This week is Student Volunteering Week across the UK, and an ideal opportunity to highlight the incredible work we encounter in our Health Champions Scheme.
Since 2009, the scheme has been working with groups of young people who have chosen to make a difference in their school, college or community, by planning and executing their own student-led health campaigns. They have a genuine passion and interest in improving health; focussing on the impact tobacco, alcohol, drugs or gambling can have on themselves and their peers. They raise awareness of this through their own chosen methods.
At the moment, our West Midlands Development Officer Vickki is working with a group of Year 7 students, while they develop a campaign focussing on alcohol awareness. The Health Champions Scheme offers students the freedom to tailor a campaign to issues they feel affects them and their fellow students. For example, they may feel that there is a lack of awareness of the health impact of smoking within their school or college, so their campaign may choose to focus on this which enables their peers to make informed life choices.
In the past we have worked with young people from 11 years old up to college-age, and their maturity and dedication continues to amaze us. The responsibility and opportunity the scheme brings is a real attraction for them. Students have willingly given up their time to deliver campaigns, or volunteered to put in extra work to ensure it is successful.
Many colleges already have an ongoing version of the Health Champions Scheme. Student Health Ambassadors at a sixth form college local to us at the White Ribbon Association have volunteered their time to assist us at health fairs and fresher’s events. Having that peer to peer interaction is great for students, but it also demonstrates the importance that volunteering can have when delivering sensitive messages, such as the impact of tobacco, alcohol, drugs or gambling.
If you work with students who would enjoy the sense of achievement and empowerment which comes from working on their health campaigns, or if you know students who would like to volunteer on a health-related project, then the Health Champions Scheme is for you! Contact our Development Officers today who will be delighted to discuss ways we could work together.