No abstract required as this is a commentary

Chandra, Kanika

Ho, Truc

Liller, Karen

Millsapps, Erin

Sanders, Madison

Trejos, Rolando

English

UNF Digital Commons

Florida Public Health Review Volume 20 Article 8 2-26-2024 Building Advocacy in the Younger Generation Through the Adopt a School Program of the University of South Florida College of Public Health Activist Lab-A Commentary Karen Liller University of South Florida, kliller@usf.edu Madison Sanders Erin Millsapps Truc Ho Kanika Chandra See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/fphr  Part of the Public Health Commons, and the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Liller, Karen; Sanders, Madison; Millsapps, Erin; Ho, Truc; Chandra, Kanika; and Trejos, Rolando (2024) "Building Advocacy in the Younger Generation Through the Adopt a School Program of the University of South Florida College of Public Health Activist Lab-A Commentary," Florida Public Health Review: Vol. 20, Article 8. Available at: https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/fphr/vol20/iss1/8 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Brooks College of Health at UNF Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Florida Public Health Review by an authorized administrator of UNF Digital Commons. For more information, please contact Digital Projects. © 2-26-2024 Protected by original copyright, with some rights reserved. Building Advocacy in the Younger Generation Through the Adopt a School Program of the University of South Florida College of Public Health Activist Lab-A Commentary Authors Karen Liller, Madison Sanders, Erin Millsapps, Truc Ho, Kanika Chandra, and Rolando Trejos This article is available in Florida Public Health Review: https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/fphr/vol20/iss1/8  BUILDING ADVOCACY IN THE YOUNGER GENERATION THROUGH THE ADOPT A SCHOOL PROGRAM OF THE  UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH ACTIVIST LAB – A COMMENTARY    Karen D. Liller, PhD Madison Sanders, MPH Erin Millsapps, MPH Truc Ho  Kanika Chandra, MBBS Rolando Trejos, MPH   Florida Public Health Review Volume 20 Published February 6. 2024   In order to educate school-aged kids for future leadership roles, this study examines the value of advocacy and leadership abilities in the field of public health. The study emphasizes the benefits of involving young people as health advocates by highlighting effective programs like Providers and Teens Communicating for Health (PATCH) and Youth Engagement and Action for Health (YEAH), as well as projects like the Kentucky Teen Institute and the Activist Lab at the University of South Florida College of Public Health. The Adopt a School program, which engages middle and high school students in advocacy efforts, is the subject of this study, which focuses in particular on its implementation and results. The program has shown promise in developing advocacy competencies and developing a new generation of leaders dedicated to public health advocacy.    ____________________________________________________________________________________  Background | Advocacy  and  leadership  skills  are critical  to  advancing  the  public  health  profession. These  skills are  needed  not  only  by  public  health  professionals but also by school-aged youth to prepare  them to be future leaders and change agents. There is also a need for youth workers to engage youth as health advocates to highlight the importance of  understanding public health principles, policy, systems, and environmental change approaches.1 Viewing  youth  as  engaged  leaders  in  community  health  issues,  rather  than  just  participants,  creates effective partnerships and yields positive health impacts for youth, adults, and communities.1 Ballard and Syme2 presented a framework for promoting adolescent and community health that  includes the need for additional research and innovative strategies for how youth involvement with civic activities leads to better health. Positive  outcomes could be moderated by social status, quality,  development stage, etc. The authors do propose that  youth civic engagement can promote adolescent health  through opportunities for caregiving and change- making, especially noting the role for volunteerism. There are examples of programs showing promising  results for youth. A recent description of the Providers  and Teens Communicating for Health (PATCH)  program showed that both eight-week and nine-month  program modalities for Wisconsin youth (ages 12-21) allowed them to learn advocacy and leadership skills  through successful youth engagement.3  The program   involves hiring youth to be part of community and state-based adolescent conversations. A recent study of the Youth Engagement and Action for Health (YEAH) curriculum on physical activity with diverse youth groups showed improvements in advocacy and health behavior outcomes after a 10-week program.4  Another example of implementing advocacy education that had positive results is the Kentucky Teen Institute program that includes a yearlong community health advocacy intervention for high school students and their adult mentors.5 The results showed improvement in attitudes, intentions, and behaviors toward advocacy, increased confidence, community capacity, mentorship, and better public speaking and communication skills. A Public Health Advocacy Curriculum was also developed by Curran et al.6 to focus more on the upstream causes of health. As a result, the curriculum can be used as an effective tool to cultivate a generation of youth committed to the public health perspective on advocacy.6 Recent information has also shown that globally, five youth-led organizations in Cameroon, India, Kenya, Malawi, and Nigeria successfully utilized an advocacy toolkit to help develop important networks for change.7 Bozlak8 reported that the positive youth development philosophy suggests that programs are likely to have better