Feeling Good is a joint initiative between Young Scot and NHS Health Scotland and is a new positive approach to the provision of health information. The project's approach focuses on delivering health-related information in a holistic way by providing links between health and other information topics, such as travel, volunteering, the arts, sport, housing, money, etc. It builds on existing Young Scot services to promote positive, healthy lifestyles and opportunities to young people in Scotland. The main aims of the project are to: - provide young people across Scotland with access to high quality, relevant and accurate information on a broad spectrum of health related issues that will help them maintain a healthy, positive lifestyle as they develop both mentally and physically. This will be achieved through the Young Scot's InfoLine, information handbooks, magazine portal, etc.
- continually engage with young people to seek their views and ideas. Regular consultation and research will be undertaken with young people to determine what is important to them in terms of health information. The Young Scot eRoadshow will play an important role in achieving this.
- signpost access to more specialist advice and services at a local and national level, using both the portal and links with local Dialogue Youth units.
- develop services, discounts, challenges and incentives at a local and national level to promote healthy, positive lifestyles. New discounts will be negotiated and new services developed, not only around health itself but also arts, sports, volunteering etc, to provide a more holistic approach.
- target key transition times for young people, by distributing the Young Scot books in each Dialogue Youth area targeted at S1 and S4 pupils, and through the development of pilot projects which provide innovative ways of working with young people (i.e. working with DY units to establish local initiatives involving innovative approaches to health information).
- support PSE/Citizenship programmes in schools and youth organisations by enhancing Young Scot's citizenship resources to include Feeling Good information and activities.
Other one-off initiatives in the Feeling Good project have included: - Feeling Good Magazine: This 24-page, "handbag"-size magazine, was designed to include elements of health information, but also to make young people more aware of opportunities and issues that they may not have thought about before. These ranged from top tips for finding a part-time job and becoming a DJ to a real life story on coping with dyslexia and relationship dilemmas.
- One-In-Four CD: One In Four is a campaign, run by the Scottish Association of Mental Health (SAMH), which aims to get information on mental health issues directly to young people using music. Young Scot worked with SAMH on the production of a CD which featured leading Scottish-based bands such as Snow Patrol, Belle And Sebastian and Teenage Fanclub, along with a 26-page booklet filled with information on mental health issues.
- Well? Magazine: The Well? Magazine is bi-annual publication which communicates the work of the National Programme for Improving Mental Health and Well-Being in Scotland. In the summer of 2004 the National Programme contacted Young Scot with plans to do a special youth issue of the magazine. Young Scot worked in partnership to bring together a team of young people to serve as the journalists / editorial panel on the magazine.
For more information relating partnership work between Young Scot InfoLine and NHS Health Scotland follow the links below. For more information please contact Lynsey Paterson, Information Services Co-ordinator, on lynseyp@youngscot.org or on 0131 313 2488. |