Building Healthy Communities

About Building Healthy Communities

The California Endowment has teamed up with 14 communities throughout the state to help improve their physical, social, and economic environments and thereby promote the health of children and families.  Through this 10 year commitment to Building Healthy Communities, The Endowment and those involved have come to understand that health happens not just in doctors’ offices, but health happens in neighborhoods.  Creating opportunities for youth to take meaningful leadership roles in one strategy to realizing the goals set out by The Endowment.  For more information go to http://www.calendow.org/healthycommunities/

The California Center, in partnership with members of the Statewide Youth Leadership Coordinating Team is coordinating all statewide youth leadership opportunities associated with The California Endowment and Building Healthy Communities.  We are at the beginning of this new and exciting phase in The California Endowment’s commitment to engaging youth at all levels of leadership-local, regional and statewide.

The proposed Statewide youth leadership activities will build on cross-site relationships formed and policy priorities established by over 100 youth during regional and statewide convening’s conducted in 2011. The goals of Statewide Youth Leadership include:
• Ensuring a youth voice at the statewide and regional levels
• Increase the capacity of youth and adults within BHC to include youth initiatives within BHC
• Improve communications regarding youth engagement among communities

The Statewide Steering Committee on Youth Leadership within BHC will:

• Include 12-15 members including two hub and two program managers, six experienced and active youth and two youth workers.
• Advise and support statewide opportunities for youth leadership in BHC
• Be responsible for structuring communication among youth, youth allies, hubs and program managers with regard to statewide and regional youth leadership activities
• Promote integration of local and statewide activities engaging youth
• Meet at lease twice a year and participants will earn a $1,000 stipend annually

The Presidents Youth Council will:

• Provide youth perspectives about the progress of BHC work
• Advise Dr. Ross about strategies to strengthen youth voice and leadership across the sites, and on the state and national levels.
• Be comprised of 12 members including 5-7 youth between the ages of 16-24, and 4-5 who are youth workers and advocates.
• Represent each region, diverse ethnicities, genders and sexual orientations
• Participate in trainings on the BHC structure and leadership
• Research the ideas and concerns of other youth leaders in BHC and best local, statewide and national projects.
• Meet 2-3 times per year, members will earn a $1,000 stipend annually

The Youth Policy Leadership Workgroup will:

• Include 24 youth ages 17-23
• Represent youth regionally, reflect the diversity of youth engaged in BHC work statewide
• Research and analyze policy priorities, opportunities and potential challenges before making decisions on policy issues to address
• Integrate and align related work engaging youth statewide and at all levels of BHC
• Meet at least twice a year, and members will earn a $1,000 stipend annually

The Learning Community and Network will:

• This body would include adults and youth drawn from all fourteen sites
• Improve each site’s abilities to support youth leaders engaged in policy and systems change processes at all levels of BHC
• Identify strengths and challenges affecting their work with youth; identify existing resources and those needed and build support systems among communities