and Youth Empowerment Outcomes Youth Empowered Solutions Youth

and Youth Empowerment Outcomes Youth Empowered Solutions

Youth Empowerment Theory Youth Empowerment is not a… • PROGRAM Youth Empowerment is … • A PROCESS • An OUTCOME • Different, but related to, Youth Development Youth Empowered Solutions

Mission: To empower youth, in partnership with adults, to create community change Youth Empowered Solutions

Real Food, Active Living Teen Tobacco Use Substance Abuse Access To Health Care Youth Empowered Solutions

YES! Youth Empowerment Model© Skill Development Critical Awareness Opportunities Youth Empowered Solutions

Impact 1) Measure exposure to The YES! Model© 2) What happens as a result of that exposure? ü 30 -60 day; 1 year * ü How many learn a new skill? * ü How many take action? * ü How many policies are changed? Which policy? * ü How many people impacted as a result of policy change? * * both youth and adult participate in gathering this information Youth Empowered Solutions

Individual Empowerment Youth or adults exercising power over one’s life by being skilled, critically aware, and active in creating community change. Youth Empowered Solutions

FY 12 YES! Activity Impact: YES! and Individual Empowerment Description YES! Youth Staff Part-time high school-aged employees of YES! who do local advocacy and train other youth on how to do advocacy Youth Impact Adult Total Impact 18 youth staff Youth Training Develops skills and enhance critical 856 awareness to be an effective youth advocate. youth Led by YES! youth staff YES! trained 120 adults YES!tra ined 976 individuals YES! trained Adult Training 204 adults YES! trained 204 individuals YES! trained Teaches adults techniques to help them work more effectively with youth. Led by YES! adult staff Youth Empowered Solutions

Impact: YES! and Individual Empowerment 96% of adults and youth learn a new SKILL during a YES! training 61% of adults and youth TAKE ACTION after a YES! training Youth Empowered Solutions

Impact: YES! and Individual Empowerment YES! Youth Staff (n=22): • • Learned a new skill Took action Impacted a policy Impacted a system Youth Empowered Solutions 100% 73% 64%

Organizational Empowerment Organizations or groups that provide opportunities for people to gain control of their lives or develop policies, influence policy decisions, or offering alternatives for positive change. Youth Empowered Solutions

Application: YES! and Organizational Empowerment Youth Empowered Solutions

Impact: YES! and Organizational Empowerment • Clinton Global Initiative commits to youth empowerment at its 2012 Annual Meeting Topic Dinner in NYC • Department of Public Health, NC mandates a youth empowerment strategy in all its tobacco contracts with local health departments • North Carolina Statewide substance abuse Cooperative Agreement Advisory Board (CAAB) institutes a youth empowerment subcommittee. • National Assembly on School Based Health Care creates two youth positions, giving one to a YES! youth on their National Convention planning committee. • Southern Obesity Summit, a conference hosted by The Texas Health Institute – includes a youth track with the goal of reaching nearly 100 youth across the South for the first time in history. Youth Empowered Solutions

Community Empowerment Communities that participate in, and offer to participants, efforts to improve the community, respond to threats to quality of life, and support citizen participation at the local, state, and national level. Youth Empowered Solutions

Application: YES! and Community Empowerment Individual Community Youth Empowered Solutions Organizatio nal

• Impact: YES! and Community Empowerment North Carolina Youth Food Council is created to advocate for policies impacting access to local food. (2011) • Faith-based communities in North Carolina adopt five Eat Smart, Move More North Carolina nutrition and physical activity policies, resulting in the creation of community gardens on church grounds. (2009, 2010) • Local community health center and major hospital in Raleigh, NC commit to funding and resources for the establishment of a school-based health center in a Wake County Public School • Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) Commission denies the naming rights of new amphitheater in Raleigh, NC to Bud Light. (2011) • Seventy-five Georgia school districts adopt 100% tobacco-free school policies as a result of youth advocacy in individual school districts (2010) • Savannah, Georgia adopts a smoke-free ordinance that eliminates smoking in all public places. (2010) • Buncombe County, North Carolina passes a smoke-free policy in public parks. (2010) • Tobacco use in all public schools is banned in North Carolina (2008) and in restaurants and bars by the NC General Assembly. (2010) Youth Empowered Solutions

Evidence of The Model-FY 12 1, 763 adults and 332 youth exposed to The YES! Model© 324 adults trained on The YES! Model© 856 youth trained on The YES! Model© 38 systems and policy changes Impacting 10, 218, 626 people Youth Empowered Solutions

YES! Return on Investment The average cost person impacted = $0. 11 For every $1 invested… … 9 people were impacted Youth Empowered Solutions

Thank You! www. youthempoweredsolutions. org