Comments for Woodward Lewis http://www.woodward-lewis.co.uk Positive Deviance Specialists Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:43:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 Comment on Teenage pregnancy targeted by janelewis http://www.woodward-lewis.co.uk/2011/05/teenage-pregnancy-targeted/#comment-56 janelewis Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:43:41 +0000 http://www.woodward-lewis.co.uk/?p=574#comment-56 Well done on what you are doing, and I can understand why you get frustrated with the public's view of young parents. What we are doing helps not only to get young parents working together (and can get them some qualifications if they would like), it helps them gain confidence and it also transforms the professional agency people's view of what young parents can do. Well done on what you are doing, and I can understand why you get frustrated with the public’s view of young parents. What we are doing helps not only to get young parents working together (and can get them some qualifications if they would like), it helps them gain confidence and it also transforms the professional agency people’s view of what young parents can do.

]]> Comment on Teenage pregnancy targeted by Sarah Jacques http://www.woodward-lewis.co.uk/2011/05/teenage-pregnancy-targeted/#comment-49 Sarah Jacques Sat, 21 Jan 2012 23:26:14 +0000 http://www.woodward-lewis.co.uk/?p=574#comment-49 i am a teenage mother and i am now studying 5 AS/A levels and my partner (who i had my child with) is studying towards an NVQ level 2, it depends on the person wether they get qualifications or not. it is not dependant on wether they have had a child or not. Alot of people leave school with no qualifications regardless of wether they have a child or not. teenage parents with achievements are never praised but lumped together with the people who dont achieve acidemicaly. when i tell people i am at college and am a teenage parent they always seem surprised because everybody thinks were just out for the money and the media doesn't help this view. it is good to educate teenage in secondary school about the risks of pregnancy but you dont have to lump all teenage parents together to do it. i have a brain, i hate being on benefits but no bodys see's that they just think im another girl who got knocked up. i am a teenage mother and i am now studying 5 AS/A levels and my partner (who i had my child with) is studying towards an NVQ level 2, it depends on the person wether they get qualifications or not. it is not dependant on wether they have had a child or not. Alot of people leave school with no qualifications regardless of wether they have a child or not. teenage parents with achievements are never praised but lumped together with the people who dont achieve acidemicaly. when i tell people i am at college and am a teenage parent they always seem surprised because everybody thinks were just out for the money and the media doesn’t help this view. it is good to educate teenage in secondary school about the risks of pregnancy but you dont have to lump all teenage parents together to do it. i have a brain, i hate being on benefits but no bodys see’s that they just think im another girl who got knocked up.

]]> Comment on Teenage pregnancy targeted by janelewis http://www.woodward-lewis.co.uk/2011/05/teenage-pregnancy-targeted/#comment-7 janelewis Tue, 16 Aug 2011 09:14:28 +0000 http://www.woodward-lewis.co.uk/?p=574#comment-7 Thanks for your feedback, Marie. We are hoping to work more with Brune Park and the young parents group based out of Tree House, to provide a safe way of getting the students to open up about the issues there. It was clear from our work with the young parents how much of a problem peer pressure is. We want to turn the peer pressure around - to be constructive, not creating pressure to have sex. The work, as Monique Sternin says, is about finding successful strategies - from girls who are seen to be OK by their peers but who resist the pressure. But creating the space and time to do this takes time - it's very different from the "give them all the information" approach - the students need to feel safe to open up about what they really feel. However, once it does start, it gets people excited, gives the students a sense of direction and moves quickly, without lots of resources. Thanks for your feedback, Marie. We are hoping to work more with Brune Park and the young parents group based out of Tree House, to provide a safe way of getting the students to open up about the issues there. It was clear from our work with the young parents how much of a problem peer pressure is. We want to turn the peer pressure around – to be constructive, not creating pressure to have sex. The work, as Monique Sternin says, is about finding successful strategies – from girls who are seen to be OK by their peers but who resist the pressure. But creating the space and time to do this takes time – it’s very different from the "give them all the information" approach – the students need to feel safe to open up about what they really feel. However, once it does start, it gets people excited, gives the students a sense of direction and moves quickly, without lots of resources.

