Promoting sexual and reproductive health education among adolescents through creative and youth-led practice in India, Malawi and Uganda
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Leeds
Department Name: School of English
Abstract
In India, Malawi and Uganda high proportions of the population are adolescents, and in each country there is: a) high incidence of marriage and pregnancy amongst adolescents, b) high maternal and child mortality, c) high levels of coercive and violent sexual behaviours; coupled with critically poor sex and reproductive health education in schools. There is also a problem of girls being widely seen as inferior to boys and having low self-esteem, with associated problems of high probability of dropping out of school, marginalisation in household decision making and in local and national politics, poor livelihood outcomes, and poor mental health. Notwithstanding target nations exhibit a range of similar problems, our cumulative international experience has shown that site and culturally specific perceptions in relation to desirable gendered behaviours and sexual and reproductive behaviours are hugely important in determining adolescent thinking and activity.
The recent research and practice of the project team in India, Malawi and Uganda demonstrates how participatory, creative methodologies have the potential to enable those concerned with adolescent health and well-being to effectively engage with young people, understand their perspectives and support positive behaviour change. The proposed project will develop an internationally applicable participatory approach empowering adolescents to lead in developing and disseminating effective culturally-embedded sexual and reproductive health education in partnership with public health practitioners that can deliver significant impact across multiple scales.
The project aims to work in three phases:
Phase One will use arts based and dialogic weekly workshops with separate groups of female and male adolescents in two high schools in each country (600 in total) to explore adolescents' understandings of cultural and gender-specific attitudes, aspirations and beliefs in relation to sexual and reproductive health and behaviour. Public health research will identify local health services and policies.
Phase Two will use this learning and draw on public health expertise to empower volunteer teams of adolescent participants (40 in each country) to work together across gender to share and develop mutual knowledge, beginning to shape public health education strategies relevant to, and endorsed by, the participant groups. Adolescents will start to develop small creative outputs to act as education tools (e.g. songs, plays, radio shows) to embody their learning and share with their wider school communities.
Phase Three will lead to the co-creation and piloting of creative local health education tools to powerfully disseminate the mutual learning and exchanged knowledges of the participant and research teams, seeking to introduce research-informed creative tools into public health practice through culturally appropriate forms.
Phase Four will focus on upscaling and embedding our methodological approach and health education tools across school, community and local public health and education forums; developing sustainable arts-based school clubs promoting gender equality and appropriate sexual and reproductive health education; disseminating our project findings and promoting our tools and methodologies to public health service providers, policy makers, decision-makers and relevant academics.
This is a pilot project which will provide the evidential basis enabling us to seek funding and public health support to significantly expand within each of the countries concerned. It will demonstrate to those working in adolescent public health the value of working in participatory and creative ways to develop public health programmes that are relevant to, and led by, the needs of target communities. We will disseminate our methodologies amongst organisations working in this area with a view to making a significant contribution to best practice
The recent research and practice of the project team in India, Malawi and Uganda demonstrates how participatory, creative methodologies have the potential to enable those concerned with adolescent health and well-being to effectively engage with young people, understand their perspectives and support positive behaviour change. The proposed project will develop an internationally applicable participatory approach empowering adolescents to lead in developing and disseminating effective culturally-embedded sexual and reproductive health education in partnership with public health practitioners that can deliver significant impact across multiple scales.
The project aims to work in three phases:
Phase One will use arts based and dialogic weekly workshops with separate groups of female and male adolescents in two high schools in each country (600 in total) to explore adolescents' understandings of cultural and gender-specific attitudes, aspirations and beliefs in relation to sexual and reproductive health and behaviour. Public health research will identify local health services and policies.
Phase Two will use this learning and draw on public health expertise to empower volunteer teams of adolescent participants (40 in each country) to work together across gender to share and develop mutual knowledge, beginning to shape public health education strategies relevant to, and endorsed by, the participant groups. Adolescents will start to develop small creative outputs to act as education tools (e.g. songs, plays, radio shows) to embody their learning and share with their wider school communities.
