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New bid to tackle teen mum rates
YOUNG people in Droitwich Spa are set to be given sexual health advice from their peers as part of ambitious plans to tackle underage pregnancy rates.
Town youngsters will be trained to work alongside adult professionals to speak with other youths of the same age covering a number of topics including sex and relationships.
Worcestershire's sexual health service and youth support group, Time 4U, is piloting a new course to train town youngsters as volunteers so that they can provide the information from a young person's perspective.
The volunteers will also be used to help run sessions at Spa-based drop-in clinics.
Weekly training courses to prepare youngsters for their role will be held at Wands Children's Centre, Westlands, Droitwich. It will be an Open College Network Course made up of a range of modules to help improve young people's communication skills.
| “The course is a fantastic opportunity for young people to be able to improve their confidence, self-esteem and communication skills as a volunteer, as well as help their fellow peers with a wide range of issues they may not feel comfortable first addressing with an adult.” | | Becky Dwight, Worcestershire teenage pregnancy and parenting manager |
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As part of the course young people also do 30 hours of volunteering at Time 4U.
The training course covers a wide range of issues including bullying, self-esteem, domestic violence, abuse, drugs and alcohol, relaxation techniques and body image.
Trudy Neal, Time 4U's sexual health outreach worker, said: "This course has been designed so that those on the course become Time 4U champions and reach out to their peers, those who wouldn't speak to an adult, and using the information and communication skills they've learnt, support and signpost them on to local services for further information and advice.
"The course also gives volunteers the opportunity to build their confidence and boost their self-esteem.
"The pilot has been running since January and we have positive feedback so far from the mini evaluation we've done. We are hoping after a final evaluation and another pilot run we will be able to roll out this programme in schools and youth groups across the county as an example of good practice."
At the end of the course, each person is assessed and appraised before they receive a certificate as part of their record of achievements.
Becky Dwight, Worcestershire teenage pregnancy and parenting manager, said: "The course is a fantastic opportunity for young people to be able to improve their confidence, self-esteem and communication skills as a volunteer, as well as help their fellow peers with a wide range of issues they may not feel comfortable first addressing with an adult." Worcestershire Teenage Pregnancy Strategy is a ten-year programme to address under 18 conceptions in the county, and to tackle social exclusion among young parents and their families. The strategy aims to reduce conception rates in under 18s by 50 per cent by 2010.
11:06am Tuesday 20th May 2008
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