duke city health amBassadors present
FINAL REPORT for YOUTH BUILDING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES (YBHC)
A Youth-Led project of YouthNoise, Link Media, and Southwest Organizing Project Media
Media
Albuquerque youth building healthy communities
Youth Building Healthy Communities (YBHC) is a youth-led community organizing effort in Oakland, Detroit, and Albuquerque that addresses health disparities in local neighborhoods. YBHC partners with local community-based groups to develop youth organizers and provide support including resources, employment, mentoring, and training opportunities. In Albuquerque, we are taking this opportunity to expand our leadership skills and learn about new tools in our organizing efforts (such as video and online social media) to raise awareness around a number of health issues affecting young people.
who are the duke city health ambassadors ? We are a group of young leaders focused on building a healthier community in the Albuquerque area. We all come from low income families of color. Our main goals are to transform the way citizens of Albuquerque look at living healthy, and to create solutions to the main issues that affect young people in our community.
Our YBHC team is currently working hard in the Duke City metro area; however, it has much more room to expand. Being involved in this project gives us a sense of pride and allows us to expand our networking abilities in order to maximize the potential of our community. A project like this positively affects our community because it allows us to communicate important messages about resources that are available for all of us such as contraception, community gardens, physical activities and local community centers.
our mission: Building a healthier sense of community by providing education, awareness and community involvement among youth, through blogging and media-based organizing tools.
Duke City Ambassadors in the YPAR training, listen to instructions on the ‘Boat Metaphor’ activity at the start of the project.
Aaron Nakai, YPAR trainer, explains the ‘Boat Metaphor’ activity to the Duke City Ambassadors.
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our vision: We see our community as a place where we can grow, learn and one day raise a family. A healthy community is a place where neighbors come together and look out for one another. It is also a place in which children are encouraged to continue their education and stay away from drugs and unplanned pregnancies. A healthy community is one in which there are resources such as healthy food and health care available for all regardless of a person’s socioeconomic or immigration status.
We then came up with two types of research we wanted to do. We came up with focus groups to get qualitative data - one adult focus group and one youth focus group with youth aged 14-23. We also chose to do a survey focused on all of our key issues - immigration, sex education, barriers to student success, & lack of community resources.
our themes: • Lack of Community Resources • Barriers to Student Success • Immigration • Sex Education
our research question:
Taylor and Martha write down their definition of Youth-Led Participatory Action Research.
How do we build a healthier sense of community, while educating young people on important health issues such as limited sex education and high drop-out rates?
our sample:
our methods: In the beginning of our research project we first went through a YPAR training. The youth participatory action research was a great way for the Albuquerque team to make some real changes in our community. We first had to brainstorm a research question that reflects our personal values and opinions on major health issues effecting young people today in our community.
In our research we included a wide variety of people with different backgrounds. Both males and females participated in our survey and our
We then did activities like community maps that encompassed the way we felt about our communities, the way we see them, and how safe we feel they are. We also did skits about the negative aspects of our community and how we can make the community more positive. It was a great way to get to know the team as well as share what we have in common with each other. Ambassadors take a quick break during the YPAR training.
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focus groups. Participant ages were 13 and older. They came from all parts of Albuquerque. On the survey we split the city up into five areas: the West Mesa, Northeast Heights, Southeast Heights, South Valley, and Downtown, we also included an ‘Other’ category. In our focus groups we also had a variance of neighborhoods represented. There was also a wide variety of ethnic groups represented. Participants identified themselves as Black/African/ African American, White/Caucasian/European American, Latino(a)/Hispanic, Mexican, Chicano, Asian/Asian American, Native American, Pacific Islander, Chipino, and mixed race. We also surveyed young men from the metro area that have been involved in gangs, violence or have had broken homes, who are trying to turn their lives around and build healthier lifestyles and community for their families.
our research tools: The tools chosen by the Duke City Health AmBADassadors were... • Surveys: The ambassadors distributed the surveys by hand to friends, family, and community members. They also went out to different parts of the city to leave their comfort zones and survey people walking the streets. This was challenging, but fun. The survey included questions on their areas of interest and left room for individuals to give feedback. • Focus Groups: The ambassadors held two focus group sessions. The first was for youth (ages 14-23). The second focus group was for adults (ages 24+). The questions asked were based on the four areas of interest. The participants had no trouble talking about these issues.
duke city FINDings... SEX education Sex education is available to youth in Albuquerque, but it is not comprehensive. SWOP adult ally, George, talks about healthy community.
