Sex & Peer Pressure [Saying “No!”] Workshop
As children develop into adolescents and young adults, the issue of establishing their own identity begins to play a central role in their lives. They form peer groups to foster a sense of belonging, and the group develops its own culture of beliefs, social norms and behaviours. Peer pressure acts on individuals to make them act in the same way as the group.
It can include the unspoken pressure to dress in a certain way or to buy a specific brand of mobile phone as well as direct forms of peer pressure such as persuading or bullying someone to do or say something they may feel uncomfortable about (e.g. trying a cigarette, swearing at an adult or entering a building site).
To help young people avoid the negative consequences of poor decision-making, high quality peer pressure advice needs to be provided as early as possible – preferably by at least the end of Key Stage Two. 2020 Dreams offer sound and effective peer pressure advice through our Peer Pressure (Saying “No!”) workshop.
Our experienced and well-trained course facilitators are ready to bring our fun, interactive and effective workshops to your school or young people’s institution, wherever you may be in the UK. We can tailor peer pressure advice workshops to all ages and modify content to fit in seamlessly with your PSHE requirements.
Key Stats*
- In 2023, 27% of interviewed schoolchildren (aged 11-15) admitted to having had smoked while 18% said they had taken drugs.
- 76% thought that young people drank alcohol mainly to ‘look cool.’
*From The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER): London, 2024.
How 2020 Dreams Peer Pressure Workshops are Different
2020 Dreams have a track record of successfully engaging with young people. This is due to our unique workshop format which combines drama-based role-play activities with in-depth student-led forum debates.
To help students get a good grip on the peer pressure problem, while keeping the sessions light and comfortable, they will act out common playground or street scenarios in which peer pressure is a factor. They will then try out different kinds of responses and follow through to the consequences of their decisions to act or to resist.
They will be introduced to various ways of saying “No!” that will enable them to escape peer pressure while keeping their dignity intact.
The best peer pressure advice is often generated from those closest to the situation – the teenagers or young people themselves. Through managed open forum discussions, students will get to bring up their own experiences and suggest their own solutions.
Occasionally, students in a 2020 Dreams Peer Pressure (Saying “No!”) workshop will reflect on past experiences and regret poor decisions they have made in the past. Our facilitators will help them to understand that peer pressure affects everybody and that the important thing is that we learn from our mistakes.
Peer Pressure Advice and the National Curriculum
A 2020 Dreams Peer Pressure (Saying “No!”) workshop is an ideal addition to compulsory Sex and Relationships education provision in secondary school. In order to make healthy decisions about their relationships, both sexual and platonic, teenagers need to have developed the skills to stand against the group when necessary.
The way peer pressure influences crime and other social problems (e.g. teenage pregnancy, drinking and hate crimes) can also be brought into Citizenship classes together with a workshop that offers resisting peer pressure advice.
2020 Dreams facilitators are used to working alongside schools and will ensure content meets the quality standards that are expected. All workshop leaders have had an enhanced DBS check within the last three years.
