The impact of youth peer-led sexual health education By team:

Peer-Education: What is it? UNICEF defines peer educators as people who are typically The same age Run educational activities on their own or alongside a teacher Take the lead on school-base activities Help raise awareness Provide accurate information Develop skills to change behavior How? Leading informal discussions Providing interactive learning sessions Allowing for one-on-one time with students Handing out condoms Offering referral to services

Peer-Education: What is it? UNESCO: A ‘peer’ is one of that equal standing with another; belonging to the same societal group especially based on age, grade or status Y-Peer: Traditional providers of information. Peer- education programs can provide strong benefits to peer-educators themselves. They allow for direct participation of young people in programs designed to affect them, thereby promoting positive life skills such as leadership and communication.

Rationale for Peer-Education Globally accepted behavior change model for HIV and STI Prevention amongst young people Young people already tend to talk to their peers about most subjects, including sex and sexual health (especially around the age of 13 onwards) Family structure, peer relations, school environments, neighborhoods and communities are some of the factors that increase risk or protectiveness over young people’s health Rationale aims to capitalise on the peer-relations to promote accurate, positive, inclusive and youth-friendly information Draws on the credibility that young people have with their peers Leverages the power of role-modeling and provides flexibility to meet diversity

Impacts of Programs Improved reproductive and sexual health outcomes, including reduced incidence of pregnancy, births and STIs Reduced sexual risk behaviors, including delayed initiation of sex, increased contraceptive use and condom use, reduced number of new sexual partnersas well as increased abstinence among sexually experienced youth, reduced incidence of unprotected sex, reduced frequency of sex, and increased partner communication Increased incidence of testing and sharing test results, including testing for HIV, for STIs, and sharing positive test results with a partner

Impacts of Programs Improved other outcomes, including employment, school attendance, and school grades and graduation rates Improved healthy behaviors, including seeking appropriate health care and also diet and exercise

Why sexual health?

Agents of YEAH Program

Groovin the Moo

Program Design Train-the-Trainer design for the sustainability of a national program Training topics for Agents of YEAH (two-day intensive) HIV/AIDS Sexually Transmitted Infections Consent and Healthy Relationships Stigma and Discrimination Peer-Education/Building rapport Representing YEAH How to create an interactive learning environment What skills are necessary to transfer to young people Tools: condoms Knowledge: prevention information

Clients of the Program Schools with adolescents, usually of lower socio- economic status and have a CALD community base Youth Services TAFEs Universities for workshops in residential colleges and during O-Week, Wellness Weeks etc. Others such as theatre groups etc. Larger events like Youth Festivals, Health Festivals, Music Festivals

Groovin the Moo

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Groovin the Moo

Testimonials

Red Aware Campaign

Resource Support

Capacity Building the Sector Monthly newsletter targeted at Teachers, Health Workers, Nurses etc. Resource Review Panel What teachers and educators need in a changing environment? How can we support them if they CHOOSE to teach sexual health? Agents of YEAH is supplementary to this

Questions! Ask me things!