from YAPRap May 2005
by Jennifer Bulley, Holroyd City Council
The Holroyd Youth Peer Education Project has been progressing well in creating avenues for young people to educate their peers on health issues affecting young people.
This project is about identifying young people as peer educators and leaders with a focus on empowering them to help their peers around health issues that affect young people. This project will:
- Engage community members and groups to assist in the development and running of this project
- Recruit and select young people aged 15-19 years
- Develop team building activities through camps and other activities
- Provide peer educators with a 10 week education program on health issues
- Provide peer educators with community education opportunities; to develop, implement and evaluate community education information sessions and programs; assist with the facilitation of information session to young people; and produce a resource that can be use by young people.
In recruitment, the project received overwhelming interest from young people from different groups, areas, cultural backgrounds and abilities. Recently, the Peer Education Project recruited 16 young people from Holroyd LGA to embark on this unique project. These peer educators are aged between 15-17 years, are from various cultural backgrounds, dynamic and all share a common interest in helping their peers with the issues that they face today.
To initiate the project, a camp was held to build teamwork, create unity amongst the group and prepare them for the rewards and challenges of the project. The camp was held at Grace Lodge Conference Centre in Yarramundi in April 2005. This was a great venue to run the camp and the young people had a wonderful time, gained lots of skills and developed strong relationships amongst each other: "I do actually have leadership qualities however, I don't show them often" said one of the peer educators.
The peer educators will now undertake a 10 week training courses focusing on areas including, Sexual acceptance and sexuality, safe sex and STIs, body image, mental health, drugs & alcohol, bullying & pressure and developing creative resources and workshops.
The training is being held at Holroyd City Council and facilitated by great youth and health professionals who are involved in the project's working party. These include FPA Health, ACON, High St Youth Health Service, Youth off the Streets, FYRST Parramatta and Holroyd Council's Youth Services Team.
Following this training, the peer educators will share their wealth of knowledge and experience with their friends, peers and family to help other youth in Holroyd area.
more information
Jennifer Bulley
(02) 9840 9939
jennifer.bulley@holroyd.nsw.gov.au