Phase Three will lead to the co-creation and piloting of creative local health education tools to powerfully disseminate the mutual learning and exchanged knowledges of the participant and research teams, seeking to introduce research-informed creative tools into public health practice through culturally appropriate forms.
Phase Four will focus on upscaling and embedding our methodological approach and health education tools across school, community and local public health and education forums; developing sustainable arts-based school clubs promoting gender equality and appropriate sexual and reproductive health education; disseminating our project findings and promoting our tools and methodologies to public health service providers, policy makers, decision-makers and relevant academics.
This is a pilot project which will provide the evidential basis enabling us to seek funding and public health support to significantly expand within each of the countries concerned. It will demonstrate to those working in adolescent public health the value of working in participatory and creative ways to develop public health programmes that are relevant to, and led by, the needs of target communities. We will disseminate our methodologies amongst organisations working in this area with a view to making a significant contribution to best practice
Planned Impact
1. Primary beneficiaries will be the project's adolescent participants at the local scale who will be supported and empowered to explore, understand and challenge normative sexual and reproductive health beliefs and practices with the aim of transforming attitudes and behaviour towards equitable, safe and supportive sexual relationships. They will have sustained access to public health expertise who will be promoting gender equality and sustainable sexual and reproductive health and wellbeing among the adolescents in target communities.
2. The wider school populations will benefit through their direct access to the creative health education tools and opportunity to contribute to action-based focus group discussions and engage in mutual learning. They will also be invited to join the extra-curricular sexual and reproductive health clubs which will sustain the work and learning of the project.
3. Parents and surrounding communities will be invited to observe the creative health education tools and engage in action-based focus group discussions. They will be encouraged to explore new models of gendered and sexual behaviour and to support adolescents in embodying more egalitarian, safer and mutually beneficial practices.
4. The wider families and communities of participants and the wider school population will benefit indirectly through cascaded learning and transformation in behaviour and practices.
5. Local public health workers and service-providers will benefit from a healthier community and will be invited to support the work of the project.
6. At the national scale public health agencies and Ministry of Health and Education officials will benefit from access to our research findings, model of work, and creative health educational tools through knowledge exchange to promote the development of best practice.
7. At the international scale beneficiaries will include academic audiences, development practitioners, and public health experts.
2. The wider school populations will benefit through their direct access to the creative health education tools and opportunity to contribute to action-based focus group discussions and engage in mutual learning. They will also be invited to join the extra-curricular sexual and reproductive health clubs which will sustain the work and learning of the project.
3. Parents and surrounding communities will be invited to observe the creative health education tools and engage in action-based focus group discussions. They will be encouraged to explore new models of gendered and sexual behaviour and to support adolescents in embodying more egalitarian, safer and mutually beneficial practices.
4. The wider families and communities of participants and the wider school population will benefit indirectly through cascaded learning and transformation in behaviour and practices.
5. Local public health workers and service-providers will benefit from a healthier community and will be invited to support the work of the project.
6. At the national scale public health agencies and Ministry of Health and Education officials will benefit from access to our research findings, model of work, and creative health educational tools through knowledge exchange to promote the development of best practice.
7. At the international scale beneficiaries will include academic audiences, development practitioners, and public health experts.