results when they involve youth advocating for their own health and wellbeing. However, according to a recent study by Conner et al.9, engagement in youth activism can positively and negatively affect   LILLER ET AL 137  1Liller et al.: Building Advocacy in the Younger Generation Through the Adopt a SPublished by UNF Digital Commons, 2023  wellbeing. Positive findings include belonging to an activist community as a significant protective factor for mental health, physical health, and flourishing. Also, peer support and a sense of belonging helped with burnout-related issues. However, differences in costs and benefits did exist among certain student groups. For example, LGBQ youth reported significantly worse mental health and lower flourishing than their straight peers and more costs by being activists. It has also been reported that the positive or buffering effect of activism for youth might vary according to race and ethnicity and the type of stressor involved.10 If system change is involved there may be frustration at the slow pace of change and an undue burden on those mostly affected to right the situation.10  In Tampa, Florida, the Activist Lab at the University of South Florida College of Public Health prepares students and the community to be exemplary advocates and leaders in public health (See https://health.usf.edu/publichealth/activist-lab). The Activist Lab began in 2018 and is led by a faculty director, graduate assistants, an administrative assistant, and a 9-10 undergraduate and graduate public health student member advisory board. Each year, the Activist Lab provides 50 or more educational, service, and practice opportunities to promote advocacy and leadership and bring about change. Examples of activities include a Find Your Voice seminar series, a podcast called Advocation-Change it Up, an annual Bootcamp on how to advocate for a public health issue, Lunch n' Learns, Public Health in a Minute videos, practice experiences in local and state organizations, advocacy research opportunities, mentorship opportunities, and more. While the Activist Lab has successfully reached undergraduate and graduate students, a specific program, Adopt a School, was developed for youth.  Discussion | The purpose of this commentary is to describe the Adopt a School program which invites local middle and high school students to participate with the Activist Lab in meetings and events, be introduced to advocacy, learn how to advocate for an issue of interest, and also build and enhance writing and presentation skills for success in implementing change. This program is now in its second year.  During the program's first year, the Activist Lab worked with students in the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program in one local middle school (three students, 8th grade) and a high school (21 students, 9th grade) in Hillsborough County, Florida. The Activist Lab collaborated with the teachers initially to develop logistics and establish effective and meaningful classroom curricular presentations. This communication and collaboration continued throughout the year. Initial sessions in 2021/2022 were provided virtually due to the   pandemic. The students received didactic age-appropriate instruction on advocacy through power points and discussions on advocacy, lobbying, and strategies to create change. Included was how to frame an issue incorporating background information,  recommendations (the "ask"), and impact/consequences if things did not change. This was done in the AVID program meetings at the end of the day (one hour each for two sessions). After these sessions, the Activist Lab participants asked students to break into groups and develop TikTok videos on an issue of interest to them and how they wish to advocate for change. The Activist Lab Student Advisory Board reviewed the videos using a rubric, and the videos were rated very highly. Review criteria included a 1-5 Likert scale for following directions, relevancy of message to advocacy, innovative means of expression, technical quality of the video, and appeal to viewers.  Video topics ranged from improvements to the dress code language, access to more nutritious food in the cafeteria, a decrease in gun violence for the high school, and more bathroom supplies for the middle school. At a final session at the school year's conclusion, the Activist Lab visited the schools and students received certificates and College promotional materials.  For the program's second year, 2022/2023, the Activist Lab returned in-person to schools' classrooms to follow up and introduce new students to the topics, provide didactic instruction on advocacy, asked students to break into groups and hone their advocacy "ask," and for them to take demonstrative steps for change. There were 22 middle school students and 19 high school students. At the last session, students received certificates, with four students from the high school cohort receiving additional most valuable advocate certificates for their group leadership. A most valuable advocate certificate was also given to one middle school student due to her progress in achieving advocacy and greater communication skills throughout the year.  Overall topics for the second year continued to be dress code language clarification on the school’s website and written materials, along with uniformity enforcement for males and females. For middle school, topics included, again, cleaner bathrooms and more supplies, along with new topics of first aid kits in classrooms and more outside activities. See Figure 1 for the Project Timeline. In both schools, the students prepared letters and flyers for the school's administration about the issues, including background information and suggestions for change. The students presented these letters at the conclusion of the academic year, and the Activist Lab will collaborate with them to develop the strategies further and respond to the administrators' feedback. In addition, plans for the Adopt a School program include the Activist Lab   LILLER ET AL 138   2Florida Public Health Review, Vol. 20 [2023], Art. 8https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/fphr/vol20/iss1/8  conducting continuing advocacy training sessions for students during the next academic year.  