Active Choice, or Aktivt Valg as it is called in Norwegian, is one of the newest groups in the Norwegian Red Cross Youth. The main goal of AC is to educate teenagers in schools and other locations about their sexual health. This we do through peer education which means that the instructors are not that much older than the teenagers we meet, it is clear to me that this helps beacuse the kids feel it is easier to receive this information from people in their own age group as opposed to someone their parents' age.

I started in this group about 18 months ago when I went to a seminar to be trained as an instructor and I've been active ever since. Our main activity is to visit schools with our program which last for about 90 minutes (two school periods) and through several activities and some educating about STDs we're able to help the kids understand the importance of being aware of their sexual health. They are supposed to be able to take ACTIVE CHOICEs concerning their sexual health, and of course their partner's. Visiting schools are really fun and I really feel like I'm cintributing at a grass root level. Even though we may not see the results then and there at least we know that some boy or girl that's never even touched a condom before now might dare to bring up the subject of protection with their boy- or girlfriend after our session in their class they hopefully will be able to! We often say that if we've helped only one or two then it's worth it because it may actually save a life or prevent someone from contracting a disease that can make the sterile or give them cancer. This work can be said to be both short and longterm!

In addition to being an instructor that goes to the schools other places there are groups of teenagers I've become a trainer for new instructor. Our group in the city of Bergen was the first group of AC in Norway, but we're constantly expanding and I am lucky ebough to be able to travel around to other new groups and train new instructors that also want to do this great and important work. This really motivates me and gives me new drive to continue.