8:12 a.m., Nov. 12, 2009----Four University of Delaware juniors are the first volunteers in a new program that gives nursing students the opportunity to share some of what they've learned about adolescent health and prevention with a group of teenagers not much younger than themselves.

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What makes the program different from many others is that the teens are girls who are incarcerated in a juvenile justice facility in New Castle County, Del. The UD students visit the group of about 10 girls weekly, leading educational activities and discussions focused on decision-making and empowerment related to sexual health.

Known as “Get Real,” the program uses an established curriculum and is funded through a grant from the Sigma Theta Tau nursing honor society. It is part of a research project assessing young women's perceptions about sexual decision-making.

Faculty leader Judy Herrman, associate professor of nursing, says the program is off to a great start. The UD students, selected from about 17 who applied, received training during the summer and are “unusually enthusiastic and caring,” Herrman said.

“They really relate well to the girls they're teaching, and the girls respond -- partly because our students aren't that much older and they can communicate so well with them,” she said.

The UD students agreed, saying they welcomed the chance to share some of their own knowledge. At the same time, they said, they often feel that they are learning as much as they are teaching.

“I was a little nervous at the beginning, not because the girls are incarcerated but just because of standing up in front of a group and teaching,” Brittney Jones said. “But all our meetings have gone well. The girls are interested, and, being nursing majors, we're all comfortable talking about these kinds of things.”

The sessions include factual information on anatomy and reproduction, for example, and such activities as role-playing and mock interviews on topics including, “Are you ready to be a parent?” The volunteers bring pamphlets, lists of community resources and other materials to distribute to the girls and supplement their presentations.

“We try to get them involved, to think and to talk about the kinds of choices they make,” said Michelle Erli, a student in UD's Honors Program. “It's not just us talking or lecturing. I don't think that would be very effective.”

Audrey Arcuri said she and the others always emphasize prevention and good health, but they don't try to tell the younger teens what to do. “Their choices are their choices,” she said. “What we want to do is make sure they have the knowledge so they can make educated choices, and we hope they'll be empowered to realize that they are in control of their own choices.”

For Nicki Bylsma, volunteering for the program seemed like “a great opportunity to help others, which is something I think all nursing students want to do.” She said that teaching has turned out to be a learning experience for the UD students as well. “The girls are all different, not like any kind of stereotype you might have about them, and they seem to appreciate what we're doing,” she said. “I think we all feel like they're not that different from any of us.”

The “Get Real” program will continue in January, with four new nursing students as volunteers, Herrman said.

Article by Ann Manser
Photo by Ambre Alexander