Health promotion activities

Health promotion creates social change through community education. Yet education doesn't mean telling women what's best for them. Through community development and participatory education Women's Health West supports women and girls to express their health needs, and provides them with information they want in ways that make sense to them.

Girls talk Guys Talk - a school health promotion project

For some years Women's Health West (WHW) has provided one-off sexual health programs in secondary schools in the western metropolitan region of Melbourne. Research findings indicate that utilising a whole-school approach to sexuality education has a greater impact than one-off sessions on the sexual health and wellbeing of young people. As a result we have begun planning a project that considers a comprehensive sexuality education program combined with a whole-school approach.

WHW holds a strong belief that young people's sexual health and wellbeing is located within a social context of health. We recognise that gender and the structural inequalities that young women face, impact on their sexual health. In addition to this, we also recognise the physiological differences between men and women and the sexual and reproductive health issues unique to women such as unwanted pregnancy, contraception, abortion, family violence and sexual abuse.

The framework used to guide the project has a three-pronged approach:

First drawing from the World Health Organisation whole-school sexuality education program, the model focusses on curriculum and teaching, school organisation and environment and community links, and partnerships and services.
Second, we are drawing on the existing health promotion frameworks, which provide excellent models for planning a range of interventions.
Third, we are guided by a gender framework to incorporate into planning a recognition of the structural factors that affect young people's health and wellbeing.

An internal working group has been established at WHW to contribute to the planning process of the project. The project worker has identified similar work already undertaken in the region by other organisations and has met with staff from these organisations. Additionally, resources and training materials that have proven effective in other sexual and reproductive health programs have been identified. Expressions of interest have been sent to various secondary schools in the western region inviting schools to apply. This will be followed by a selection process to choose a school with the greatest capacity to benefit from the project. We are keen to work collaboratively with the nominated school to build a project tailored to the specific needs of the school.

As a starting point, the WHW schools project worker will work with the school to identify the particular requirements of the school community and plan how best to work with the community to meet those needs. The planning process may involve engaging with students, staff and parents as consultants to interpret the multiple factors that face young people regarding their sexual health. Agencies local to the school will be invited to participate in different stages of the project. The project worker will set up and resource a working group comprising relevant teachers, a school nurse and welfare staff, as well as students and representatives of community agencies to set project directions. We will deliver professional development to relevant staff to further develop their skills, knowledge and confidence in order for them to deliver quality sexuality programs to students in the school. We will provide a seven-week sexuality education program for year nine students that meets the needs identified in the earlier stage of the project. Teachers will participate in the delivery of the program to enhance the sustainability of the program after the project finishes. Parental input will be sought at every stage including regular updates about the project via open discussion meetings, letters, school newsletter articles, etc. Staff, students and parents will be involved in a process of reviewing and updating relevant school policies.

WHW will work with one school in the western region at any one time and will commit the resources of a project worker for one day per week throughout the life of the project. The time span of the project will be one year.

Nearing the completion of the first year we hope to have contributed to a school environment that encourages the development of powerful young people with access to knowledge, skills and supports that enhance their own life chances and those of the community in which they live.

Lucy Forwood, Health Promotion Worker WHW

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