Organisations
- University of Leeds (Lead Research Organisation)
- Medical Research Council (Co-funder)
- Makerere University (Collaboration)
- Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) (Collaboration)
- Jana Sanskriti Centre for Theatre of the Oppressed (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- Masese Girls Secondary School (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- Jinja Municipal Council (Collaboration)
- Gravel & Sugar Productions Ltd (Collaboration)
- John Holmes Trust (Collaboration)
- Mulunguzi Secondary School (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- HARINKHOLA DHRUBA ADISWAR HIGH SCHOOL (Collaboration)
- University of Malawi (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI (Collaboration)
- Masese Seed Secondary School (Project Partner)
- Uganda Sexual Health Partnership (Project Partner)
- We Are Walukuba (Project Partner)
- Meherpur Tulasi Rani Smriti Vidyapith (Project Partner)
- St Mary's High School Zomba (Project Partner)
- Harinkola Dhruba Adiswar High School (Project Partner)
Publications
Plastow J
(2021)
A History of East African Theatre, Volume 2 - Central East Africa
Plastow J
(2021)
A History of East African Theatre, Volume 2 - Central East Africa
| Title | Radio drama series 'I Just wanted to Ask...' |
| Description | This is a six part radio series in the local language of Lusoga. The 6 fifteen minute episodes will be matched with 6 fifteen minute radio phone in programmes discussing issues raised. The drama discusses problems of lack of communication in families and problematic consequences, especially for young people. It was written by a team including Plastow and 2 Ugandan collaborators working on the wider project. it was acted by members of the community arts group linked to the project, We Are Walukuba. |
| Type Of Art | Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, etc) |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Impact | The drama series has not yet been shown it will be going out in Feb/March 2020 |
| Title | Ugandan schools performance |
| Description | This work encompassed the performance of 2 short films, 2 performance poems, 3 plays, 2 breakdances, a rap piece, 3 traditional dances/songs, hundreds of art works reflecting the young people's learning over 2 terms of the project and the information they wished to convey to peers and the community. |
| Type Of Art | Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, etc) |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Impact | This product enabled family members, teachers and the community to see the childrens' learning and skills, but above all it consolidated massive changes in attitude, learning and self-confidence in the 100+ young people who took part. |
| Title | Weekly workshop creative outputs in all 3 countries |
| Description | The methodology of our project means that in each workshop on a weekly basis the young people make short sketches, poems, art works, songs or dances to reflect and debate their attitudes to the issues profiled. |
| Type Of Art | Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, etc) |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Impact | These outputs are part of the process whereby young people think through their attitudes to project topics and engage in debate with their peers. They are cumulatively crucial to our process of promoting critical thinking, dialogic engagement and better information on the topics of gender equity and reproductive health. |
| Description | We have found that there is a huge need for work around issues of both gender equity and reproductive health education among poor teenagers in the contexts we worked in. The two schools in Malawi were relatively privileged, and there it was found that students already had a reasonable amount of knowledge so the project was seen as being primarily useful in terms of reinforcement and reminding young people of key information. However, in the massively deprived areas we worked in in both India and Uganda we found there was a massive need for this work among both boys and girls. 1. We found dangerous levels of ignorance about bodily workings in both contexts. For example girls in Uganda thought menstruation was 'catching' and shunned fellow pupils during their periods, while in India girls were told to avoid touching any cooking materials during their menses. There were many misleading myths circulating about how one could avoid pregnancy; i.e. by having sex in daylight or standing up. Many young people were indulging in risky or dangerous behaviours through lack of basic knowledge about how their bodies worked. 2. In both contexts we found boys were being socialised to see girls as simply deliverers of domestic and sexual services. We also found in both contexts that fear and ignorance led to social isolation and a severe lack of friendship and supportive relationships among young people. 3. We found that not only was the information we could offer eagerly seized upon, but that in order to challenge deep-rooted misconceptions and poor gender relations, out interactive, arts-based methodologies, with regular weekly meetings and time for debate and question asking were needed in order to enable meaningful behaviour change. In addition it was necessary to begin work with boys and girls in separate groups so that they could speak openly. 4. In independent evaluations 6 months after completing work it was found that many young people had changed their behaviours. Only one pregnancy was reported in all 6 participating schools, whereas in the previous year 1 school alone in Uganda had had six pregnancies. A significant number of young people reported that they had stopped engaging in sex. Very many young people reported better relationship with peers of both sexes, with family members and with teachers. teachers strongly backed this up, with for example, a Ugandan school for the first time voting a girl as head pupil. 5. Teachers and public health workers engaging with the project reported that they had changed their attitudes to adolescents, seeing the value in giving time to young people to talk through their problems and anxieties, and reported much better relationships with these youth as a result. |
