Preconception Peer Educators' exploratory outreach to the Bahamas: A foundation for an international service learning initiative.

Abstract

A service learning outreach was undertaken to assess the feasibility of adapting the Preconception Peer Educator (PPE) program to Bahamian youth. By focusing on preconception health, the PPE program is a logical step toward ensuring age sensitive and developmentally appropriate education to improve potential birth outcomes and decrease infant mortality rates (IMR) associated with the complex societal problems on Grand Bahama. Concerned with the prevalence of adolescent pregnancy, lack of social support, depression, and failure to complete high school, a nurse midwife invited PPEs from a School of Nursing to meet with stakeholders to introduce the PPE program to Bahamian youth. Mentored by a faculty advisor, the PPEs assumed a leadership role and determined that the primary needs of Grand Bahamian adolescents were messages of self-empowerment and proactive life planning within a cultural context. Positive responses from stakeholders and the promise of a partnership between a School of Nursing and a Caribbean community encouraged the PPEs to adapt their PPE program to the cultural climate and needs of the island of Grand Bahama. The experience informed students' practice and leadership ability by enhancing cultural awareness and sensitivity, expanding world-views, and instilling an ethic of social responsibility.