Aspire for Life and the Flower 125 Health Programme
Aspire for life is a new programme that is being piloted in the Greenhill/Gleadless and Parson Cross/Ecclesfield Service Districts. It aims to raise young people’s aspirations and self-esteem enabling them to reach their full potential and make informed choices about their health.
The current Aspire for Life group in Parson Cross/Ecclesfield has a cohort of 10 girls from Y8 to Y11 (13-16) from the 3 secondary schools within the service district (Chaucer, Ecclesfield and Yewlands). The facilitators comprise of 2 Sheffield Futures Youth Workers, the Flower 125 Health Programme Manager and a School Nurse Advanced Practitioner.
The programme is being delivered over 12 weeks and the girls attend Meynell Youth Centre once a week for 2 hours for 125 workshops. Half way through each session there is a break for a hot, healthy meal that is prepared by the facilitators in turn. This gives the opportunity to socialise and to model good behaviour around food. During each session the girls are offered fruit and water. Oranges seem to be the favourite fruit with a large number consumed each week. The girls have their own Flower 125 Health Programme water bottle that they will be able to keep at the end of the programme. There has been a good reaction to the icons and the girls have been a pleasure to work with.
Each girl is offered a one hour 1:1 session each week for personal life coaching and this has been received very well by the girls.
A yoga practitioner was invited to run and introductory yoga session in week 2. The girls were absolutely amazed at what they were able to do when the teacher gradually took them through the poses. It demonstrated to them that they can do something they don’t think they will be able to if they try hard and put in the hard work and practice.
Janice Spencer worked with the girls in week 5 and taught then to do a hand massage on each other. There was a lot of interest in what it takes to be an aromatherapist and the girls looked at ways that they could relax when they feel stressed.
The whole group (girls and facilitators) have already attended a whole day first-aid training at The Source and will receive a certificate that is valid for 3 years when the programme is complete.
Early evalutions of the programme are very positive and the girls have said how much they are enjoying it. “It’s not what we expected. We thought it was going to be morbid (we worked out that she meant boring!) and just sitting being talked at.” They really enjoy the games, working together as a team and the different age groups appear to be getting along well. We have worked with the girls on the content of the sessions around sexual health in order to ensure that we meet their needs and offer an individualised approach to the programme.
The end of the programme will be celebrated by spending the whole day together. There will be a couple of topic based activities planned, an evaluation of the programme and then we are planning a healthy picnic and an afternoon of physical activity. The day will be rounded off with the presentation of certificates and personalised cards with photographs to commemorate the time that they spent together.
