Empower young people to make positive life choices
A response to the ‘teenage sexual health crisis’ in the UK
Today’s report by the Government’s Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health helpfully reminds us of the issues surrounding drink, drugs and risky sexual behaviour in teenagers. While the Department of Health is right to point out that sexual health is one of its top priorities, and that teenage pregnancy rates are at their lowest since 1993, we still have a huge job ahead of us. The UK still has the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in Western Europe, and our STI rates are high.
Oasis UK trains volunteers to deliver Sex and Relationships education in schools across the UK. We believe the answer to the issues being discussed today is to provide young people with a comprehensive Sex and Relationships education that empowers them to make positive life choices. This means boosting their self-esteem so that they have the confidence to choose, helping them think about the values they want to instil in their relationships and providing them with all the facts about drugs, drink, sex and relationships, to help protect them from risk.
Ultimately, this should mean Sex and Relationships education becoming compulsory in schools, but until that happens, we want to help educators, parents and youth workers to engage with their children and young people in discussing these issues frankly and relevantly, in order to empower and facilitate their learning.
The report is also right to point out that government needs to take a more holistic approach to all these issues. Oasis is sponsoring three new academy schools that will open this September, which will take a more joined-up approach to young people’s wellbeing. Their purpose is to provide an education that allows every child to reach their potential by providing an environment that caters for the whole person: emotionally, socially, academically, vocationally, morally and physically.
This commitment to inclusion and compassion could well provide a model that helps young people to make positive life choices.
ENDS
For more information contact Hannah Horton, Oasis Press & Media Officer on 0207 921 4300 or email.