The Youth Alliance is using a powerful tool to reach local children and teens about topics ranging from childhood obesity to teen pregnancy – youth mentors.
In a new program called Youth Advocates for Health, students will lead a series of focus groups in Hollister to determine how accessible and available physical activity programs and healthy foods are after school or in city parks for low-income youths and families. The teen volunteers began working together in May through a grant from the Health Trust. They will collect data through the public meetings and surveys, starting on Oct. 10.
The program offers leadership, advocacy and community assessment training for the students who will facilitate focus groups in English and Spanish in October and November. The workshops will be held in the evening at local schools, low-income apartments and Dunne Park (See box for dates and locations.)
Prevention programs
The Youth Alliance is also working with teens in Hollister to reduce teen pregnancy and STDS with funding from the Latino Community Foundation. With the grant funding, YA created a Pregnancy Prevention Peer Education Program that started in 2011.
Jesus Rivera, a case manager for YA, recruited two Latino teenage parents to be peer mentors, according to a press statement. The young mother participated in a public service announcement while the father is involved in the FAMILIA young parent program. Both teens received six hours of training on Cuidate!/Big Decisions, public speaking and being a mentor. The program has reached 202 at-risk Latino youth in San Benito County with peer-led teenage pregnancy prevention trainings. The prevention trainings were held in community locations and at San Benito County Juvenile Hall.
According to statistics provided by YA from the California Department of Public Health STD Control Branch, San Benito County ranked 11th in the state for syphilis cases in 2010. YA also said the teenage birth rate increased from 2010 to 2011.
The Youth Alliance press statement said 96 percent of births to mothers between the ages of 15-17 in 2009 in San Benito were Latinas.
Rivera worked with eight teens to create a public service announcement. The program will continue this year with Michelle Rodarte as case manager.
Rodarte encourages members of the community to call her to schedule prevention presentations.
“The more we can educate our youth in these areas, it can help our youth and community’s well being,” she said, in a press statement. “It’s awesome to see Youth Alliance bring resources to our community that are greatly needed and I am very proud to be a part of it.”
In addition to the pregnancy prevention program, YA provides the FAMILIA program, funded by First 5 San Benito, the Monterey Peninsula Foundation and the California Wellness Foundation for teen parents.
“The purpose of this program is to provide the opportunity to strengthen family functioning and enhance potential of adolescent pregnant or parenting mothers and fathers,” said Liz Morales, the case manager for the program.
Focus group schedule
Meetings are 6 to 7:30 p.m., in English and Spanish
Sunnyslope School, Oct. 10 and 11
1475 Memorial Dr., Room 18
Marguerite Maze Middle School, Oct. 17 and 18
900 Meridian St., Room F15
San Benito High School, Oct. 24 and 25
1220 Monterey St., District meeting room
Cerra Vista School, Oct. 30 and Nov. 1
2151 Cerra Vista Dr., Library
Gateway Palms Apartments, Nov. 7 and 8
455 Westside Blvd., community room
Rancho Park Apartments, Nov. 13 and 15
1200 Rancho Dr., community room
Dunne Park, Nov. 28 and 29
West and Sixth streets, Dunne Park clubhouse
For more information on these programs or others offered through the Youth Alliance, call 636-2853 or visit www.hollisteryouthalliance.org.