| Exploitation Route | We are convinced that we have developed a methodology that can address two huge needs: for information about sexual and reproductive health; and to address the hidden but equally important need to support young people in being kind and considerate both within gender groups and across them. We will be seeking to disseminate our findings and to develop partnerships to take the work forwards. |
| Sectors | Creative Economy Education Healthcare |
| Description | Our findings have been used to create packages of arts-based, interactive learning on the issues of gender equity and sexual and reproductive health for adolescent boys and girls aged 13-16. In all three countries our work has reached some 3,000 children. We have also trained teachers in more interactive child-centred and arts-based methodologies for delivering teaching on these issues, and have worked with public health officials, where these people also agree they have benefited by learning more client-centred, interactive and playful methodologies. We are now looking to find partners to share our methodology with, with a view to working in more urban and peri-urban slum areas. We are also working on an edited book to share our experiences and learning. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2018 |
| Sector | Education,Healthcare,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism |
| Impact Types | Cultural Societal |
| Description | Influencing public health practice with adolescents in Jinja |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | As a result of our work with local public health practitioners, all those involved reported that they had changed their practice in dealing with adolescent clients. The most universal change reported was that they were now giving more time and support to adolescents in relation to counselling and advice, especially on matters of sexual and reproductive health. The lead public health practictioner has incorporated much of our participatory methodology into his work with adolescents. he has voluntarily taken the work into local schools and into his own life and clinic work. he has also been spreading the methodology in training workshops he has run for a number of national and international NGOs. he is also using the techniques on a regular radio call in programme he has. |
| Description | 'Use 123 to get Germ Free': Extending the Reach and Impact of a Hand Hygiene Intervention |
| Amount | £80,646 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | AH/T008601/1 |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2021 |
| End | 03/2022 |
| Description | AHRC GCRF Global Public Health |
| Amount | £199,967 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 12/2017 |
| End | 11/2019 |
| Description | British Academy Knowledge Frontiers |
| Amount | £49,999 (GBP) |
| Organisation | The British Academy |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2018 |
| End | 01/2019 |
| Description | Communication and Creativity: An Arts-Based Study Focusing on Marginalised East African Communities in Kenya, Uganda and the United Kingdom |
| Amount | £997,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | AH/Y00163X/1 |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 12/2023 |
| End | 11/2026 |
| Description | Faculty Study leave |
| Amount | £9,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Leeds |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2019 |
| End | 12/2019 |
| Description | Family Planning: Fact or Fiction? |
| Amount | £57,668 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | MC_PC_MR/R024693/1 |
| Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2018 |
| End | 09/2020 |
| Description | HEFCE Allocation for Global Challenge Research |
| Amount | £76,391 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 95557031 |
| Organisation | Higher Education Funding Council for England |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2018 |
| End | 07/2018 |
| Description | Maternal Mortality in East Africa |
| Amount | £178,338 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | MC_PC_MR/R024502/1 |
| Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2018 |
| End | 02/2021 |
| Description | Research England Allocation for Global Challenge Research |
| Amount | £99,336 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 95557034 |
| Organisation | University of Leeds |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2019 |
| End | 07/2019 |
| Title | Research arts-based workshop |
| Description | This research tool has been developed to allow in depth engagement with social issues. The tool is a 2 day workshop for 20 participants. Each day the group works for 4 hours and shares lunch. The activities are all arts-based and participatory. Activities include: shared story telling and performance of the stories considered most 'telling' or 'representative' by the group for analysis and discussion. Making images of key issues as a focus for debate. Writing letters to power about participants perceptions of relevant issues. Sharing knowledges, fears and ideas about resolving issues under consideration. The key aspects of the tool are the size of group and the work over 2 days including sharing food. This brings a sense of community and trust and in turn leads to rapidly increasing depth of revealing of underlying causes and concerns in relation to particular issues. The arts-based activities enable groups to see patterns of similarity but also to discuss differences of perspective in a non-judgemental manner. The element of enjoyment is also key to groups opening up and participating freely. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | The methodology enabled a richness of information gathering rarely seen in my experience. it was greatly valued by other researchers, especially anthropologists who asked to be taught how to use the tool for their own work. It also enabled groups to come up with strong suggestions for the project to build on. |