Sub Finding: The information public school educators provide is limited and only addresses STIs and how not to get pregnant. They do not provide information on healthy relationships, counseling around pregnancy decisions, or alternative contraception. Therefore, young people still experience sex uneducated.
Supporting Data: • “When I went to high school my peers and I either did not receive sex ed or the class was informal, and the teachers tried to scare us into not having sex, instead of teaching us
A community map created by the Duke City Ambassadors.
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about it.” ~Emma, Youth Organizer at SWOP. • “Popular culture is extremely sexualized so that’s what people see and intake, but when they go to school it’s totally taboo. So it’s an interesting dynamic because you leave your house and see all these sex ads, but in family and in school communities it’s a very taboo subject.” ~Enrique, Urban Health Extension Coordinator for Bernalillo County. •
Also, provide a space for youth to ask their own questions. • Push for legislation to be passed that requires comprehensive sex education be taught in schools. Include information on alternative contraceptives, healthy relationships, and information about resources on counseling around pregnancy decisions.
28% of teens surveyed in Albuquerque do not receive information on safe sex in school.
• 66% of teens we surveyed in Albuquerque, said that they feel having sex ed classes and teaching students about contraceptives would increase the graduation rate.
SECONDARY DATA: • New Mexico’s teen pregnancy rate ranks 2nd in the U.S., with a rate of 93 pregnancies per 1,000 young women ages 15–19 compared to the national rate of 70 pregnancies per 1,000. There were a total of 6,770 pregnancies among young women ages 15–19 reported in 2005, the most recent year for which data are available, in New Mexico. (Source: New Mexico State Profile Fiscal Year 2009, Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States)
vision: We envision a curriculum in all high schools that is comprehensive and includes information on alternative contraception, on healthy relationships, and provides resources to counseling around pregnancy decisions.
recommendations: • Create a program available to teens that is comprehensive and well rounded, meaning a program that provides information on alternative contraceptives, on healthy relationships, and that provides resources to counseling around pregnancy decisions.
• Build on programs in organizations that do teach comprehensive sex education (i.e. Young Women United, NM Department of Health, NM Teen Pregnancy Coalition, South Valley Male Involvement Project). • Create information sheets that provide information on alternative contraceptives, healthy relationships, and resources for counseling around pregnancy. Distribute them in schools, or community centers. • Create media with a message (i.e. PSA, Blog Site, Pamphlets, Songs, etc. with the message that sex is part of human nature and should be practiced in a safe and healthy way, and schools should teach youth how to practice sex in a healthy way) and distribute it widely. • Create a coalition of organizations in the Albuquerque area who want to provide more resources and create a comprehensive definition and language around sex education for young people and their families.
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barriers success
for
ther they didn’t have parental figures, or they were moving around a lot, and had to cut school to take care of their brothers and sisters.” ~Marisol, Development Coordinator for SWOP
student
There is a high drop out rate among high school aged youth in ABQ. Youth in ABQ are being left behind, because of the lack of availability and lack of access to services, such as tutors, substance abuse programs, and support for teen parents. This support is vital for many students in Albuquerque to succeed in school.
• Over 70% of the youth surveyed said that failing grades, alcohol and drug abuse, and teen pregnancy were the main reasons students dropped out of school. • 22% of the teens we surveyed dropped out of high school.
Sub Finding:
SECONDARY DATA:
The lack of access to these services impacts young peoples’ mental health and also leads to poverty, which causes other health issues. Some of these issues are stress from home and school (related violence or substance abuse), unintended pregnancies, and sexually transmitted diseases impact youth.
