Yesterday, 1,345 college students reinforced why this work and these programs are essential.
After experiencing my “Can I Kiss You?” program at The College of New Jersey, students anonymously shared what they were taking away.
**“Thank you so much. I feel seen and heard, you’re changing lives.”**
Another student wrote:
**“I would describe the session as a powerful reminder of the individual strength we hold to protect others and ourselves.”**
Another:
**“Amazing and empowering, I think it made me feel a lot more confident in my sexual health.”**
And this:
**“It’s about how important boundaries and consent are and how they don’t limit your love life but actually strengthens it.”**
Then there are the numbers.
Of the 1,345 students responding:
**98.6%** said they are now more likely to ASK FIRST before engaging in sexual intimacy.
**99.0%** said they are now more likely to STOP someone from using alcohol to sexually assault another person.
**97.2%** said they are now more likely to tell loved ones, *“I am here for you,”* if someone ever sexually assaults them.
THIS is why we need to stop settling for awareness.
Students deserve **skills**.
Words they can actually say.
Actions they can actually take.
The confidence to ASK FIRST.
The strength to RESPECT THE ANSWER.
The courage to intervene.
And the compassion to be there for survivors.
One student summed it up in seven words:
**“You don’t ever owe anything sexual to anyone ever.”**
YES.
Imagine what happens on a campus when thousands of students don’t simply hear about consent and respect — they leave knowing exactly how to **live it**.
That is how culture change.
One interaction at a time.
And tonight we do this for a campus, Central College, I’ve been on speaking on for over 20 consecutive years.
**Ask First & Respect the Answer.**
Thanks for being you. 
P.S. AI created the image.
#Consent #Respect #CollegeStudents #SexualAssaultPrevention #CampusCulture #AskFirst #CenterForRespect
About Mike Domitrz
Mike Domitrz is a Hall-of-Fame Speaker, author, subject matter expert, and founder of The Center for Respect who helps middle schools, high schools, universities, organizations, and the military build cultures rooted in consent, respect, honoring boundaries, bystander intervention, sexual assault prevention, and healthy relationships.
Schools and clients rave how he has a one-of-a-kind skill of being able to engage each audience and each audience member at exactly where they are in their lives. And he does so with an energy rarely seen combined with a deep passion and love for the mission. More than 98% of audience members report they will be changing their own choices after hearing Mike speak.
For over 30 years, he has equipped audiences of all ages with essential real-world tools. Known as one of the first pioneers on teaching consent in the early 1990s, his “Ask First & Respect the Answer” philosophy to consent spread throughout the world. Mike transforms how people engage with each other, stand up for each other, and raise their own standards.
Why does Mike have such a deep passion? For Mike, this work is personal. In 1989, he received a phone call that the youngest of his sisters had been sexually assaulted. That moment would change their lives. A year later at 20-years-old, Mike discovered a way he could try to make a positive impact – by speaking in schools. He continues that mission to this day.