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Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Exhibit Hall
Beyond Postcards and Petitions: Engaging Youth in Political Advocacy
Scott P. Hays, PhD, University of Illinois, Institute of Government and Public Affairs, Center for Prevention Research and Development, sphays@uiuc.edu, Lisabeth M. Searing, ABD MPH MS RN, University of Illinois, Institute of Government and Public Affairs, Center for Prevention Research and Development, lisabeth@uiuc.edu, Cher M. Hanson, MPH, Lake County Health Department/Community Health Center, Tobacco Free Lake County, chanson@co.lake.il.us, David Collins, Champaign Unit 4 Schools, Franklin Middle School, govikes20@hotmail.com. Learning Objectives: Identify the key components of a political advocacy training curriculum for youth, including the importance of educating youth about local government and youth ownership of the political advocacy process. Describe the facilitator’s role in implementing a political advocacy training program. Understand the outcomes of such a program, particularly from the youth perspective.
Key Points: 1) Engaging youth in the political process increases their sense of community bonding (Zeldin et al. 2000) and citizenship (McLeod et al. 1997).
2) Educating youth about local government increases their ability to be active citizens. Preliminary outcome data from the Engaging Youth for Positive Change (EYPC) program indicate youth gain self-confidence, leadership skills and understanding of political influence.
3) EYPC represents an adaptive program style that can be implemented in a variety of settings. To demonstrate the usefulness of the modular design, the program developer and facilitators from different sites will discuss the curriculum and strategies for implementation.
4) The youth perspective on a program is of primary importance. Youth are best able to explain how a curriculum influenced actions in the short and long term.
Learning Objectives: Through discussion of EYPC, the audience will discover how youth can become better advocates for smoke-free campaigns when they become engaged in learning about their community's political process. Program facilitators will share insight on customizing a program to meet individual needs. Finally, youth will share their insight on program benefits at a personal level.
Benefits: Engaging youth in local government to advocate for a smoke-free ordinance gives youth ownership of the political advocacy process. Such ownership improves efficacy and decreases apathy (McLeod et al. 1997). Youth gain skills that are useful in a variety of advocacy settings, which benefit home communities into the future.