Young LeadersGet involved with the Young Leaders project and help create innovative education projects about relationships, sex and sexual health. |  |
Yorkshire and Humber drop-in day
If you are thinking of running a project or applying for a grant and would like to find out more, you are invited to an informal session at our Leeds office on Tuesday September 15th 4.30-6.30pm.
I may also be able to come out and visit you or your group to offer information and support so please be in touch! Hope to hear from you soon - Trace on behalf of the Y&H Young Leaders
Tracey Myers
Terrence Higgins Trust
Oxford Chambers
Oxford Place
Leeds LS1 3AX
Phone: 01132469499 / 07964899180
Email: tracey.myers@tht.org.uk
Here's some of the projects you've made happen:
Teenagers are Parents (TAP)
After going doing a baby reality programme the group from Richmond Youth Centre, North Yorkshire applied for funding to go on residential to develop an improved programme and supporting DVD to use with other young people.
The group have developed greatly in skills and confidence and are developing further pieces of work. Their programme is now being used in the region by other groups.
LGB Youth Arts Project - Out 2 25
The group developed information postcards to offer information and support to other young people areound LGBTQ issues. The young people undertook a programme of graffitti art and sexuality inclusive sexual health training in order to develop the final product which is now distributed across the city.
Inside Out Theatre
Year 11 students were awarded money to develop a performance to teach Years 9 and 10 about STI’s in a theatrical way. The performance went very well reaching over 200 young people, built the confidence and skill fo the young people taking part and inspired more peer led productions.
Teenz 4 Teenz
Teenz4Teenz used their grant to visit Youth Clubs in and around Scarborough to peer educate young people informally. The group developed interactive sessions on issues such as the Law, STI’s, Contraception, Pregnancy, Alcohol and where support is. The group also invited regional decision makers to visit their group and explore the difficulties they have had in accessing decent sex and relationships education as “looked after” young people.
Daddy Cool
The young people developed a DVD looking at the issues of teenage pregnancy and the consequences of unprotected sex as well as other sex and relationship issues. The DVD’s were sent out with work packs to all the local youth centres so as many young people as possible could benefit for some time to come.
Crossley Heath School
Young people applied for funding to run a health fayre for year 9’s in their school as they felt it impportant that young people had more sex education at that age. The students delivered assemblies to make the young people aware of what was going to happen and to raise the issues in their minds. They then supported their younger peers around a variety of stalls, and organised for each of them to have a goodie bag with essential info in. They took a holistic view and included information about relaxation, and healthy eating, substance use and mental health.
Focus Forum
A group of young mums applied for funding to build their skills and knowledge on relationships, contraception, and STI’s so they could develop a DVD focusing on the realities of being a young mum, and how to make positive choices about sex, relationships and contraception. The group has run peer led sessions with other groups in the organisation and plan to deliver sessions at other groups soon.
Disabled Youth Forum
The group have been working together to explore their attitudes and knowledge around sex and relationship issues, and have being exploring the link bewteen self image, self esteem, feelings and sexual health. The group have developed photos, poetry, stories and drama pieces which will form a DVD which will tour local schools and youth centres. Its aim is to challenge discrimination and assumption on sexual health and young people with disabilities
MEST Up!
Funding has been given to a group of young people who have trained as sexual health peer educators in their own group. They want to extend the programme and train a new group of peer educators from a similar group in a different area of the region where currently they don’t have any SRE activities. They will take the young people on a training residential and support them so they can offer peer led sex and relationships education and support to other young people in their area.
Your contact in Yorkshire and Humber
Tracey Myers
Terrence Higgins Trust
Oxford Chambers
Oxford Place
Leeds
LS1 3AX
Tel: 0113 236 4720
Email: tracey.myers@tht.org.uk
Updates from Yorkhire & Humber
Mystery Shop
We recently did a mystery shop of sexual health services at THT Leeds and assessed factors such as environment, staff approachability and ability, service standards, accessibility of service, pre appointment support etc. We then drew up a list of suggested improvements for the clinic which the staff immediately turned into an action plan. With a few hours of work we increased our knowledge of how services for young people work and made a difference to the services available to other young people in the area.
Peer promotion of Sexual Health Services
Chlamydia and Gonhorrea are on the rise in young people, have nasty consequences if undetected, but are easy to treat if you know you have them. This is why we were really pleased to be asked to help promote testing services for young people in Wakefield. We made videos explaining the STI’s and their consequences, showing how the tests work, and sharing what it feels like to take the test. We also explained about confidentiality. We hope this will help young people feel more confident and inspired to take the test and look after their health.
Positive Patches - WAD 2008
The Yorkshire and Humber Young Leaders really enjoyed helping run the World AIDS Day Vigil in Leeds in 2007 and decided we wanted to be part of this year’s special 20th anniversary event. We met many times in the run up to the event and came up with loads of ideas including a fashion show, a positive patches project, making and selling ribbons, protest camping, supporting wear red day in schools and starting a campaign for a memorial garden. All these ideas were put to the World AIDS day steering group in Leeds who were impressed and gave us money to implement the Positive Patchwork Project.
Throughout the next few months we worked our socks off in putting the ideas into action. On the night Young Leaders from across the region came together and worked with around 80 other visitors at the event to create a positive patchwork banner, marking peoples thoughts and feelings around HIV and AIDS 20 years after the first vigil in the city. This banner will be used as an educational and commemorative banner at various events throughout the year including the Valentines ball fundraiser. Also at the event we saw performances, heard about international projects, and learned from positive voices speakers who explained the difference in the experience of living with HIV now and in the 80's. Laura Bellis said that as well as being an eye opener it was also good fun, which reflects the celebratory and positive atmosphere at the event. These were emotions far removed from the fear, desperation and isolation described as prominent at the event just 20 years ago.
Nicole Nation and Zoe Guyan were also proud to present money they had collected for World AIDS Day at their school. Everyone was privileged to be part of the night, and Carl Williams, one of the regional Young Leaders, presented a speech making sure everyone knew! There was a real sense of warmth and support between everyone at the event - and the banner looks amazing!
James Langley, National Board Member for Yorkshire and Humber, said: "World AIDS Day is a great way of contributing to and getting involved in the wider sexual health community and commemorating people who have HIV and AIDS." Because of our involvement more young people came to the WAD event, which we feel is really important. We know other regional boards got involved in projects for WAD too and we are pleased that nationally the Young Leaders Project is able to work locally to promote education and challenge stigma around HIV and AIDS.
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