| Title | Responsive practice |
| Description | The essence of this tool is that it works through the arts but refuses to be limited to a single form or method. Rather, work grows in response to findings of previous work and seeks to always actively find the most appropriate mode of engagement. As an example, work in schools began with workshops privileging theatre and discussion, but when problems emerged with some students being able to articulate, we moved on to art work and poetry. Our final arts camp used all the art forms we had found students enjoyed: film, traditional and breakdance, art, theatre and poetry. When we then found that a problem identified by many students was that parents did not communicate well with them we turned to radio drama as this is a form parents regularly engage with. The point is not to be hidebound but always to be open to thinking how particular needs can best be supported. |
| Type Of Material | Model of mechanisms or symptoms - human |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | The impact is still emerging, but it has enabled the group to respond to emerging knowledge by being flexible in thinking about the means that will best address problems identified in the course of a project. |
| Description | Gravel & Sugar Productions |
| Organisation | Gravel & Sugar Productions Ltd |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Our team facilitated Gravel & Sugar in linking with other participatory film makers to build expertise. This company has now been renamed Marabou Productions. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Gravel & Sugar trained teams of 6 novice community film makers in both Malawi and Uganda with week long training programmes. They then also helped train teachers and to work with We Are Walukuba on short fact and fiction films. They also helped the young people make short films in the arts camp in Uganda. |
| Impact | The films made have been listed elsewhere. |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Makerere University |
| Organisation | Makerere University |
| Country | Uganda |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We shared with colleagues at Makerere information on our project and methodology for empowering a slum community. We taught a team of facilitators techniques for working with young people. The members of We Are Walukuba went to the Music, Dance and Drama Deprtment at Makerere to present their work as part of the students' learning about Theatre for Development. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Staff from Makerere taught WAW members Basoga dance and drumming. Staff from Makerere and ex-students formed the facilitation team for the schools workshops. For the arts camp staff from Makerere came and ran workshops on art and performance poetry. |
| Impact | WAW members have gained local dance and drumming skills. Makerere students and staff have had access to learning about our approach to making community arts. Makerere staff led workshops in theatre, art and graphic art for our schools arts camp. WAW members took two productions to Makerere to share with students and teach them about community arts work. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Menstrual support to girls in Ugandan schools |
| Organisation | John Holmes Trust |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | We approached the John Holmes Trust to ask if they would consider supporting girls in need of sanitary pads, etc during their periods, as we had found many girls were missing school when menstruating. Some of our partner schools were already part of a UK government supported scheme but others were not and these are the schools where we asked for support. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The John Holmes Trust is supporting the provision of sanitary pads, suitable underwear and training regarding menstruation hygiene and well-being to all menstruating girls in two of our partner schools in Uganda; Walukuba East Primary and Masese Seed Secondary. This is a 5 year commitment. |
| Impact | Training and supplies have been delivered to 384 girls at Walukuba Primary School East to cover their needs for a year. Teachers have been trained to support girls and have emergency supplies of equipment they can distribute. The work in Masese School is only just beginning. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Menstrual support to girls in Ugandan schools |
| Organisation | John Holmes Trust |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | We approached the John Holmes Trust to ask if they would consider supporting girls in need of sanitary pads, etc during their periods, as we had found many girls were missing school when menstruating. Some of our partner schools were already part of a UK government supported scheme but others were not and these are the schools where we asked for support. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The John Holmes Trust is supporting the provision of sanitary pads, suitable underwear and training regarding menstruation hygiene and well-being to all menstruating girls in two of our partner schools in Uganda; Walukuba East Primary and Masese Seed Secondary. This is a 5 year commitment. |
| Impact | Training and supplies have been delivered to 384 girls at Walukuba Primary School East to cover their needs for a year. Teachers have been trained to support girls and have emergency supplies of equipment they can distribute. The work in Masese School is only just beginning. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Partnership with Jinja City Council |
| Organisation | Jinja Municipal Council |