]]> Comment on Teenage pregnancy targeted by Marie Large http://www.woodward-lewis.co.uk/2011/05/teenage-pregnancy-targeted/#comment-6 Marie Large Sun, 14 Aug 2011 21:09:43 +0000 http://www.woodward-lewis.co.uk/?p=574#comment-6 My daughter attends Brune Park Community College. It is peer pressure and availability of contraception on school site that persuaded her to have the contraceptive implant without my consent. She is 13 years old. Justify that? My daughter attends Brune Park Community College. It is peer pressure and availability of contraception on school site that persuaded her to have the contraceptive implant without my consent. She is 13 years old. Justify that?

]]> Comment on Positive deviance – are you getting the real thing? by monique sternin http://www.woodward-lewis.co.uk/2011/06/positive-deviance-are-you-getting-the-real-thing/#comment-4 monique sternin Tue, 21 Jun 2011 13:49:16 +0000 http://www.woodward-lewis.co.uk/?p=680#comment-4 Thank you Jane for this clarification...and highlighting the difference between Sara Parkin's book and concept of Positive deviant leaders and the PD leaders in the PD approach which has been used over 2 decades with great success. As described in numerous articles, especially the Harvard Business Review article of May 2005 :"your company's secret Change agents" by Richard pacale and Jerry Sternin; the leaders involved in the PD process act differently: they delegate and even more importantly trust that the front line workers will have the answers and see their role as removing barriers and being enablers of the innovation coming from the community.. I hope this is useful. Monique Thank you Jane for this clarification…and highlighting the difference between Sara Parkin’s book and concept of Positive deviant leaders and the PD leaders in the PD approach which has been used over 2 decades with great success.
As described in numerous articles, especially the Harvard Business Review article of May 2005 :"your company’s secret Change agents" by Richard pacale and Jerry Sternin; the leaders involved in the PD process act differently: they delegate and even more importantly trust that the front line workers will have the answers and see their role as removing barriers and being enablers of the innovation coming from the community..
I hope this is useful. Monique

]]> Comment on Teenage pregnancy targeted by janelewis http://www.woodward-lewis.co.uk/2011/05/teenage-pregnancy-targeted/#comment-3 janelewis Thu, 26 May 2011 13:44:41 +0000 http://www.woodward-lewis.co.uk/?p=574#comment-3 Thank you very much Monique. We are currently talking to the School's Sex and Relationships Education steering group about doing just that..... It's just that the school's timetable dictates the pace and the work will go into next academic year, with a new cohort of students. But in the meantime, the young mothers will be leading discussions and exercises on not getting pregnant by sensitising the students to the implications of young parenthood - they have a burning mission to help others. There is a big cultural issue in most UK schools about peer pressure and the girls are creating an impact that will help to recruit successful teenagers to work on peer support, provided we can find continuing funding. Thank you very much Monique. We are currently talking to the School’s Sex and Relationships Education steering group about doing just that….. It’s just that the school’s timetable dictates the pace and the work will go into next academic year, with a new cohort of students. But in the meantime, the young mothers will be leading discussions and exercises on not getting pregnant by sensitising the students to the implications of young parenthood – they have a burning mission to help others. There is a big cultural issue in most UK schools about peer pressure and the girls are creating an impact that will help to recruit successful teenagers to work on peer support, provided we can find continuing funding.

]]> Comment on Teenage pregnancy targeted by monique sternin http://www.woodward-lewis.co.uk/2011/05/teenage-pregnancy-targeted/#comment-2 monique sternin Thu, 26 May 2011 13:16:15 +0000 http://www.woodward-lewis.co.uk/?p=574#comment-2 Congratulations for this new application of the PD approach to teen age pregnancies. It seems that this project has benefitted the young mothers most. It would be interesting to know how the pregant teens or young teen mothers are leading the discussion on not getting pregnant in the first place since they are a case in point. It would be even more useful to find "high risk girls and their male counterparts" who are NOT GETTING PREGNANT (PD individuals male and female) in this Brune Park Community College and learn from them what they are doing to not get pregnant. This could also result in peer education and support coming from the successful teenagers, not just from those who were unsuccessfull.... Congratulations for this new application of the PD approach to teen age pregnancies.
It seems that this project has benefitted the young mothers most.

It would be interesting to know how the pregant teens or young teen mothers are leading the discussion on not getting pregnant in the first place since they are a case in point.

It would be even more useful to find "high risk girls and their male counterparts" who are NOT GETTING PREGNANT (PD individuals male and female) in this Brune Park Community College and learn from them what they are doing to not get pregnant. This could also result in peer education and support coming from the successful teenagers, not just from those who were unsuccessfull….

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