“Here in Fresno, the Sustainability Council has been regularly attending EPA- (Environmental Protection Agency) Brownfield training meetings. These meetings cover everything from what a Brownfield is, to redeveloping processes, to partnership’s for making it happen. As we looked around at these meetings we realized that we were the only young people present, ironically others noticed too. In fact, the directors were so impressed with our dedication and support that we have now been awarded with a 35,000 dollar grant for technical support and assistance.  With this we will complete the step by step process of redeveloping and testing one of the 445 brownfield sites in Southwest Fresno, and transforming it into a community garden. This past week three of our council members gave a presentation to Lisa Garcia, Chief of Staff, and Lisa Jackson of the EPA on the work and vision we have for the Central Valley. We are very excited about our Brownfield to Urban Garden Project and are grateful to be given this opportunity.”
-Alice Lindo

You may be asking, how did the MOM get set up at their school? This was not accomplished over night! Youth initiated this work back in 2006 when students surveyed their peers at Riverbank High School and identified that access to appropriate and affordable health care services was a priority for their community. Since then youth have been leading efforts in working with stakeholders and school administration to get a health center on their campus that provides access to the entire community. With the support of GVHC, they have opened the MOM and are currently serving students and community members in Riverbank. They want to continue to spread the word so that more people can take advantage of the medical services offered by the MOM.

To help build awareness, youth worked with GVHC to create the video shown below. Youth wrote the script and directed the video, and GVHC helped with the editing. The video premiered at the first annual Riverbank GVHC Health Fair this past May. The video was shown to over 100 community members at the fair, and we are hoping for more next year!

It has been amazing to see how the youth are changing their community through their efforts to increase access to medical services. Check out their video and let us know what you think. If you would like to get involved or support Riverbank’s efforts, please contact Candace Chwierut at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

My name is Alexis Kelley and I am proud to be a part of the 2010 graduating class of Health Professions High School. I joined the YWHLP three years ago and feel that the YWHLP has given me a voice, not only at the community level, but at the Capitol level as well. I have grown to become a community leader, youth advocate, and a role model for my peers. An important issue in my community is having increased knowledge for sexual health education so my peers can make more informed decisions. Through my involvement with YWHLP, I have impacted my community and myself because I now know that I can make a difference for the betterment of developing generations. Over the summer I plan interning with the California Latino Capitol Association Summer Intern Program. In the fall I am excited about attending San Diego State University in the Honors Program. I will be majoring Psychology and plan to pursue a career as a clinical adolescent psychologist. On my free time I am a shopaholic on a budget. I love keeping up with the latest fashion and I know how to get the most for your buck. As I move forward I will continue to voice my opinions and ideas to others while keeping an open mind. I want to be an inspiration to other youth.

I attended Planned Parenthood’s Capitol Day 2010 because I feel it is important that youth speak out about reproductive health issues to make our community a safer place. I arrived at the State Capitol at 8:30 am. There were people representing counties across the state all in support of Planned Parenthood. The North Steps were decorated with black and burgundy balloons. There were health-education booths set up around the lawn with information on Planned Parenthood’s prevention services, including STD prevention, breast cancer awareness, and primary care. I checked in and received my shirt and bag and was ready to start my day. I was one of the many 1000 supporters there to educate our decision makers and community on the importance of protecting the prevention services provided by Planned Parenthood.

During the morning there was a rally in which guest speakers including Senator Mark Leno and Assemblymember Paul Fong discussed the importance of keeping the Family Planning, Access, Care and Treatment program (Family PACT) available to our community. Family PACT provides pregnancy prevention services such as contraceptives, and STD prevention services and education to low-income families(1). Currently the Governor’s proposed 2010-11 state budget threatens to eliminate Family PACT funding and decrease the reimbursement rates paid to providers of family planning services for patients covered under Medi-Cal and Family PACT(2). After the rally supporters gathered in groups by their counties, and met with their legislators to educate and persuade them to protect Family PACT.

After ate lunch on the lawn while a mariachi band and dance crew performed, in honor of Cinco De Mayo. After Lunch we marched to the convention center singing chants and sharing our message to the public. As we made our way to the convention center we were met with some opposition holding anti-abortion signs. I felt empowered as I walked by and wanted to educate them on the misconceptions they have about Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood is not just about abortions; they are about prevention services and helping our community. 

After we arrived at the convention center, Spare Change, a youth theater group from Humboldt county, performed creative skits on the importance of comprehensive sex education, healthy relationships, and youth empowerment. My favorite was the skit about the Birth Control Beauty Pageant where contestants represented the different birth controls available on the market. The winner was Abstinence because it is the only 100% effective birth control and STD prevention out there.

At the end of the day supporters attended various workshops to learn more about prevention services and ways to support community efforts. I went to the International Reproductive Health and Organizing Local Communities workshops and was able to relate information to the women’s health work that I am a part of at school.  I felt empowered at Planned Parenthood’s Capitol Day because I was a part of educating our community and legislators on the issues impacting reproductive health. I was happy to see so many youth at the event supporting Planned Parenthood’s efforts. I feel we need more youth involvement and representation in policy-making, and the only way this can happen is to invite us and support us to be a part of the process.

  1 California Department of Health Care Services, Family Pact http://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/Pages/FamilyPACTMedi-CalWaiver.aspx
  2 “Attack on Family Planning Fact Sheet”, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, Inc., PPAC

Check out the video I created about my experience.

Kern County youth serving on Cal Center’s Statewide Youth Board on Obesity Prevention (SYBOP) have been developing an innovative way to advocate for change in their community through Video Voice Mapping. This process involves youth videotaping themselves in places they choose within their community, discussing the strengths of those places, or areas where they identify a need for change.

Similar to Photo Voice, youth answer questions about where the places is, what is happening there, how it affects them, and what they can do about it. The videos are then uploaded onto a “Healthy Cities” map in English and Spanish to help residents, policy makers and others gain a clearer insight into their perspective, and learn how youth can contribute to making healthier policy and environmental changes in their community. Many times, a young person’s point of view will provide unique insight into a place that adults have never seen or have overlooked in the past.

In Kern County this meant exposing a corridor of power lines that had once been used as a dumping ground, but were cleaned up by local youth on their own and turned into a soccer field. Youth used old grocery carts as goals because the school yard across the street was locked and not accessible for young people to play. It meant capturing alleys where youth feared being jumped on their way to school, abandoned homes that harbor drug and alcohol abuse, routes to local stores where families are forced to walk in the street against speeding traffic and parks where condoms, drugs and graffiti are strewn throughout the bathrooms. Young people also highlighted improvements to one of their local schools, and changes they made to a nearby park.

To view our videos, click here!. To visit our sponsor, the California Endowment’s Building Health Communities Initiative website, click here!