| Country | Uganda |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | This partnership enabled us to work in 36 schools, 10 secondary and 26 primary run by Jinja Council, offering performance/workshops on gender equality and empathy, and then to offer 3 10-day creative workshops each for 100 young people from these schools. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Council provided letters of support which meant that all the schools were willing to participate in the work and facilitated enabling us to paint murals on city owned walls. |
| Impact | 36 performance/workshops exploring concepts of gender equality, empathy and community cohesion. Theatre led. 3 x 10-day workshops each for 100 young people looking at creativity and gender equality. 7 disciplines - theatre, film, breakdance, traditional dance, pop music, poetry, art. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Schools project support |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | This project allowed We Are Walukuba to support the schools project by sharing performances of domestic violence dramas to raise awareness in young people, and in the concluding summer camp in Uganda enabled We Are Walukuba to support film making activity and organisation of the arts camp. |
| Collaborator Contribution | In developing training for local facilitators members of We Are Walukuba trialled the arts methodologies and learning on reproductive and sexual health and learned new theatre-making skills, film skills and valuable information on gender equity and reproductive health. |
| Impact | The making of two short films from the schools summer camp on mentsruation and children's rights and responsbilities being used in dissemination work. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Schools' film project |
| Organisation | University of Nairobi |
| Country | Kenya |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | This collaboration developed skills for making films with young people in Kenya and Uganda. I trained people in developing fiction films and We Are Walukuba trained teachers and then supported 3 film clubs in schools in the local area. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our partners helped develop the film skills of the We Are Walukuba film unit. |
| Impact | Short training films were developed by teachers. 2 schools are submitting films to the Kenyan National Schools' Film Festival |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Sexual and reproductive health in schools |
| Organisation | HARINKHOLA DHRUBA ADISWAR HIGH SCHOOL |
| Country | India |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Training for students in gender equity and reproductive health issues. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provision of school facilities and teacher support |
| Impact | Students took part in a series of workshops around gender relations and reproductive health. Girls in particular reported increased self-confidence and well-being as well as important knowledge gains in relation to rights and menstrual health. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Sexual and reproductive health in schools |
| Organisation | Jana Sanskriti Centre for Theatre of the Oppressed |
| Country | India |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Training in delivery of inter-active workshops for schools. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Delivery of workshops on gender equity and reproductive health. Series of workshops delivered in 2 schools. Worked reached 200 young people. Fbnalised with arts camp using art, film and theatre. |
| Impact | Girls reported increased confidence in rejected unwanted advances and in physical and mental well-being. The final arts camp resulted in a range of shared artworks that reached all children in both partner schools. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Sexual and reproductive health in schools |
| Organisation | Makerere University |
| Country | Uganda |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Training in delivery of interactive workshops for schools and issues of gender equity and reproductive health |
| Collaborator Contribution | Delivery of workshops in gender equity and reproductive health and creation of artworks with young people. Reached approx 2,000 young people in total |
| Impact | Skills enhancement of 7 facilitators in delivery of interactive workshops for young people. Production of wide range of artworks: film, theatre, poetry, dance, graphic art progressive transformation of attitudes and knowledge among many students in relation to creativity, self-confidence, social responsibility, gender attitudes and knowledge of issues relating to reporductive health. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Sexual and reproductive health in schools |
| Organisation | Masese Girls Secondary School |
| Country | Uganda |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Training in arts teaching methodologies and gender and reproductive health education. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provision of facilities and key teacher support |
| Impact | Establishment of school film club. Training of students in issues of gender equity and reproductive health and self-reported major changes in understanding and progressive attitude change. Creation of art works: film, theatre, poetry, graphic art and dance Training of teachers in interactive teaching methodologies and reproductive health issues. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Sexual and reproductive health in schools |
| Organisation | Mulunguzi Secondary School |
| Country | Malawi |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Training for students in gender equity and reproductive health issues. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provision of facilities and teacher support. |
| Impact | The school took part in two terms of workshops on gender equity and sexual and reproductive health and in a concluding arts workshop where pupils made artworks sharing their learning with the local community and fellow pupils. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Sexual and reproductive health in schools |
| Organisation | University of Malawi |
