Youth Engagement Task Force
From the very start of the Health Equity Zone, one clear priority was youth engagement. The goal was to create an environment where the youth felt heard, recognized available options and saw clear pathways to adulthood and success. Over the years, the HEZ collaborative has created programs ranging from a youth leadership academy to an entrepreneurship training partnership and a food security intervention partnership. Last year, the students participated heavily in the Participatory Budgeting initiative, a program piloted in Pawtucket and Central Falls where residents identified intervention programs that would improve health in the community, and then voted on which program would be funded. The project fielded 800 ideas and developed 11 programs for ways to spend $385,000 to improve the health of residents. The youth enthusiastically got behind this initiative and sponsored information sessions, project fairs, and pop-up voting. The idea of participatory democracy energized the youth, and created a lasting impression from the experience.
The HEZ also partnered with the Black Block Community Association, an area in Pawtucket that is home to several Black-owned businesses, to launch the Youth Black Block program where youth of color engage in entrepreneurship training and internships. The youth have also participated in trainings provided by the Nonviolence Institute, volunteerd with Help the Homeless RI, and helped coordinate a housing resources fair where they spoke in front of hundreds of community members, State legislators and housing advocates about the negative impacts of housing insecurity.
Currently, the Youth Engagment Task Force is working with residents, consultants and school representatives to develop an Action Plan to improve graduation rates. The team is reviewing transportation hurdles, teen pregnancy resources, non-violence support, and housing insecurity, and looking for ways to problem-solve to improve attendance and academic success.
Members of the PCF HEZ knew that youth engagement was critical for equity-enhancing programs, but when this group of teens stepped forward, the results surprised everyone.
