Sexual health and HIV charity Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) is inviting groups of young people aged 13-19 to apply for a grant to come up with innovative and creative ideas about how to educate their friends about relationships and sex. The deadline for applications is Monday 27th October.

THT is offering grants of up to £1000 as part of its Young Leaders project – a peer led sex and relationship education (SRE) project for young people across England. The project, which is funded by the Big Lottery Fund, is a preventative response to the escalating rates of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) amongst young people in the UK.

Since launching the Young Leaders Project in 2007, THT has supported 70 groups of young people to design, develop and run their own sex and relationships education projects.  We have already awarded £60,000 to help young people do this. 

The sex and relationships education (known as SRE) projects can involve any or all of the following issues:

• Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
• Your rights in a relationship
• Contraception
• Sexuality
• Safer sex and risk taking
• The media influence on sex and relationships
• Managing emotional relationships
• HIV infection

Gareth Davies, Young Leaders Project Manager, at Terrence Higgins Trust said: “If we like your idea THT will give you the money to make it happen. All you need to do is get together with your youth club, school or other organisation to develop your idea and make an application to your local Young Leaders Regional Board. “

Gareth adds: “If you go to our web site you will find more information on how to apply for a grant.  For more inspiration there is also information about the projects we’ve already funded. This will give you an idea of the type of projects that have been successful so far.”

For more information on Young Leaders Grants visit: www.tht.org.uk/youknowyou 

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Notes to editors

• Terrence Higgins Trust is the UK’s leading HIV and sexual health charity, providing a wide range of services across England, Wales and Scotland.  The charity also campaigns and lobbies for greater political and public understanding of the personal, social and medical impact of HIV and sexual health.

• Terrence Higgins Trust was awarded £1,485,621 by the Big Lottery Fund to establish ‘Young Leaders’, a sex and relationships education (SRE) project for young people across England. The three year project launched in April and is directed entirely by the young people involved.

• Big Lottery Fund is the joint operating name of the New Opportunities Fund and the National Lottery Charities Board (which made grants under the name of the Community Fund).  Big Lottery Fund, launched on 1 June 2004, is distributing half of all National Lottery good cause funding across the UK.