Healthy Relationships for Youth
School/community name: Strait Area Education Recreation Centre, Port Hawkesbury, NS
By Cristeros_Pride on Flickr
Brief description/summary of project: The goal of this project is to open the communication lines between students in high schools. Specifically regarding topics which are prominent in the school systems; and struggles teenagers face.
What age range did this project/initiative target? Grades 9-12(14-18yr olds)
What cost, if any, was involved? There is no cost involved in this program. Simply training which the students assisting in directing the course must participate in.
What approval had to be obtained for the project/initiative to be carried out? The initiative was brought to the school board and assessed by its members then made accessible to our school.
What problems was this project/initiative designed to address? Issues which this project was designed to address were the lack of communication and security in teenagers’ lives. The program, “Healthy Relationships for Youth”, opened the lines of communication for any topic, big or small.
Who organized/ran this initiative? There are about ten students in my whole school who run this initiative. And the students are divided among the classes of grade nine. There are generally 2-3 students instructing the class while a teacher (the physical education teacher) supervises.
What were the main responsibilities/tasks of the leaders/organizers? Each leader is responsible for reviewing the material out of the instructional book that will be taught in the upcoming lesson and for taking care of anything that is needed for the lesson.
What were the short-term goals? The short term goals are to make youth feel more comfortable around their peers and to feel like they can be honest with out being negatively judged on who they truly are.
What were the long-term goals? The long term goals are for each student to finish the program with a better understanding of one another and the world around them. Basically to create more of an open mind and help break down the barriers of ignorance.
Were these goals achieved? Right now we are in the middle of the initiative. However, thus far it has become evident that the students are more freely talking of subjects, that at the beginning of the program, they wouldn’t have been willing to discuss. As we advance more detailed discussions will be brought up and I feel they will continue to progress.
How did the initiative achieve these goals? By slowing introducing new material and a new way of communication the goals continue to be reached.
How did this initiative benefit the school or community? I believe this initiative benefited the school and or community in the way of preparing youth for all of the “expectations” and events that take place in the adult world. As well as enlightening the students that communication and honesty are always key.
Any additional information about this project/initiative: This project is hard to get in other districts I believe. But I would definitely try to! I’m still working on getting the information and it’s a long process! But I would just like to say it’s really fun to teach! And if you can get involved in an initiative similar to this one, do it!