In our digital age, the issue of relationships is taking on a new significance for young people. Relationships and Sex Education, or RSE (previously SRE but it was changed to emphasise the importance of healthy relationships), currently only taught in some schools, is going to be compulsory from 2019. In response to these challenges a newly-founded charity, the LVA trust, is hoping to shed some light on this important area of teenage lives. 

Indeed, it is startling to note that 43% of young people do not have any RSE and 60% learn about sex through pornography. Worryingly, Britain has the highest incidence of teenage pregnancies in Western Europe.

LVA, which stands for Loved, Valued, and Able, provides RSE for schools across the Boroughs of Richmond and Hounslow. The charity was set up last October, but the combined experience of the founders and trustees in the particular field stretches back many years before that. The trust aims to inform young people about sex and relationships by visiting local schools, and giving lessons and assemblies to students of a range of ages. They tailor each of the talks to the audience, and also offer particularly popular small group discussions to try to positively influence as many young people as possible.

Earlier this month, LVA held a launch event at Christ’s School in Richmond, one of the five schools in which they currently operate, in order to promote their work and spread the word about the charity. The launch event was highly successful, with over 150 people attending the talk, who heard about some of the reasons behind the setting up of the charity, some of the work that they do, and what the are planning to do in the future.

LVA came about through an identification of a void in this area, and an increase in attention being paid towards relationships education. Much of the launch event was focused on the use of the internet in relationships, a pertinent topic given that the House of Lords Select Committee’s report published last week recognised the importance of the internet in young people’s lives:

    “Children of all age groups inhabit a world that seamlessly flows between on and offline. In order to thrive in both they need the protections and privileges that they enjoy offline.”

So far, the message of encouraging good self-esteem, healthy relationships and positive sexual health is getting through. Some Year 10 students in one Richmond secondary school, who have been taught by LVA, commented that they liked that the teacher had a good sense of humour and made the topic less awkward, and the overall feedback was highly positive.

The charity hopes to expand its work across more schools and welcomes enquiries from teachers, parents and youth groups. It is also seeking donations to help it continue its valuable work and would be interested to hear from anyone who may wish to volunteer for the charity. Please visit their website: http://www.lvatrust.org for more information.