Huckleberry’s Mental Health and Health Education teams in Marin have joined forces to pilot a program specifically for Spanish-speaking and Newcomer high school youth entitled Nuestra Salud (Our Health). Newcomer youth are young people who have been in the United States for less than two years.
Nuestra Salud recruits youth as peer health educators known as “Promotores”, trained by Huckleberry staff to become confident health advocates and leaders in their communities. Youth recruited as Promotores will develop a school outreach campaign to bring awareness to the importance of mental and/or reproductive health, shadow Huckleberry health educators during our Teen Tuesday Clinic in San Rafael, and assist with presentations in schools on the importance of mental health.
Funded by Marin County, Nuestra Salud currently has 14 youth engaged as Promotores who recently completed their first project – a mental health awareness poster campaign in Spanish for San Rafael and Terra Linda High Schools.
Goals for the project over the course of two years are:
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Promotores will develop a school outreach campaign and social media campaign to bring awareness to the importance of mental and/or reproductive health.
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Promotores will outreach to their peers and distribute BMP (Barrier Method Prevention) supplies on campus with Health Hub Stations.
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Cohort 1 Promotores will facilitate Cohort 2 Promotores trainings on mental and sexual health.
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Promotores will provide BM Certification – Barrier Method Certification (similar to CAP condom availability program).
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Increased school and community connectedness and school integration.
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Promotores will assist health educators in providing clients support during clinic.
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Promotores will develop and present to adults in the community on the importance of mental health.
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Promotores will assist with presentations at school on the importance of mental health.
- Promotores will shadow health educators during Teen Tuesday Clinic front desk services.