• 63% of students in Bernalillo County graduated in 2008. (Source: Kids Count Data Center, New Mexico Voices for Children) • 35% of children in Bernalillo County live in single parent families. (Source: Kids Count Data Center, New Mexico Voices for Children)
Sub Finding: The majority of youth in ABQ only have two options; drop out of school or struggle to survive in a traditional high school. Not having a high school education holds students back from a higher education, leaving them to work a minimum wage job and in poverty, this is therefore an unhealthy situation.
vision: We envision a support system for students that not only helps to give low income students access to resources such as tutors, substance abuse programs, and support for teen parents, but ensures they graduate from high school.
Supporting Data: • “I’m a high school drop out, but luckily I got my GED at 16. The reason why I dropped out is because school was hard for me, and I did not receive the proper support.” ~Juan, Duke City Health Ambassador • “Many of my friends dropped out due to their partners getting pregnant.” ~Andres, • “I worked at Highland High School and a lot of the young people ended up dropping out. The majority of the young people dropped out due to unstable family life, eipage 5
immigration Discrimination against immigrant families leads to tension within our communities, therefore there is a lack of community cohesion.
Supporting Data:
Martha, Andres and Taylor’s community map shows how they see their community as it is now.
recommendations: • Create awareness of programs that already exist, but are not utilized by students, by tabling in schools and handing out informational pamphlets. • Make programs, like substance abuse programs and support for teen parents, available on school campuses. • Push for legislation that mandates public schools to have these resources available to students, whether that be on campus or a reference to outside services, and that students are made aware of these resources. • Create a community space for students to have peer tutors and a place to talk to one another about the issues they are struggling with in terms of their education and the barriers they face. This way students can come up with their own solutions to the problems they face. • Push legislators and community members to fight for a livable wage so that parents can afford to be home with their children, that way all kids have support at home.
• “I think there can be negative ramifications when it comes to immigration, because it can be hard to get citizenship and gainful employment, so some people have to resort to illegal behavior.” ~Kelly • “I don’t think it’s a negative affect, but I think all of us have problems when your neighbors are different than you. When there’s a large immigrant population, if its somehow butting up against people set in their ways, it brings some kind of conflict or tension that might not have been there.” ~Chris • 28% of the immigrant families we surveyed do not attend community events because of conflict with other people.
SECONDARY DATA: • Youth of color appear in 52% of all news about crime, while white youth only appear in 35% of all news about crime. However, white youth appear in many more stories about education or health (13%) than youth of color (2%). (Source: Race and Media in New Mexico, New Mexico Voices for Children) • 24% of children in Bernalillo County had parents that were foreign born in 2008. (Source: Kids Count Data Center, New Mexico Voices for Children)
vision: We envision our communities to be places of acceptance and inclusion, where all people are welcome and not discriminated against.
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recommendations: • Better advertise cultural events that are held in communities (i.e. Annual International Festival in International District) and make sure there is an educational component about different cultures. • Host community discussions that let community members freely express their cultural differences, and allow them to understand each others’ perspectives. • Cultural awareness should be integrated into all Social Studies activities in schools (grades K-12).
lack of resources
Juan gets ready for his interview while Tracy adjusts the light during the video training with Quote Unquote.
no physical activities available to them. All of the residents we surveyed from this neighborhood say their community is not drug free.
community
• Over 60% of the residents in the West Mesa we surveyed believe their community is not drug free. Half of the residents we surveyed say there are no physical activities available to them.
There is a lack of healthy recreational outlets for young people in Albuquerque, which leads to higher rates of crime and drug use.
Supporting Data:
SECONDARY DATA:
• “In my neighborhood, we have parks and a community center, but I feel like they are meant for younger kids. There is nothing that attracts the older kids, so they end up making their own fun, which tends to be illegal or dangerous.” ~Aurea, Duke City Health Ambassador
• 32.7% of children in New Mexico are overweight or obese. (Source: Statehealthfacts. org, Kaiser Family Foundation) • 27.4 percent of New Mexico’s youth reported drinking heavily and 43.2 percent of these youth continue to drink on a regular basis. (Underage Drinking in New Mexico Youth Film Challenge, New Mexico Attorney General Gary Office, New Mexico Voices for Children and uPUBLIC)
• “I grew up on the east coast and having that comparison, I always think what do teens have to do? There’s not a lot of recreational things...it seems like there’s not a lot of fun things to do. No healthy things to get into.” ~Kelly
vision:
• Over 50% of residents in the South Valley neighborhood of ABQ we surveyed, say there are no physical activities offered to them. Over 80% of those surveyed believe their community is not drug free.
