Intro to Engaging Youth Advocates

Transcription

1 Intro to Engaging Youth Advocates Presented by Amelia Silbert Geiger Kim Homer Vagadori, MPH California Youth Advocacy Network (CYAN) CACTI AcIon InsItute Sacramento, CA April 27, 2012

2 California Youth Advocacy Network The California Youth Advocacy Network (CYAN) is dedicated to the support of youth and young adult tobacco control advocacy throughout California. By providing young people and agencies with the tangible tools for acion, CYAN strives to mobilize a powerful statewide movement for tobacco control. CYAN offers the following: Technical Assistance Trainings Statewide Advocacy and Policy Campaigns EducaIonal Materials and PublicaIons OpportuniIes for Networking

3 Overview of Session IntroducIons A Snapshot of Youth OpportuniIes for Engagement Levels of Engagement Benefits of Working Youth Things to Consider Where to Begin Case Study: County wide Youth CoaliIon

4 IntroducIons Name County Experience working with youth

5 A Snapshot of Today s Youth GeneraIon Z (Internet GeneraIon) Mid to late 1990 s to 2010 Always Connected Digital NaIves

6 CDC Youth Engagement Guide Focus: IdenIfying how youth play a role in advancing policy as part of a comprehensive tobacco control program. Youth = year olds Does not include young adults (18 24 year olds) CYAN uses similar strategies to engage youth and young adults advocates

7 History of Engagement Before 1990 s Young people as a target of intervenions (focus on individual behavior change) Adults as guides Youth served as the face of the issue 1990 s Today Young people are part of the intervenions Adults are partners Youth are also the feet of local campaigns

8 Four Strategies for Engaging Young People Policy Advocacy Media Advocacy Community Engagement FighIng Pro Tobacco Influences

9 Policy Advocacy Youth can: Write lefers to decision makers TesIfy at city council and county supervisor meeings Meet with key partners and decision makers Collect lefers and signatures of support Educate community members on the need for policy change Collect data to support advocacy efforts (e.g., store observaions) Meet with legislators and rally at the state capitol

10 Policy Advocacy Things to Consider: Youth are great educators! Similar aciviies for administraive and voluntary policies (doesn t only apply to legislaive policies) Examples: policies in schools or muli unit housing policies Can advocate for enforcement of exising laws

11 AdverIse in school and local papers Advocate against industry adverising and promoion Write lefers to the editor and opinion editorials Used earned media to create awareness and promote policies Afract news coverage for public health aciviies Media Advocacy

12 Community Engagement Coordinate aciviies with local organizaions and groups Promote public health iniiaives at community events Recruit peers Recruit partners

13 Fight Industry Influences Monitor industry aciviies and report violaions Create countermarkeing campaigns Expose industry targeing aciviies Work to reduce store product placement and markeing strategies

14 Levels of Youth Engagement Source: Youth Leadership InsItute

15 Benefits of Working with Youth Youth see things differently in their communiies Issues you work on may affect them differently Have unique stories about how public health issues affect them, their families, and their peers Experts on their community Know what their peers are looking at, listening to, what issues are important, etc. Young people are heard differently at city and county council meeings Young people afract more media afenion Able to mobilize peers faster than us

16 Benefits of Working with Youth CreaIve! NaIve technology users Youth have a lot of posiive energy, ideas, and moivaion Youth advocates become adult advocates Engaged youth are role models to their siblings and peers (spread the message befer than we can someimes) Youth are global ciizens color blind

17 Things to Consider Youth don t operate on business hours May have to meet in the evening and on weekends Does your County have a policy about working aker hours? Youth are busy Have academic schedules VacaIons Akerschool aciviies Youth come and go Build structure to have a solid foundaion (even though youth will graduate and move on) Youth communicate differently TexIng, Social Media they have grown up with this technology Do you have access to Social Media?

18 Things to Consider Many youth don t drive Will need to provide transportaion Need insurance to allow this AND need an individual who parents feel comfortable with Youth like incenives (e.g., food) Can you purchase food? Issues and campaigns may need to be reframed to recruit youth support The aciviies must be relevant to youth if they will paricipate Bring youth in at the beginning Ask youth to be part of the strategy session

19 Working with Youth: What s Your Plan? WHY do you want to work with youth? Partner with youth to do advocacy aciviies? Youth audience? Peer educators? WHAT level of commitment do you want from them? Short term or long term commitment? Work on specific campaigns or aciviies?

20 Working with Youth: What s Your Plan? HOW will work with youth? Develop a new youth coaliion? Restructure an exising coaliion? Hire youth coordinator? Work with exising youth groups to incorporate public health iniiaives? Partner with high school youth groups? Work with the local youth commissions?

21 Working with Youth: What s Your Plan? WHO are the youth you want to work with? Teens? Middle school students? High risk teens? Priority populaions? Youth in MUH? HOW do you access these youth? Schools? Teachers? Coaches? Community partners? Parents? PTA? Local hangouts? Online?

22 Working with Youth: What s Your Plan? WHAT resources do you have to dedicate to youth? Staff Time Facility TransportaIon IncenIves LimitaIons to working with young people? County restricions? CommunicaIon restricions

23 Case Study Santa Clara County CPPW Grant Charge: Organize a county wide youth coaliion Train youth to advocate for stronger tobacco free ordinances in various ciies throughout the County Smoke free parks Tobacco Retail Licensing Work with youth to educate community members on local tobacco issues

24 Case Study Our Path to Reforming CATT Hired youth coordinator Reached out to all the local youth groups to find youth interested in tobacco issues Contacted schools to find interested partners Communicated with exising CATT advocates

25 Case Study Challenges Big county, lots of ciies, lots of issues Coordinator Amazing youth organizer, passionate about work with youth (not passionate about issue) Gave youth too much control Access to schools was difficult Community organizaions were losing youth advocates County poliics

26 Case Study Readjusted Strategy for working with Youth Hired coordinator passionate about youth and issue Recruited core group of youth to provide direcion (provided lots of incenives.food, lefers of recommendaion, etc.) Provided opportuniies to exising youth coaliions to get involved Did extensive training Ongoing support IncenIves

27 Case Study Youth Voice Projects Mini grant opportuniies with specific projects and direcion Asked for stories what the youth see in their community Showcased projects Provided recogniion from city and county leaders

28 Case Study Results (example) Store observaions Advocate for stronger retail license ordinances Smoke Free Parks Lifer cleanups Educate decision makers on smoking in parks Educate community members Media advocacy Educate youth leaders

29 For more informaion CYAN CDC Youth Engagement Guide stateandcommunity/ bp_userguide_youth/pdfs/ youth_engagement.pdf

30 For more informaion, please contact. California Youth Advocacy Network (916) CACTI Staff Amelia Silbert Geiger, Outreach Coordinator Kim Homer Vagadori, Project Director Tonya Veitch, Program Consultant