Youth Advisory Board Events

Youth Advisory Board Meetings

When:
Advisory Board meetings will occur after-school from 5:00 - 7:00 PM. The Advisory Board meets multiple times per year, generally in the Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer of each school year.

Where:
All Advisory Board meetings will take place at the Center's office at RAND in Santa Monica.

UCLA/RAND Center for Adolescent Health Promotion
1776 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90407

Food and refreshments will be provided at every meeting.

What:
What will happen during each Advisory Board meeting? Each meeting is made up of 2 main sections, (1) leadership skill development, and (2) a "real life" advisory case example. The Center will also sponsor one special event or fun activity per year for Advisory Board members to increase team-building efforts among members in a safe, entertaining setting. This event may take place at the end of a regularly scheduled meeting or on a weekend.

Leadership Skill Development

The leadership skill development section of Youth Advisory Board meetings is an opportunity for members to learn public presentation and interviewing skills, decision-making skills, organizing skills, community research and advocacy skills, through structured activities. Members will participate in activities to strengthen specific leadership skills. All members will be exposed to methods of strengthening these skills, however there will be groups or committees comprised of several Advisory Board members that will focus on learning in detail a specific content area (i.e., public presentation, advocacy skills, community research) throughout the year. Other possible activities include: learning to create a resume, exploring post-high school options, completing college applications, and using the Internet.

"Real Life" Advisory Example

Youth Advisory Board members are expected to use their newly developed skills and their own life experiences to contribute to a "real life" research issue. Teens will provide feedback on surveys, focus group protocols, interventions, and methodology (e.g., youth perspectives regarding the feasibility of procedures, recruitment and outreach strategies, etc). They will also advise us on numerous projects and activities and help us identify topics to be included in our research agenda.

Teen Photovoice Project

In 2004 the members of our Youth Advisory Board participated in a real life research project called Teen Photovoice. This community-based participatory research project was designed and led by Jonathan Necheles, MD, MPH, a UCLA/RAND Center for Adolescent Health Promotion researcher. The thirteen high school participants from the Advisory Board were given brand new digital cameras and asked to capture images in their communities that they felt influenced their health behaviors.

During the course of six months the teens took thousands of pictures. At their biweekly meetings they shared their photographs and talked about common themes that arose. In the course of the project, two main themes developed: (1) Food and (2) Stress. Their photographs were used to develop a series of posters aimed at educating others about health issues in their communities. One of the posters the students designed showed that in their neighborhoods and schools unhealthy foods were more readily available than healthier choices. Another poster depicted images of major stress factors that affected their health, such as traffic, school, and pollution.


(click on images for larger view)

The Photovoice posters were presented as a special exhibit at the California Science Center Museum from July 27 through September 6, 2004, to the applause of parents, community members, and the local press. The posters were also reprinted and distributed around the student's neighborhoods in an effort to promote change. In honor of their tremendous effort in this research project, the Youth Advisory Board members were awarded framed Certificates of Participation and they received their digital cameras as gifts.

Ruckus Nation Competition

In the spring of 2008, a subgroup of graduating YCAB members entered an international competition to create a product that would encourage youth to be more physically active. The YCAB team was selected as 1 of 56 semifinalists among over 400 entries from 37 countries around the world. The YCAB's product idea was called SHIFTEES, a wireless motion-sensor controller that can be used with existing games. Just strap SHIFTEES over your shoes to track your movements and give you control of a video game character. Plus you can customize your SHIFTEES to reflect your own personal style. The idea was a whole new way to play your favorite games!

SNaX League Video

The 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 YCAB have been integrally involved in the design, development, and production of the SNaX League Video. The video will be used to introduce and garner excitement in LAUSD middle schools about the Center's Students for Nutrition and eXercise (SNaX) program. The YCAB members first suggested using a video to reach youth and suggested we don't make it like every over educational video they see in school. Their advice led to the creation of the SNaX League - a league of everyday students fighting for healthy food and exercise. The YCAB provided input on character development and casting, notes on the script, and feedback on the early cuts of the video itself. The process culminated in a screening of the SNaX League video at a YCAB meeting that included members of the cast and their families, production company, directors, writers, and producers.

Ongoing Advisory Board Executive Mentorship

A major emphasis of the Youth Advisory Board is to help teens build competencies (interpersonal, leadership, employability, and academic skills) through education, decision-making, and mentorship. Members will have ongoing access to mentorship during their membership in the Youth Advisory Board. The Center's Youth Liaison and Community Liaison will always be available to youth via phone or e-mail to provide members with information related to health issues, academic interests or job pursuits.

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