CONVERSATION WITH LARA KHALIL, WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE REST OF THE OFFICE ON YOUTH I N PA RT N E R S H I P W I T H
CITY OF DURHAM | COUNTY OF DURHAM | DUKE UNIVERSITY | DUKE UNIVERSITY HEALTH SYSTEM | DURHAM CAN | DURHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS DURHAM CONGREGATIONS IN ACTION | GREATER DURHAM CHAMBER OF COMMERCE | INTERDENOMINATIONAL MINISTERIAL ALLIANCE LINCOLN COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER | PROJECT ACCESS OF DURHAM COUNTY | PARTNERSHIP FOR A HEALTHY DURHAM TRIANGLE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | THE INSTITUTE
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rom Greta Thunberg to “Little Miss Flint” whose letter to President Obama about the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, generated national attention, youth activists are at the forefront of global and national movements for change. In Durham, the Office on Youth endeavors to create more spaces and structures for young people to actively participate in shaping local government and its programs. In 2019, the office embarked on creating a solid foundation for its work in the years to come, which included renewing its mission, hiring three new staff members and launching the Youth Listening Project. At the helm of this progress is the City-County Youth Initiatives Manager Lara Khalil. Here, she speaks with us about the office’s collaboration with the Healthy Durham 20/20 initiative, creating a healthier Durham for our youth, and what the year looks like for her team.
support all children and youth ages 5-24 years in Durham. We work not only with the programs serving youth, but also with youth and families with diverse lived experiences. Together, we pick our priorities and figure out the best solutions, and we make space for youth to be leaders along the way. For us, true success means that all young people in Durham would have the resources and support they need to be healthy and thrive.
What role do Durham youth have in building a healthier community? We often forget that youth have been at the forefront of social change movements and entrepreneurism across the world. They have led revolutions. They’ve been activists for civil rights, Black lives, gun control, democracy, climate change, environmental justice and gender equality. The truth is, we can’t build a healthier The vision at the community for all without Office on Youth team with Lara Khalil, center. Office on Youth is that youth. For this to work “all young people in though, adults will need Durham are their whole, to shift our mindsets and healthiest selves and have the power and platforms to institutions. We need to believe that youth are actually equal lead positive community change.” How does this vision partners in catalyzing community change. contribute to the mission of Healthy Durham 20/20? Healthy Durham 20/20 helps bring together the many What would a healthier Durham look like for our programs that are working to advance health in Durham. young people? The idea is to be more coordinated and aligned in our If we want a healthier Durham, a lot of our systems and work so we can achieve health equity for all. Of course, polices will need to be redesigned. We know that not this vision includes young people in Durham, and that’s all youth in Durham have the resources and support the core of what we do. We focus on ways that local they need to be healthy and thrive. We know that Black, government programs, policies and systems can better indigenous and Latinx youth are experiencing worse
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