Youth Advancing Communities Together (Youth-ACT)

Youth ACT is a program for Chicago-based youth of color that aims to:

Enhance youth’s knowledge and self-efficacy to understand mental health factors, substance abuse prevention, and intersectional identities.
Increase self-awareness, self-esteem, and leadership tools within high school students of color in Chicago.
Plan and execute student-initiated projects to advance public health initiatives in Chicago.

The 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that 17% of adolescents had a major depressive episode and 12% had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year.
According to the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Report, 23% of Hispanic students drank alcohol during the past 30 days.
35% of Asian students and 39% of Black students experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness during the past year.

YAB members will implement mental health programs for high school youth aimed at understanding the signs and symptoms of mental health challenges, and how to manage stress and implement self-care activities.
YAB members will implement Reward and Reminder programs for high school youth that aim to reduce youth access to tobacco and alcohol by educating retailers about laws that prevent them from selling substances to minors.
YAB members will implement Photovoice programs for high school youth aimed at understanding impact that COVID-19 pandemic has had on youth’s mental health.
YAB members and partnering organizations will host a community storytelling event that highlights the importance of ethnic and racial identity and impact of social justice on health outcomes.

Youth ACT is a two-week intensive program for rising 10th, 11th, and 12th graders that empowers youth to become advocates for health and social equity in Chicago’s ethnic communities.
Students are tasked with developing their own social change projects using the Strategic Prevention Framework model, and give final presentations of their project proposals to the community.

The Youth Advisory Board was created (YAB) to bring the youth sector to the forefront of our coalition’s work and to empower youth to lead social change projects in the communities we serve.
24 youth from Youth ACT were selected to join the Youth Advisory Board.