FAQs

Are you an abstinence project like the ‘Silver Ring Thing’ in America?

Romance Academy has no connection to the Silver Ring Thing. Although the SRT was featured on the original BBC documentary, our role at Romance Academy is not to enforce a moral code. This tends to breed secrecy and young people may take more risks with their sexual health and involvement with each other. At Romance Academy, we feel it is vital to support all young people to understand sexual health in the context of healthy relationships, of which, delay is an option.

I’ve heard that Romance Academy is introducing a new Licence Agreement. What does that mean?

Romance Academy (like all good organizations) is currently reviewing and changing the way it does things. From January 2011 by paying to come on a Training Day you are also buying a licence. This is a shift away from our previous system of two separate fees for training and licence. The Licence is now a fully operational legal agreement, which will be signed and counter signed by all involved in running the academy. It’s nothing scary or restrictive; it just helps us to promote good practice and longevity. The cost of the total RA package is £300. Please see our Run An Academy page for more info.

I am a Romance Academy trained leader but I am no longer involved with the organization/church that holds the Licence, can I still run an Academy where I am now?

Unfortunately not. We licence the organization so that there is a degree of external quality control and support. We also want to work with your sending organization to ensure that you are fully protected and clear on matters of child protection. In this situation you will need your new organization to buy a Licence from us at cost of £200.

I’ve recently joined an organization/church that has a RA licence but I’m not trained. Can I still run an academy?

If you are interested in running an academy and belong to an organization that has a Licence but you aren’t trained yourself, then we would ask that you come on a training day before you embark on the amazing voyage that is Romance Academy.

I know that you encourage each academy to sign a pledge as they embark on their course. What does that mean?

Each academy invites the young people to take a ‘delay’ pledge during the course to help them explore their attitudes to relationships and sex. Each group agrees the terms of their pledge together. This helps to create within the group a strong sense of trust, community and respect. It draws a line in the sand and allows them to move forward from the same start point – sexually active or not. The emphasis of the pledge, discussions and activities are to empower each young person to make good choices about their health now and in the future.

What is Romance Academy’s stance on homosexuality?

Romance Academy is an inclusive project that does not discriminate on the grounds of race, religion, gender or sexuality as outlined in our charter. We promote the value of healthy and committed relationships in all of their manifestations. What we love about Romance Academy, is that in helping young people reflect on what makes life and love really valuable, we’re helping them to pick out, amidst the demands and pressures of life and labels, a strong sense of who they are and the kind of life they want to lead.

Is it possible to reduce the weekly material into a shorter time frame?

Yes and no. As it stands the course is 12 weeks long. We would recommend that it run in no less than 10 weeks for your young people to get the most out of the project.

How much does it cost to run an Academy?

The average cost of running an Academy can vary from academy to academy, depending on budget and resources already available. The weekend away is the biggest expense at around £700 - £1000 for 12 young people. As with any youth work, we appreciate that the budget for the year may well be 59p, but there are always creative ways to make it happen. We would encourage you to tap into local pots of money, fundraise or if your connected to a church, get them to get behind you, rather than sacrifice the weekend or graduation. Whatever your budget, there is always a way.

How do you recruit young people onto the project?

There are several ways to gather your chosen 12. A school assembly works well as long as there is fairly swift follow up. Seek referrals from Schools, Social Services, the local Police and Family Planning clinics. Access your local youth centre. Advertise wherever you think is appropriate, but always audition/interview your prospective candidates .

What age restrictions are there?

We would strongly recommend, for child protections reasons, that you have no one under the age of 14 attending an academy. Most academies would have no one over the age of 18 but we allow you to use your discretion when it comes to the maximum age limit.

Is this project only for girls?

NO WAY! It’s true that girls only need to hear the words ‘Romance Academy’ and they are banging down the door but this project is as much for guys as it is girls. Boys may require a more personal invite but don’t, whatever you do, let that put you off. Fight for your men! They will get just as much out of it as the girls and it’s important that we facilitate opportunities for Venus and Mars to communicate on issues that really matter!

What sorts of issues are covered in the Romance Academy material?

Topics covered in the course material include:
- Conflict Resolution
- Problem Solving
- Confidence Building
- Self Esteem
- Effective Use of Protection
- STI’s and Pregnancy
- Building and Sustaining Healthy Relationships
- Communication Techniques
- Love and Romance
- Drugs and Alcohol
- Body Image
- Touch and Intimacy
- Domestic Violence
- Coping with Peer Pressure
- Team Work

How important is it that my own lifestyle/views are in line with Romance Academy’s teaching?

Very important. Young people can smell hypocrisy from a mile away, which could lose you the respect of the group. Whilst we don’t ask that you share your own experiences as part of the course, we want you to feel confident and comfortable talking about these sensitive issues. You might be the only positive role model your young people will come into contact with; we would urge you to make it count.

What happens if some young people drop out?

It’s always worth finding out why. Have an informal chat with them, just to make sure that they are okay and haven’t left because they are in trouble or turmoil. Your commitment is to the young people whether they attend or not. Never disband a group because attendance has dwindled.

What if I can’t get the right amount of girls and boys?

We recommend that you run your academy with no less that 6. It’s better to have an even mix of boys and girls so we would urge you to fight for your group. It’s really important that you choose your group really carefully. Consider different personality combinations and don’t be scared of having a mix of people who don’t know each other. The aim is to build a positive peer community, this works extremely well when you’re working with a group of strangers.

What do I do if a teenager discloses something extremely sensitive or illegal?

As a trained RA leader you will have been CRB checked and will be working in line with your organization’s child protection policy, so make sure you refer to it in any situation you are unsure about. It’s also sensible to make sure you have a good team behind you so that you are fully supported. Never promise a young person that you will hold anything they tell you in confidence. There may be times when you are required by law to tell the authorities or there might be situations where you need back up or support. Tell them that you will only tell people who need to know. So far, we have never known of incidences where young people have blurt out a disclosure in front of the group so you don’t need to panic about that. Just stay calm and build relationships, that’s all we can ask. Best practice applies in RA as much as the other projects you run.

How ‘Christian/Religious’ is your material?

There is no direct Bible teaching in any of material. We also don’t demand that Romance Academy leaders are ‘Christians’, but we do ask them to respect the fact that it is founded on a Christian ethos and views of faithful relationships including, the sanctity of marriage – a view shared by many other religions. We welcome anyone who can, with integrity work within these guidelines.