The South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Shows Up initiative believes young people have the power to change the story around cancer prevention, and earlier this year that belief came to life in a classroom at Fir Vale School in Sheffield.
We were there to film something special: a group of Year 8 students sitting down with immunisation nurses to ask the real questions about HPV and the vaccine that protects against it. No scripts, no lectures – just an honest, thoughtful conversation that puts young voices front and centre.
This video project is part of a collaboration with the South Yorkshire & Bassetlaw Cancer Alliance and NHS England’s Public Health Programmes Team, with the aim to educate students, parents, and carers about the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), how it spreads, and how the vaccine can help prevent several types of cancer. Most importantly, we wanted to do it in a way that feels relatable, respectful, and real.
Fir Vale’s students were incredible; curious, confident, and completely engaged. They asked brilliant questions about what the vaccine does, how it works, and why it’s offered at their age. The nurses responded with clarity, warmth and reassurance, helping bust myths and build understanding.
Filmed in a familiar school setting and designed for social media, the video speaks directly to young people. It fits right into the Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) curriculum, but goes beyond it too by promoting conversations at home and in school corridors.
This is what showing up looks like: bringing students and health professionals together, giving young people space to speak and be heard, and making cancer prevention a topic that feels both accessible and empowering.
Fir Vale School, you were brilliant. Thank you everyone, for showing up.
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