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Vancouver Coastal Health delivers quality health services to the people and communities we serve. Read more...
Project Partners | Engaging Teens | Resources At A Glance | Resource Development | Teen Community Consultation | Trends Uncovered Through Mapping
In an effort to engage youth voices in an examination of the issues and the design of the project, it was decided to use a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach. PAR ensures that the people to whom the problem or issue belongs are directly involved in the process of examining the problem or issues and determining appropriate interventions.
A group of older teen health educators (aged 17 and 18) were engaged in the development and implementation of a series of community 'mapping workshops' to gather more information about the issues and concerns teens face around sexuality and sexual health. Mapping techniques (see Training Teen Educators, Section II, Healthy Sexuality - Healthy Sexuality Mapping) were used because they encourage thinking "outside of the box" and are less school-like.
Approximately 200 Grade 8, 9, and 10 students (aged 14 to 16) at a local school voluntarily participated in the anonymous, self-reporting, mapping process. The teen health educators also assisted with analysis of the data and identification of trends. This qualitative method, while not guaranteeing reliability, nevertheless produces findings that are a good indication of the following:
None of the results were surprising except possibly the much increasing influence of the internet on teen knowledge, decision-making and behaviour. The mapping exercise was invaluable in the planning and development of the curriculum and workshop format. For example, it was decided, based on the mapping, that separate workshops would be held for males and females as their level of knowledge and maturity as well as their needs were quite different. Workshops were held for grade 8 teens early in 2004.
