Project Jiwsi Jo Hinchliffe

Project Jiwsi fpa Sexual health & relationships (SRE) community based education project Running across the 6 counties of North Wales 3 project workers

What we do Work with groups of young people (under 25 years old) who are identified as vulnerable in some way Run programmes of developmental SRE sessions rather than one-offs Workers go to group’s location to ensure accessibility We often get asked to do ‘condom talks’ or have a stand at a health fair, however we believe that good SRE should be as part of a considered programme that addresses self esteem, feelings, relationships and young people’s rights.

Why SRE? Studies have shown vulnerable young people as being more at risk of: Unintended teenage pregnancy Sexually transmitted infections Sexual abuse Poor relationships now or in the future

fpa definition of sexual health “Sexual health is the capacity and freedom to enjoy and express sexuality without fear of exploitation, oppression, physical or emotional harm”.

Who we work with Looked after children (LAC) Young people who are about to leave or who have left care Physically disabled young people Young people with learning disabilities/difficulties Young people with behavioural problems Young people excluded from school Socially excluded young people Socially disadvantaged young people Rurally isolated young people Young offenders Minority ethnic groups Young refugees Young travellers Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) young people Homeless young people Young people with mental health issues Young people who have been or are at risk of being abused Young people who have been or are at risk of abusing others Young parents Young people at risk of unintended pregnancy or STI’s due to uninformed and/or risky sexual activity Autistic Spectrum Condition young people Other young people regarded as vulnerable by professionals in contact with them It is sometimes easier to say who we don’t work with. We don’t work with mainstream schools or youth service as these young people should be receiving SRE anyway. Often we find that the vulnerable young people who access their SRE through Jiwsi receive more SRE than ‘mainstream’ young people.

What do sessions cover? Self-esteem Relationships Growing-up Condoms & contraception Sexually transmitted infections inc HIV Sexuality Conception, pregnancy & parenthood And much, much more! We don’t tend to have many taboo subjects (as long as they remain relevant to the subject of SRE), so young people can request sessions on all sorts of topics.

Mixed gender & single gender SRE Jiwsi usually works with mixed gender groups Encourage sharing experience Challenge assumptions Both single-gender and mixed-gender work is of equal value and both have their place in SRE Gender of the facilitator is much less important than the facilitator’s skills Unusually for targeted SRE, Jiwsi usually works with mixed gender groups. In a mixed gender environment we have found that young people enjoy sharing experience about their gender and that they can challenge each other about assumptions made about the opposite gender. We believe that both single-gender and mixed-gender work is of equal value and both have their place in SRE We have also found that the gender of the facilitator is much less important than the facilitator’s skills. In fact having facilitators of different genders can help break down barriers and assumptions about gender roles and who to communicate about personal issues

Non disclosure & distancing Jiwsi discourages sharing personal information in groups as they cannot guarantee to be confidential. We are SRE facilitators not counsellors. Distancing techniques helps the facilitator treat the personal life of a young person with the respect and sensitivity that you would want for yourself. It is not unreasonable to expect sexual experiences to be a private matter. Although confidentiality can be written on a working contract or set of ground rules it is unrealistic to expect a group of young people to be able to maintain a high level of confidentiality, something some workers we meet struggle to do. Discouraging disclosure in a group environment teaches young people to take responsibility for their private information. We ensure that there are staff available for one to one discussions if needed and information is provided about where young people can seek further advice.

Assumptions SRE isn’t just be about preventing the ‘bad stuff’ Sex and relationships topics are whole life skills Choice, respect and pleasure Good SRE explores feelings and values rather than just the most up to date piece of information. Sex and relationships education need not just be about preventing the ‘bad stuff’ such as unwanted pregnancy and the transmission of STI’s. A good sex and relationship education programme should be so much more. Sex and relationships topics truly are whole lifetime skills and are best taught within the context of choice, respect and pleasure. This is why much of our SRE explores feelings and values around sex and relationships topics, rather than just the most up to date piece of information.

Self esteem Integrate self esteem activities into all work Young people are involved in planning their own sessions Set working contracts Use experiential learning techniques Non – disclosure standpoint Young people’s rights approach Future visioning activities Use clear, explicit language and ensure everyone is engaged and understands Use wide frame of references to ensure that no one feels excluded

Training & support for practitioners Accredited course Core Competencies in Sexual Health for youth workers Jiwsi Network Group – popular practitioners group for anyone engaged in SRE in North Wales As part of our project we also work with practitioners. We helped design fpa’s Core Competencies in Sexual Health course for youth workers and others who work with young people and we deliver this course once a year to practitioners in North Wales. We have trained over 65 professionals to date. We are proud to say that just about every sexual health project and youth workers in North Wales has been through our training. This adds to the reach of our work. The practitioners network group evolved out of the training and supports good practice and information sharing.

Jiwsi book Jiwsi book developed and published Hard copies available for free to organisations Jiwsi has worked with in North Wales Also available as a free PDF download from www.fpa.org.uk

Consultation Jiwsi has input into local sexual health and relationships education policies Input into each locality Sexual Health Group sexual health strategy Representation on local, North Wales and national groups and networks Provide consultation on young people’s SRE resources

Funding Funded by the Local Health Boards of North Wales until March 2011 Funding is sourced from Welsh Assembly Government Sexual Health Strategy

A Welsh take on the word Juicy What does Jiwsi mean? A Welsh take on the word Juicy Juicy: 1. full of juice, succulent a) richly interesting b) racy, titillating 3. yielding profit, rewarding or gratifying A question often asked of us, especially outside of Wales is what Jiwsi means. It is a Welsh take on the word Juicy and was chosen after consultation with young people. This is the dictionary’s definition of what juicy means and we think it sums up or work quite nicely.

Jiwsi project co-ordinator: Contact Jiwsi project co-ordinator: Mel Gadd 01248 353534 mel@fpa.org.uk www.fpa.org.uk