth Advocate
Industry Expertise (3)
Training and Development
Education/Learning
Health and Wellness
Areas of Expertise (6)
Pornography
Sexual Health
Youth Wellbeing
Relationships and Sexuality Education
Porn & Online Safeguarding Education
Advocacy
Accomplishments (3)
IQ PROGRAMS (professional)
IQ PROGRAMS equip educators to support kids and teens to author their future. Meeting child-safety, developmental and wellbeing needs, teachers receive guided narratives and comprehensive tools to help them deliver tricky conversations confidently. IQ PROGRAMS have been developed for Australian and New Zealand schools and are readily available for global release. Learn more about IQ PROGRAMS: https://iqprograms.com/ and watch our video here: https://youtu.be/i1MVoRbxzsY
Not for Kids! children's book (professional)
This exceptional children’s book offers gentle and insightful guidance and is a must have for parents and professionals to prepare kids under the age of 10 for the inevitable occasion of when they will see explicit imagery. Available from http://www.notforkids.info/
Hamish & the Shadow Secret (professional)
When a child sees troubling images online, it’s important for them to be prepared to know how to respond. Hamish uncovers a world of wonder on tech devices, but he also encounters troubling, harmful images. Hamish and the Shadow Secret is an educational resource for engaging children in a safe and robust conversation about the harms of pornography. Written for children aged 8-12-years, Hamish and the Shadow Secret is a valuable inclusion in every home, school and counselling setting.
Education (3)
University of Sydney: Master of Health Science, Sexual Health 2011
Inspire Education: TAE40110 Cert IV , Training and Assessment 2012
Ignition Training College: Diploma of Community Welfare Work, Community Welfare 2010
Affiliations (2)
- Youth Wellbeing Project - Managing Director
- ASSERT NSW - Professional Member
Links (4)
Testimonials (2)
Brian Barker, Principal | Genesis Christian College
"Liz is a lady of integrity and is passionate about all she does. She is a capable and personable communicator with audiences of all ages. I have no doubt that the quality of her presentations delivered at Genesis will be duplicated elsewhere." Parent comment from similar event: “My kids seem to be growing up so fast. Liz, thanks for shedding light on what they could be seeing and having to deal with – I’m feeling much more confident about how to guide my kids through this stuff.”
Alison Richardson, Director - AISHM | Australasian Institute of Sexual Health Medicine
Liz Walker spoke at the recent Australasian Institute of Sexual Health Medicine 2015 conference in Sydney where she presented a talk on the effects of the porn culture on young people called 'Implications of porn use for Teen Mental Wellbeing'. Liz is an exceptionally passionate and articulate speaker who has thoroughly researched her topic and presents in an accessible and interesting manner. Her message is strong and uncompromising, backed by clinical experience and research. An expert in this controversial area I expect to see Liz on the world stage in the near future warning of the effects of the porn culture on future generations.
Media Appearances (1)
Is free pornography destroying our brains?
TV3 New Zealand tv
2015-10-04
Schoolkids today are watching porn like never before. It's free, it's instant and it's having a devastating effect. 3D has spoken to porn users and porn addicts, as well as a sex educator and a top international scientist who say this new type of porn can actually alter our brains.
Event Appearances (1)
Porn Harms Kids
Pornography & Harms to Children and Young People Symposium University of NSW
2016-02-08
Sample Talks (1)
What can parents do about porn?
On Tuesday April 5 2016, Exploring Teens asked the question: Is this normal teenage behaviour? At their very first Q & A parents forum, 7 experts in their field ranging from psychologists to youth motivational speakers, informed and empowered parents. It was a brilliant night and the organisers are to be commended on hosting such a great event. If you haven’t heard about subscribed Exploring Teens and subscribed to their magazine, please do!! It’s a brilliant resource of support and encouragement to parents who often feel isolated and alone whilst navigating what can be tumultuous years. https://soundcloud.com/liz-walker-presents/what-can-parents-do-about-porn
Style
Availability
- Keynote
- Panelist
- Workshop Leader
Fees
Research Focus (2)
The Porn Harms Kids Report
Protecting our kids from online pornography harms is everyone's business
2017-09-24
The eChildhood Public Health Approach was first detailed in The Porn Harms Kids Report - protecting our kids from online pornography harms is everyone's business (2017), and has since pivoted and been updated to reflect the broad scope of solutions required. Detailed in the 2019 eChildhood Report, KIDS AND PORNOGRAPHY IN AUSTRALIA: Mobilising a Public Health Response, the eChildhood Public Health Approach presents a positive framework to be enacted in consultation with key stakeholders and supporters. Executive Summary In all areas related to child protection, it is the aspiration of every society to ensure children and young people are provided with safe and sustainable environments in which they can thrive. The Porn Harms Kids Report: Protecting our kids from online pornography harms is everyone’s business, releases to align with major calendar events in September 2017, such as National Child Protection Week and National eSmart Week 2017. However, the importance of addressing pornography harms as a matter of child protection, extends beyond a focussed week. Broad solutions must be urgently implemented so that online protection for our children can be achieved. The Porn Harms Kids Report provides comprehensive opportunities to expand understanding of the scope of pornography’s impact on children and young people. Porn Harms Kids undertook a thorough investigation into past and present legislative, policy, digital and educational strategies that attempt to address the harms. The Report presents our findings and reviews; includes comprehensive international research; and provides clear calls for action and recommendations, including the proposed 3-year Action Plan. This solutions-focused Action Plan was developed to respond to children and young people's vulnerabilities to pornography, in consultation with experts around the world.
