“I think I just wanted to broaden out again – zoom out from the hyper-specific and reconnect with the bigger picture”, says Chanel, reflecting on what first drew her to the Master of Public Policy (MPP) course.
Before coming to Oxford, Chanel had carved out a career in sexual violence prevention. As CEO and founder of Teach Us Consent, she had spent years navigating the frontlines of policy, education, and advocacy. Her campaign to mandate education around consent mobilised 50,000 people to sign a petition and 7000 to share their testimonies of sexual assault in school. Chanel worked closely with Prime Ministers across the political spectrum to drive policy reform and with Attorney Generals to criminalise “stealthing” in two Australian states.
Her track record led to accolades, including being listed as one of the BBC’s 100 Inspiring and Influential Women Worldwide in 2022 and an appointment by former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard to chair the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership’s Youth Advisory Committee. She published her first book, “Consent Laid Bare”, in 2023.
She applied for the MPP at the Blavatnik School, craving a chance to step back, recalibrate, and reconnect with wider systems and possibilities.
“I wanted to feel like I had the legitimacy to keep pushing forward,” she says. “As a young woman and an activist, sometimes your credibility gets questioned–even when you’ve done the work. The Master of Public Policy course was a way to strengthen that on my own terms.”
The MPP at Oxford was the only course she applied for, drawn in partly by the magic of Oxford.
“I’d always wanted to come here. The MPP came highly recommended – even Malcolm Turnbull told me to apply.”
Her early impressions of the School were vivid: “Induction week was amazing. There was such a buzz.” She talks about the experience of having to prioritise where to focus and spend her time. “It’s fast, and there’s always something happening. But the seminars? They’re the heart of it.”
Among her most formative experiences was working with Professor Philippa Webb, her international law lecturer and thesis supervisor. “I was so happy when I found out she’d be my supervisor – and I just kept getting happier. She’s incredible,” Chanel says.
“She’s offered me professional support, opportunities, and also emotional support. It has been a unique privilege to learn from someone so renowned in their field, who’s doing exactly what she teaches.”
Another standout seminar was led by Professor Janina Dill. “She’s just so articulate. The way she speaks – it's careful, precise, and powerful. I took War and Security just because she was teaching it, and I’m so glad I did.”
Even more academic enrichment came from her evaluation tutor, Alice Cahill. “She was so good at making complex things understandable – especially in those first few chaotic weeks.”
Looking back on the year, Chanel feels lucky to have studied with her peers. “Everyone has their thing – it could be niche, or huge – but they’re deeply passionate. That diversity of focus brings so much to the cohort. You end up learning from each other constantly.”
“I tell everyone to apply – literally anyone. It’s the perfect curated experience if you want to broaden, connect, and just learn. I also tell them: don’t work if you can avoid it. You need to be all in.”
Chanel’s post-MPP path is already in motion: her book Consent Laid Bare: Sex, Entitlement & the Distortion of Desire launches in the US in August and the UK in September. Her organisation, Teach Us Consent, is expanding to the US, with its first full-time hire in New York. But use her upcoming policy report, a mandatory placement in a policy role over the summer which is then written up as a report to conclude the MPP course, as an opportunity to reflect on all she has learned.
“I want to use the summer policy project to step back and rethink: what interventions have the most impact? What’s actually working?” One of her biggest concerns is how technology and algorithms are fuelling gender-based violence. “I want to explore whether the same kinds of de-radicalisation tactics used in counter-extremism could be applied to the online radicalisation of men. Because that’s what’s happening: men are being radicalised into hating women – and the algorithm rewards it.”
For Chanel, this issue touches every layer of society. “We can’t talk about sexual violence without talking about men. And we can’t talk about male violence without addressing mental health, addiction, inequality, and how the systems–economic and technological–feed into all of it. It’s all connected.”
Despite the challenges, she remains hopeful, particularly about change in Australia. “We’ve got strong democratic foundations and governments willing to act. The system’s not perfect, but the opportunity to do something transformative is real.” Inspired both by the teaching and her peers, Chanel's appetite and aptitude to change hearts and minds is a force to be reckoned with.
Chanel Contos is a Governor Philip scholar.