INTER-ACT - our aim

Our aim is to assist young people in Forth Valley in their transition through adolescence to early adulthood, with a particular focus on the social and emotional aspects of health and development.

INTER-ACT - the challenge

We promote the healthy development of children young people in Forth Valley. They make friends, gain skills and experiences, seek thrills and begin to make independent sense of their world. They will encounter a variety of situations and experiences relating to substance use, sexual health, mental health, and physical well-being.

The public sector has formed a variety of policies and priorities linked to health, education and welfare which focus on areas such as:

• Alcohol and Tobacco use
• Children's Rights
• Reducing Inequalities
• Education for citizenship
• Mental health and well-being

The overarching challenge is to develop new and enhance existing public sector programmes that are meaningful and relevant to young people whilst encompassing these national priorities.

INTER-ACT - the structure

INTER-ACT is part of Forth Valley NHS Board, Health Promotion Department and has a partnership agreement with Stirling and Clackmannanshire Councils. An INTER-ACT education worker works with Children's Services in Stirling.

INTER-ACT has been operational in Forth Valley since 1990. It employs a Lead Health Promotion Officer, an Education Worker and a part-time Graphic Designer/Project Administrator. Sessional workers are also engaged on specific programmes.

INTER-ACT- learning and health

INTER-ACT works pragmatically and systematically to implement national and local priorities in health and education.

We aim to facilitate learning by doing, by engaging, by inspiring, and by listening to others.

By taking a person-centred approach we are able to deal with the common social and emotional factors that underpin the curriculum and the health improvement agenda.

We aim to make our methods accessible to others. When working on staff development our initial task is often to ease people into the work, overcoming anxieties about role-play, drama and the creative expression.

INTER-ACT works responsively, meeting the needs of partners by creating and delivering new and innovative training and development projects.

We believe change is maximised when there is coherence between policy and practice. Our methods provide a focus and an incentive for enquiry and debate.

INTER-ACT- the method

The arts are, motivational, creative and engaging. They are an excellent tool for exploring dilemmas, decisions and consequences.

We use drama, music, video, dance and art:

• as a medium for expression and interpretation on a particular issue. For example - we have involved children and young people in a week long residency called Max in the Middle which explores all aspects of healthier living from the perspective of 'Max' an 11 year old trying to make sense of 'Max' being 'in the middle'

• as a trigger for discussion and reflection on a particular situation or dilemma. For example - we plan and deliver interactive drama in which the young people discuss the dilemmas facing the characters in a particular situation.

INTER-ACT - the quotes

"That is what learning is. You suddenly understand something you've understood all your life, but in a new way" - Doris Lessing

"You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of question" - Plato

"How to build a ship.
You gather people and plant in them a love and longing for the wide vast endless sea. You do not gather people and tell them to collect wood, draw up a plan, and build a ship." - Antoine de Saint-Expurey

I can't believe I'm saying this, but this school is becoming cool'- participant.

'It has been one of the best things my daughter has ever done - she loved it' - a parent

The best day in my life - even better than getting picked for England's under 13 rugby team - participant

"...with INTER-ACT you have your own opinions...it's like being in the real world, but in a fantasy". - participant

"It helped you think about what other people wanted not just you." - participant