Case Studies

Dudley Primary Care Trust

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  Title:

  Countdown to Friday

  – a Substance Misuse and Sexual Health education programme

  Overall Aim:

  To reduce the number of cases of Teenage Pregnancy and Sexually transmitted infections that occur as a result of sexual contact under the influence of alcohol and other substances.

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  Details

  Collingwood Learning delivered a tour of 16 secondary schools across the Dudley area targeting Year 9 students during the Autumn term 2009.

  A hard–hitting performance and workshop programme tackled the risky behaviours young people can engage in, especially when under the influence of alcohol and other substances. The interactive workshop enabled young people to understand the facts, causes, and consequences surrounding sexual health, and its relationship with substance misuse.

  Our team of experts worked with young people to establish positive and healthy lifestyle goals and the skills required to achieve these. We also signposted both the national resources and local services available to young people in the Dudley area.

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  Key Challenge

  To challenge existing perceptions and encourage young people to come up with their own strategies for avoiding risky situations.

  The performance and workshop package provides a powerful and participatory experience during which students are challenged to consider the many potential outcomes to the risky behaviour of characters in the play.

  They are able to directly question the characters, explore their motivations and the consequences of their actions, and actually change the outcome of the piece by designing their own strategies for tackling the powerful social influences the characters are under.

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  Outcomes

  • 93% of participants clearly understood that they are responsible for their own decisions when it comes to Alcohol and Sex.
  • 88% realise, as a result of the programme, that risky sexual behaviour can consequently affect your long term goals.

  "The staff supervising were impressed with the professionalism of the three deliverers, the methods that they used to work with the pupils and the manner in which they conducted the whole presentation.

  The pupils thoroughly enjoyed the presentation and took away many of the key messages from it. The feedback I have received from both 'camps' has been very positive!"

  Sarah Wall, Assistant Headteacher, The Coseley School, Dudley