Help Improve Health Worldwide (And Earn Cash)
A new health project bringing together researchers and young people is looking for interested young people to advise its work. In addition to receiving payment and training, young people involved can help ensure better health for people across the world.
DECIPHer is a project between Cardiff, Bristol and Swansea universities that aims to improve the health of children and young people through better research. It focuses on issues such as sexual health and substance misuse, healthy eating and exercise, but believes that good research about young people, has to involve young people.
To achieve this, they’ve developed a group called ALPHA that’s made up of young people aged 14-19 from the Cardiff, Bristol and Swansea areas, who meet with researchers to help improve the work that they do.
This is what one of ALPHA's members (Alex, 16) says about it
What does ALPHA aim to do?
ALPHA aims to give you a voice to young people whilst improving public health research. We meet once a month in Cardiff with the aim to bridge the gap between academic research on public health and the lives of young people. It gives researchers the opportunity to ask us our opinion on health matters that affect us.
What do you do as members?
Besides fun activities, we talk to researchers about their findings; we show them how to feed back, ethically, to the other young people who took part in their studies; we test out leaflets aimed at young people and we receive training in research.
What do you get out of it?
Lots! We get to meet new people. We get to learn about research and have new experiences. We get £15 each session. But most importantly, we get a say in matters that affect us.
If you would like to know more about the work that we do, or get involved, contact Philip at danielsp1@cardiff.ac.uk
IMAGE: Arnold Schwarzenegger Color S-Africa by David van der Mark