| Country | Malawi |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Training in delivery of interactive workshops, creative partnerships and fieldwork reporting |
| Collaborator Contribution | Delivery of workshops on gender equity and reproductive health |
| Impact | In progress |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Facilitators workshps |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 7 Ugandan arts facilitators attended a 3 day and then a 2 day training workshop with a community group (We Are Walukuba) working as 'guinea pigs' to practically understand the aims and methodologies of the project. The facilitators reported great interest in the workshopping skills and the community group were hugely interested and reported being impacted by the sessions of discussion of gender equity and contraception. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Level 1 Multi-Arts Workshops |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | In 2 school holiday periods we ran 10 day Multi-Arts Workshops for 100 young people each. All the young people involved came from government schools which generally host only poorer pupils and they are able to offer only very limited creative education with very few trained teachers. The young people involved were all 12-16 and were selected on the basis of their application statements; evidence of engagement in the taster workshops discussed in my previous entry and teacher recommendation as to potential benefit. Each day the young people were collected by buses and brought to our central location. They were provided with breakfast and lunch as a considerable number live in food poverty. For 2 hours each morning for the first 4 days everyone participated in workshops looking at issues relating to gender equality; including looking at gendered behaviours, understanding the body and sex education. These session were very important as sex education is minimally taught in Ugandan schools and very many people have minimal understand of issues around sexual and reproductive health. There is also widespread acceptance of patriarchy. Our sessions led to very many pertinent questions from young people and enthusiastic, sometimes heated discussion about the issues arising. They exposed the dangerous levels of ignorance many Ugandans lives with because it is widely considered taboo to discuss matters such as menstruation, safe sex and contraception. For these same four days for the rest of the time the young people could choose any 2 of 7 art forms to experiment with. The art forms on offer were: fine art, theatre, film, pop music, poetry, break dance and traditional dance. The teachers were leading professionals, all Ugandan with the exception of the film tutors. After 4 days the young people chose their preferred area of specialism and then over 5 days worked on a creative artwork dealing with what ever aspect of the gender workshops they most wanted to convey to their peers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Public performance of children's arts outputs |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This event in which 100 young people (13-16yrs) took part was a public performance for parents, teachers, fellow pupils and third sector organisations. Following on from a 10 day creative workshop process the young people used film, theatre, art, poetry, traditional dance and breakdance to communicate the learning they had found useful from the project. The young people involved reported massive development of their thinking and self-confidence and parents and teachers reported change in young people's attitudes for the better. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | School performance/workshops |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | We took our community theatre production 'The Fall of Dembe Village' (this is the English title the play was in the local language of Lusoga) into 36 government schools across Jinja City (10 secondary and 26 primary). An average of 200-300 pupils aged 12-16 saw the play which looked at issues undermining community cohesion. The play was followed by an arts-based workshop further exploring these issues after which students were invited to apply to take part in one of our holiday Multi-Arts Workshops. Ugandan schools generally have very little arts provision and little scope for active learning. The events were engaged with enthusiastically and very many pupils applied for the holiday workshops. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022,2023 |
| Description | School workshops |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | In all participating schools we draw on the research of our interactive term 1 activity with school groups to develop a 10 week programme of creative activity (art, theatre, music, poetry) that brings together skilled arts facilitators and public health experts to deliver information in a dialogic manner that the young people themselves have indicated they would value in relation to gender roles and reproductive health. Workshops have been dealing with issues such as menstruation, personal hygiene, reproductive rights and responsibilities, sexual disease, safe sex and contraception, and have been delivered to 40 students at a time. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019 |
| Description | Teachers workshops |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | This 5 day workshop introduced teachers in participating schools in Uganda to the aims and methodologies of project and trained them in using film to work with children to enable them to express their ideas and set up school film clubs. There was much interest from teachers who have been better supporting the programme and have set up 3 school film clubs and entered 2 films in a national schools film event. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | public health workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This workshop in India was primarily to explain aims and methodologies of the project to public health practitioners. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |