Welcome to LVA’s very first blog! We’re at a crucial intersection in our journey. We’ve been teaching relationship & sex education (RSE) across schools in SW London for over two years now and over this time we’ve gained many insights, adapted our teaching techniques and sounded from the rooftops to thousands of kids: you are loved, valued and able. We now want to share our expertise with a wider audience - such is the gift of blogging.

Because working at LVA is far more than a job – it’s a heartfelt vocation and it’s deeply personal. Before I became a teenage Mum my self-esteem reached a rock bottom. I’m thankful every day that, with help & love, I have a new chapter to my story.  I now have confidence in who I am and LVA’s mission – to empower young people to make confident and informed choices, based on understanding their own emotional, mental and physical needs.

At LVA, we do this in a variety of ways to convey the message that we are all unique, we are all precious and we are all worth making good choices for... 

This knowledge should manifest in feeling:

LOVED – by understanding the importance of self-care, accepting who we are (warts and all) and cherishing all that is awesome in us

VALUED –by surrounding ourselves with people that build us up, while being careful not to rely exclusively on others to find our true value – it’s already within

ABLE –by making positive decisions about our lives. Helping and enriching the lives of others and using the mistakes we’ve made as lessons for others to learn from is a powerful blessing – which has enriched my life. Hence, my role at LVA and this blog.

The time to act is now. Not just from a legislative point of view (the government is making RSE compulsory in schools, and for good reason), but also because of the mounting pressures young kids are facing today. 

 I thought growing up was hard. I didn’t have to contend with social media and being constantly connected to peer pressure and hyper-sexualised content. It’s a brutal playground out there and we have to equip our kids to reach the other side, with dignity, respect & humour.

So, check-in regularly. We’re working alongside schools and parents to enable our children to know their value & the value of those around them.