Long-term success of the Adopt a School Program will be determined through follow up with the AVID program teachers and administrators. A pre-and post-test assessment will be conducted next year to   determine advocacy competencies at the start of the school year. Students will also keep a journal of their experiences throughout the year in working through the advocacy issues. Discussions of journals will take place throughout the academic year.   Figure 1. Project Timeline          PROJECT TIMELINE     2021 - 2022 Cohort   2022 - 2023 Cohort   Sep Oct Jan- Apr Oct Nov Feb- Apr  Feb Mar  2021 2022  2021 2022 2022 2022 2023 2023            INITIATION PLANNING EXECUTION COMPLETION ONBOARDING PLANNING EXECUTION COMPLETION  A Planning Students in During an An An Students in During an  preliminary occurred the project awards onboarding informational the project awards  planning through an developed ceremony, and session was developed ceremony,  meeting informational lesson plans participation planning delivered on stakeholder participation  was session on and certificates meeting policy and letters and certificates  conducted policy and recorded were was advocacy for educational were  to gather advocacy for 45-60 provided to conducted students and materials provided to  interest and students and second students. to discuss teachers. (flyers) on students.  buy-in from teachers. TikTok  the 2022-  public   educational  videos on  2023  health   institutions.  public  cohort.  interests.     health         interests.         Conclusion | An important next step for the Activist Lab’s Adopt a School Program includes continued outreach to these and other schools for participation. There are already interested schools contacting the Activist Lab for information. To date, this project has shown that advocacy concepts and related topics can be taught to middle and high school students who, in turn, can develop advocacy strategies to effect change. With continued improvements and support, this program can play a critical role in the development of our next generation of advocates and leaders.   References |                  1. Toomey M, Smathers C, Iaccopucci AM, Johnston K, Johannes E. Youth workers’ role in engaging youth in health advocacy for community-level change. J Youth Dev. 2018;13(3). doi.org/10.5195/jyd.2018.668.                 2. Ballard P J, Syme SL. Engaging youth in communities:      A framework for promoting adolescent and community health. J Epidemiolo Community Health. 2016;70:202-206. doi.org/10.1136/jech-2015-206110.                3. Aeschbach CJ, Kusch MM, Olejniczak AB, Koepsel, ER. Engaging youth in public health: Evaluation of   short-term and long-term participation in the PATCH Youth Advocacy Fellowship. J Public Health Manag Prac. 2022; 28: E719-E727. doi.org/10.1097/phh.0000000000001567.  4. Botchwey N, Jones-Bynes J, O’Connell K, Millstein RA, Kim A, Conway TL. Impact of a youth advocacy, policy, systems, and environmental change program for physical activity on perceptions and beliefs. Prev Med. 2020;136. doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2020.106077.  5. King KM, Rice JA, Steinbock S, et al. Kentucky Teen Institute: Results of a 1-year, health advocacy training intervention for youth. Health Promot Prac. 2015;16(6): 885-896. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839915588294.  6. Curran N, Ned J, Winkleby M. Engaging students in community health: A public health advocacy curriculum. Health Promot Prac. 2014;15(2): 271-280. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839913499349. 7. World Health Organization. Rolling out the advocating for change in adolescents toolkit in five countries: Highlights, challenges, and lessons learned. Youth advocacy brief. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/362195/9789240011694-eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.  August 2020. Accessed January 20, 2024.     LILLER ET AL 139  3Liller et al.: Building Advocacy in the Younger Generation Through the Adopt a SPublished by UNF Digital Commons, 20238. Bozlak CT. Engaging youth in policy making to promote health. Act for Youth Center of Excellence. https://actforyouth.net/resources/pm/pm_policy_0914.cfm. 2014. Accessed January 20, 2024.               9. Conner JO, Greytak E, Evich CD, Wray-Lake L. Burnout and belonging: How the costs and benefits of youth activism affect youth health and  wellbeing. Youth. 2023;3:127–145. https://doi.org/10.3390/youth3010009.  10. Ballard PJ. Youth civic engagement and health, wellbeing, and safety: A review of research. https://www.pacefunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/PACE_Ballard_Lit-Review.pdf. Accessed January 20, 2024.    Karen D. Liller, PhD, University of South Florida College of Public Health, Tampa, FL. Email at: kliller@usf.edu. Madison Sanders, MPH, Erin Millsapps, MPH , Truc Ho , Kanika Chandra, MBBS , Rolando Trejos, MPH.  Copyright 2018 by the Florida Public Health Review  4Florid  Public Health Review, Vol. 20 [2023], Art. 8https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/fphr/vol20/iss1/8 5Liller et al.: Building Advocacy in the Younger Generation Through the Adopt a SPublished by UNF Digital Commons, 2023

Building Advocacy in the Younger Generation Through the Adopt a School Program of the University of South Florida College of Public Health Activist Lab-A Commentary

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Building Advocacy in the Younger Generation Through the Adopt a School Program of the University of South Florida College of Public Health Activist Lab-A Commentary

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