Project 2000 student nurses' creative approach to peer education

This research paper gives an account of an unique initiative using interactive drama with Project 2000 student nurses, to facilitate health promotion with pupils at secondary school level. Through an open-ended play lasting 12 minutes (entitled Debbie) and workshops, student nurses communicated sexual health promotion and how to make choices to a group of 14-18 year olds in a large comprehensive school. The initiative, which uses participant action research (Altricher 1993), was designed to assess whether student nurses could effectively communicate health promotion to pupils with whom they were comparable in age, and the educative effects on the students as a result of engaging in the initiative. It was clear from the findings that several student nurses were unprepared for the impact that the initiative would have on them. The play had immense power and they had empathy with the pupils. Perceived personal and professional benefits gained by the students (as reported by them) included a sense of belonging, more independence, more openness, less inhibition, increased knowledge, improved communication skills, confidence, assertiveness, self-esteem, and the ability to educate people. The author argues that a creative approach to teaching the theoretical underpinning of health promotion alongside practical dramatic skills of communication to empower, as well as promote change, can enable effective facilitation amongst young people.