Kara's Blog: Emily's Story

By Jordan Meates • 10 February 2025

ASRA were delighted to welcome Kara Stewart, Training & Project Development Manager at EmilyTest for an insightful discussion on her training session at Conference 2025, and to learn more about Emily’s Story…

Kara Stewart

Training & Project Development Manager

Can you give us a brief overview of your talk/topic(s) for ASRA 2025?

EmilyTest was founded after our Founder and CEO’s eldest daughter, Emily, took her own life at just 18 years old after enduring a relentless campaign of gender-based violence by another student at university. Sharing Emily’s story is never easy, and the sessions are deeply emotional, but this is the harsh reality we must confront. Through my sessions at ASRA, I will share the failings seen in Emily's case, aim to shed light on the warning signs of gender-based violence in young relationships, and empower staff with the knowledge and tools to take action.

How does the topic of your session reflect current trends or challenges?

ONS data shows us that students are the occupational group at the highest risk for being raped - something higher education staff have long been aware of through their own experiences supporting students.  Particularly in the lead up to the Office for Students E6 Regulations deadline, we cannot ignore these harms are happening across our campuses. At EmilyTest we are committed to ensuring staff are equipped with the knowledge and skills to respond to students compassionately and effectively.  At ASRA 2025, I hope I can share how we can work to support universities across the UK and Ireland to meet these regulations but also go above and beyond them, through our GBV Charter and Training programmes.  

The World’s first Gender-Based Violence Charter

EmilyTest developed the world’s first Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Charter specifically for colleges and universities. This Charter serves as a benchmark, allowing educational institutions to undergo the ‘Emily Test’ by demonstrating compliance with essential standards that could have saved Emily’s life. It is structured around five key principles and includes over 40 minimum standards that institutions must meet to pass the assessment.

To support the implementation of this framework, EmilyTest provides institutions with tailored one-on-one coaching, dedicated staff assistance, resources, and opportunities to share best practices within the sector. Institutions then complete the assessment by presenting evidence of their efforts to an independent panel of experts.

Learn more about EmilyTest

EmilyTest are a Scotland-based charity (SC049072) set up in the memory of Emily Drouet. The charity aims to prevent Gender-Based Violence (GBV) among student populations and improve intervention and support for students experiencing GBV.

Click here to learn more about Emily, The GBV Charter, Training, and how you can find support for yourself and others.

What are you most looking forward to about Conference 2025?

Reconnecting with some familiar faces and developing new partnerships! From previous conferences, there's a great mix of networking and learning across the few days.
 

A big 'thank you' to Kara for joining ASRA to talk about Emily's Story.

To hear more from industry experts like Kara via dedicated training & development sessions, join us at De Vere Cotswold Water Park, Cirencester, 6th - 9th April for the ASRA Conference 2025 - book your place here!