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, 2012California 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 NetworkingOverview of Session
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IntroducIons
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A Snapshot of Youth
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OpportuniIes for Engagement
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Levels of Engagement
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Benefits of Working Youth
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Things to Consider
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Where to Begin
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Case Study: County‐wide Youth CoaliIon
IntroducIons
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Name
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County
A Snapshot of Today’s Youth
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GeneraIon Z (Internet
GeneraIon)
– Mid to late 1990’s to 2010•
Always Connected –
Digital NaIves
CDC Youth Engagement Guide
• Focus: IdenIfying how youth play a role in advancing policy as part of a comprehensive tobacco control program. • Youth = 13‐17 year olds • Does not include young adults (18‐24 year olds) – CYAN uses similar strategies to engage youth and young adults advocatesHistory of Engagement
Before 1990’s
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Young people as a target of intervenIons (focus
on individual behavior change)
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Adults as guides
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Youth served as the “face” of the issue
1990’s – Today
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Young people are part of the intervenIons
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Adults are partners
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Youth are also the “feet” of local campaigns
Four Strategies for Engaging
Young People
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Policy Advocacy
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Media Advocacy
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Community Engagement
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FighIng Pro‐Tobacco Influences
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 capitolPolicy Advocacy
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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 lawsMedia Advocacy
• 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 acIviIesCommunity Engagement
• Coordinate acIviIes with local organizaIons and groups • Promote public health iniIaIves at community events • Recruit peers • Recruit partnersFight Industry Influences
• Monitor industry acIviIes and report violaIons • Create counter‐ markeIng campaigns • Expose industry targeIng acIviIes • Work to reduce store product placement and markeIng strategiesLevels of Youth Engagement
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
Benefits of Working with Youth
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CreaIve!
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NaIve technology users
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Youth have a lot of posiIve energy, ideas, and
moIvaIon
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Youth advocates become adult advocates
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Engaged youth are role models to their siblings
and peers (spread the message befer than we
can someImes)
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Youth are global ciIzens – color blind
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?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 sessionWorking with Youth:
What’s Your Plan?
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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?Working with Youth:
What’s Your Plan?
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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?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?Working with Youth:
What’s Your Plan?
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WHAT resources do you have to dedicate to
youth?
– Staff – Time – Facility – TransportaIon – IncenIves•
LimitaIons to working with young people?
– County restricIons? – CommunicaIon restricIonsCase Study
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Santa Clara County – CPPW Grant
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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 issuesCase Study
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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 advocatesCase Study
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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 poliIcsCase Study
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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 • IncenIvesCase Study
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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 leadersCase Study
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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 leadersFor more informaIon…
CYAN
www.cyanonline.org
CDC Youth Engagement Guide
www.cdc.gov/tobacco/
stateandcommunity/
bp_userguide_youth/pdfs/
youth_engagement.pdf
For more informaIon, please contact…. California Youth Advocacy Network (916) 339‐3424 www.cyanonline.org www.facebook.com/CYANfan CACTI Staff • Amelia Silbert‐Geiger, Outreach Coordinator amelia@cyanonline.org www.facebook.com/AmeliaSilbert • Kim Homer Vagadori , Project Director kim@cyanonline.org • Tonya Veitch, Program Consultant tonya@cyanonline.org