We envision our communities full of healthy activities for young people to participate in. A diverse set of activities, so that there is something for everyone to do.
• Over 40% of the residents in the SE heights neighborhood we surveyed, say there are page 7
OYES BIOS...
recommendations: • Create awareness of spaces that are available to youth in Albuquerque, and make sure that there is transportation available to them if it is outside their neighborhood. • Have more diverse activities, such as sports, media outlets, and musical outlets, available to all age groups at community centers. • Hold a forum for youth to present their ideas to local politicians and developers about what activities they enjoy and how having activities would benefit their communities.
Tatiana cardenas,
is a student at the Univeristy of New Mexico, getting her degree in University Studies. This program is important to her, because she believes all young people have a voice and should all be heard.
• Have neighborhood associations include multiple young community members on their boards, so that the young people’s issues are taken care of in the community as well.
aurea cardiel, (age
limitations learned:
and
lessons
Next time we would edit down the survey questions and make sure that they are all relevant to the research questions. Also, make sure the note takers take down the entire dialogue in focus groups. We learned how to analyze data and form recommendations to address the findings we found. We also learned how to create our own media. Both of these skills will be useful in the future, especially in community organizing.
next steps & action: • Plan and host a Youth Health Summit, educating youth on health issues and getting their input and personal stories. • Implement a sex education campaign.
19) was born and raised in Albuquerque, NM. Is a Chipina (ChicanaFilipina), a mother, a poet, a musician, a singer, and a dancer. She attends the University of New Mexico as an undergrad, studying Political Science. She was raised in a politically active family. The first organization she was a part of, and grew up in, was La Raza Unida Youth Committee. There she learned histories of past revolutions and revolutionaries, of her Chicano culture, and of issues that were affecting her community. Not only was there an educational component, but she also was able to be involved in her community and work on projects, such as helping plan the design of a park in her neighborhood. From there Aurea started her community activism. This path lead her to the SouthWest Organizing Project where she was the communications intern and now to YBHC, where she plans to continue working to make her community a healthier and a better place to live.
• Get more youth and community members involved. • Make Duke City Health Ambassadors into a permanent research and youth organizing team, continuing to look at health disparities affecting young people in Albuquerque.
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juan cardiel, (age 20) is from Albuquerque, NM, a.k.a the Duke City. He is currently taking a class at the Central New Mexico Community College to expand his knowledge of the world. He’s not sure what he wants to do or be yet. He is a muralist, graffiti artist, musician, and an MC. With his artistic talents, he has been a part of making murals in the International District where he lives, and surrounding neighborhoods with other young people. He has been involved in his communities in other ways, such as being a member of La Raza Unida Youth Committee (LRUYC), working on neighborhood community gardens, and being a part of Dragon Farm at the South Valley Academy. LRUYC educated him on histories they don’t teach in school, life skills, and enabled him to work on issues in his community. One big thing they did in LRUYC was to plan a walk-out in support of immigrant rights. Juan got involved in YBHC because he wants to make his community healthier.
regional coordinator tracy chacon, is the
Regional Coordinator for the Southwest Region. She’s a junior at the University of New Mexico, studying Sociology. Youth Building Healthy Communities is important to her, because she believes another world is possible and young people have the power to change it.
STAY IN TOUCH... To be in touch with the Duke City Ambassadors team about getting involved with Youth Building Healthy Communities, continue to build and address health issues young people in Albuquerque face, or questions about connecting or our work, please contact: tracy@youthnoise.org aurea@youthnoise.org page 9
duke city health ambassadors
Albuquerque’s Youth-Led Action Research team, Duke City Health Ambassadors, work on a community issues map during their YPAR training in June, 2010.
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