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Other demonstrations were:-
Bathing Baby
Child Development
Mouth to Mouth Resuscitation
The mouth to mouth resuscitation film and demonstration went down very
well and for several weeks after little groups could be found round the clinic
practising on each other.
Lectures and discussions were given on the following topicss-
Posture and foot hygiene
Child development
Female reproduction
Juveniles and the Law
V.D.
Menstruation
Personal and general hygiene
First Aid
Jobs, Hobbies and Clubs
Holidays
Outline of Human Anatomy using "Visible Lady"
The effect of high-powered advertising
Diet
Boy friends
Baby's daily routine
Homework and schoolwork
Sex. Emotional, physical and moral aspects.
Safety in the home
This year two sessions were set aside to enable the girls to debate by
themselves, unassisted by adults, the following topics
"Dating boys" and
"School Uniform"
to see if the girls could collect data and put it across to another group
with some degree of fluency and confidence. But we found that it is with
great difficulty that the majority of these adolescents manage to express
themselves - their views tend to be rather rigid and narrow in scope. We
hope to be able to do more work in this sphere in the following year.
Discussion through the medium of play acting was also tried, and in this
we were more successful. The topic taken was "Coming home late" and the girls
took it in turn to play the mother and teenage daughter. In this we noted
the marked punitive attitude of the symbolized mother.
Among the many visitors to the clinic was Mrs. H. Robins (Health
Education Liaison Officer, Ministry of Health) who showed great interest in
the clinic and asked many searching questions; we felt that we had her
approval and support in this work.
As in previous years, at Christmas time the girls went out in groups of
two's and three's to visit the old people and some of the girls manage to
continue the visiting throughout the year.
The year was rounded off by a "Swinging Party" at which there were 65
adolescent boys and girls. Miss Collyer, ex-Dagenham Health Visitor now at
the Central Council for Health Education, very generously came to give us a
hand with the festivities.
The greatest compliment paid to. the teenagers was from our caretaker
who said, "They did no damage and cleaned up before they left."
We felt it had been a year well spent."
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