Kids and Pornography in Australia
Mobilising a Public Health Response
2019-11-07
One wrong key—that's all it takes for a child—any child, on any device, to access mainstream, hardcore online pornography. With the mass adoption of connected technology in our everyday lives, children in Australia now have unfettered access to pornography 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. There are just over 5 million children in Australia under the age of 14 years, and the heartbreaking truth is that most will see violent depictions of sex before they've had their first kiss. Back in 2017, eChildhood launched the Porn Harms Kids Report. This Australian-first publication explored the online environment through the eyes of the child and defined the harms caused by exposure to pornography. We included the scoping of existing legislation, education and online environments. After consultation with local and international experts, we recommended urgent changes and the mobilisation and implementation of the eChildhood Public Health Approach as the best response to the alarming research findings. Two years on, we have new research findings from studying the significantly evolved online environment, have launched the eChildhood Protection Coalition, and instigated other progressive projects. We have also done a deep dive into our Public Health Approach to support key stakeholders in child wellbeing—we anticipate these findings will be utilised globally. With this new Report, we describe how eChildhood is mobilising a Public Health Response based on the research past and present, which informs our approach and vision for its full implementation. This Report outlines research related to pornography harms on children and young people and indicates that: * The current online environment provides unlimited opportunity for children and young people to be influenced by pornographic content that is most often violent and extreme. * These sexual scripts (stories in pornography) can influence relationships and behaviours, as well as "condition" the brain. * Primary school teachers are describing observations of children acting out sexually with other children, sexually harassing other children, verbally attempting to coerce other children to participate in sexual behaviour and individual displays of sexual behaviour. * National and state frameworks for violence prevention identify sexual violence among youth links to pornography.
Courses (3)
Responding to Porn Culture Online Training
Having the knowledge and skills to build porn resilience in young people through education and counselling simply must be embraced by every school and wellbeing agency. This training enables you to take a step inside the online world of young people and understand the impact porn culture is having on them and their relationships. Over 11 video modules, gain skills to build porn resilience in children and young people through awareness, intervention, proactive education and advocacy. Bonus content included.
Combatting Porn in Schools
This video training explores the urgent need for schools to educate to prevent porn harms. It also provides insight into why there is considerable resistance within schools to address this topic and provides suggestions for moving forward. This 30-minute presentation focusses on: 1. Understanding the key messaging necessary to gain the attention of school decision-makers. 2. Learning the elements of best practice school-based pornography education within school settings. 3. Resourcing educators in the classroom for the task of preventing the safety and mental health harms of pornography among children and teens. If you are seeking to prevent porn and other online harms—and create change in school communities—this is definitely a presentation for you. Suitable for educators, parents, wellbeing professionals and concerned community members. We grant permissions to share this presentation with staff for professional development sessions. In addition to this half-hour video training, purchasers also receive BONUS training and resources designed to motivate the implementation of pornography and safeguarding education within your school or youth-focussed organisation. These additional resources include: A short training video on the impacts of pornography on violence against women and girls for use in staff meetings. Two Youth Wellbeing Project toolkits–providing support for deeper level leadership discussions and whole-of-organisation changes. The first one focusses on the successful implementation of Porn and Online Safety Education. The second Toolkit addresses safeguarding measures related to the prevention of online and physical environment harms.
The problem with Porn Literacy
This video training explores the problems with porn literacy–one of which is the failure to recognise the public health implications of porn impacts for whole populations. The issue of whether pornography constitutes a "public health crisis" is hotly contested. Viewers will gain a greater level of confidence to articulate why pornography meets these criteria and be better informed to engage their spheres of influence for change. This 30-minute presentation focuses on the following: 1. Unpack the intention of porn literacy education, which typically aims to help (young) people interpret and make sense of sexually explicit content through the lens of values, consent, violence awareness prevention, and gender roles. Those who may adopt this approach includes everyone from sexuality educators, academics, health teachers, and pro-porn supporters. It often fails to acknowledge the systemic harms of pornography on society and the known impacts of porn on the brain–including addiction and neuroscience research. 2. Explain the shortfalls of porn literacy education and explore the importance of broadening the lens to equip educators, decision-makers, and the community with a greater understanding of the scope of pornography impacts. 3. Expose the latest attempt to normalise porn consumption among teens by pushing the porn literacy approach. Presenting the public health focussed alternative. Critical Porn Analysis provides an educational response to the researched harms of pornography as a public health crisis. It moves beyond the micro focus of how the individual interacts with pornographic content to consider a more holistic approach on how porn's proliferation and ease of access impacts the health & wellbeing of individuals, relationships, families, communities, and cultures. Suitable for educators, parents, wellbeing professionals and concerned community members. We grant permissions to share this presentation with staff for professional development sessions. In addition to this half-hour video training, purchasers also receive BONUS training and resources designed to motivate the implementation of pornography and safeguarding education within your school or youth-focussed organisation.
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