Children and Youth Engagement

What WE DO

History

Since 1997, Latino Health Access has housed programming and services for children and youth, but never had a department that solely and holistically focused on providing them. In 2020, the Children and Youth Engagement Department (CYE) was created to support the healthy development of children, youth, and their families.

Children and youth are introduced to local and countywide policy advocacy concepts such as health equity, youth advocacy, systems policy change, government structure, budgets, and youth-to-prison pipeline.
Children, youth, and families participate in active living opportunities in recreational and physical health programs such as bicycle and pedestrian safety and healthy eating (including childhood obesity prevention).
Children and youth are provided with academic enrichment activities through tutoring and mentoring services, learning to navigate the school system, participating in college and career readiness, navigating school and college for undocumented students (including DACA), navigating IEPs, and participating in field trips.
Children and youth are introduced to concepts related to emotional wellness such as mental health, substance use disorder prevention and intervention, trauma-informed practices, and resiliency.
Parents are provided strategies and guidance in children’s learning and development in: cognitive, language and literacy, social-emotional, and physical development, physical and mental health, and learn to navigate the school system in supporting their child’s academic careers.

Mental Health Stigma reduction campaigns through fun interactive activities such as “Spreading Kindness,” "Color Your Emotions,” “Jeopardy,” “Plant It Out,” “Stretch It Out,” "Dance It Out, “Cooking Together,” “Spa Day”.

Violence, Suicide, and Substance Use prevention campaigns in which youth meet weekly to develop and strengthen peer-to-peer leadership skills, prepare for mobilization and advocacy activities, lead and facilitate meetings, and help recruit other youth.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety campaigns where promoters use culturally relevant, popular education principles, such as dressing up as “Coneheads,” to host interactive workshops and assemblies that promote active transportation modes and safety awareness for all ages.
And more!

CYE strives to:

Strengthen families and empower community leaders

Support the development of socially conscious community young leaders who will impact the quality of life in their own homes and their communities

Engage families in a safe, fun, and inclusive space

Purpose:

The Children and Youth Engagement Department’s (CYE) purpose is to house a robust set of programs for children, youth, and their families that connect them to physical and mental health services that aim to actively engage them in academic enrichment, socio-emotional awareness, leadership development, civic engagement, and policy advocacy activities.

CYE engages youth and families in interactive programming that is tailored to community needs and aligned with our funding sources. These include, but are not limited to:

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