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21 Jun 2011 09:13:44
Luton is taking the health of its young people very seriously as the launch of its Health Ambassadors and Champions programme at the University of Bedfordshire shows.
The training programme for Ambassadors and Champions was established to help improve the health of young people in Luton, both by interacting with them and helping bridge the gap between teenagers and health service providers.
The teams are young people themselves, with the Health Champions still in college and the Health Ambassadors in higher education or work. Five of the Health Ambassadors are students at the University.
Professor Gurch Randhawa, Professor of Diversity in Public Health and Director of the Institute for Health Research at the University, gave pro bono training to the volunteers and opened the event. He said: “The programme focuses on tackling health inequalities in our community and these young people are excellent agents of change.
“I was delighted to offer my services for free as part of their training programme. I think they’re now fully equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness of local public health issues and I look forward to seeing the impact they have.”
Morag Stewart, Deputy Director of Public Health at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital, spoke at the event and said: “The Health Ambassadors and Champions are showing how important it is to make public health everybody’s business.
“It is great to see people who are committed and willing to work in partnership to make a difference - they can really help improve the health of young people in Luton.”
The two volunteer teams have gained qualifications as a result of their training and used the launch event to introduce what they do at the moment and their future plans. They also led small-group consultations with a range of experts from the University and local health authorities.
Latest news» 2011» June» University champions Luton’s teen health
