Latino Youth Wellness Program in Maryland: Transforming Lives for a Healthy Future

1. March 11, 2009 Latino Youth Wellness Program 1

2. Agenda Overview of the Latino Youth Wellness Program • LYW Program Description • Identity’s Model • Program Components • Group Level Interventions • Individual Level Interventions • Program Evaluation • Program Outcomes • Agency Collaborations • Challenges and Lessons Learned 2

3. LYWP Description The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services’ Latino Health Initiative funds Identity’s Latino Youth Health and Wellness Program.  Program Goal:To improve the general wellness of at-risk Latino youth residing in the Wheaton and Gaithersburg areas of Montgomery County, Maryland. 3

4. LYWP Description (Cont.) The program uses a combination of group training, one-on-one case management, counseling, and referrals to increase the protective factors and decrease the risk factors associated with negative health outcomes such as: • Physical and Reproductive health • Mental health • Substance abuse • Violence and gang involvement. 4

5. Target Population 5

6. 2 COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT 1 RESEARCH 3 TRAINING & IMPLEMENTATION 4 EVALUATION Identity’s Model

7. Demographic Information • N=217 • Females: 39% - Males: 61% • FARMS: 46% • Employed: 22% • Separated from parents > 2 years: 82% • Survey Language: 75% (Spanish) 7

8. Demographic Information Place of Birth 21% 27% USA 1% Mexico Central America 2% Caribbean South America 49% 8

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10. Program Components 10

11. Group & Individual Level Interventions 11

12. Group Level Interventions 12

13. After-School Program 13

14. After-School Program • The after-school curriculum addresses the following topics: • Social Skills and Leadership • Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence • Team Building & Communication Skills • Substance Abuse Prevention • Sexuality and HIV AIDS Prevention • Goal Setting. 14

15. After-School Program • Gaithersburg (Upcounty) • Gaithersburg Middle School • Neelsville Middle School • Wheaton (Downcounty) • Albert Einstein High School • Newport Middle School. 15

16. Retreats & Fitness Training At the end of each cohort youth participate in a weekend retreat. In addition, participants are invited to come to the fitness sessions and field trips. 16

17. Parent Training • Two main areas of focus: • Reestablishing family bonds by working to improve parent-child communication and addressing the impact and challenges of family separation, family reunification and acculturation • Exploring themes related to the school system including academic goals, academic support, and the roles of parents as advocates. 17

18. Parent Training The sessions are run in the schools with parents of current program participants and previous program participants.

19. Leadership Training • Provides youth with opportunities to participate in community forums. • During 2007-2008 more than • 20 youth were trained in the • leadership program (8 sessions) • and attended numerous • community events. 19

20. Community Advisory Board (CAB) • Assist the LYW program by providing input and suggestions about programming. • CAB members are from both target geographic areas: Upcounty and Downcounty. • Most of the CAB participants were trained in advocacy/leadership in previous years. 20

21. Health Education and Career Information • Identity organizes workshops and field trips to colleges with the purpose of promoting “Health Education” and “Career Information”. • During 2007-2008 60+ youth participated in the following events: • Health Career Fair at Identity’s Gaithersburg office • Visit to Montgomery College 21

22. Individual Level Interventions (ILI) 22

23. Distribution of Referrals Conducted 23

24. AgencyCollaborations and ReferralLinkages • Interfaith Clothing Center • MANNA Food • Montgomery County DHHS • Montgomery County Public Schools • Potomac Ridge Behavioral Health Center • Linkages to Learning / Kids First Alliance • Casa de Maryland (CASA) • Kensington Wheaton Youth Services (KWYS) 24

25. Program Evaluation 25

26. Evaluation of Outcome Objectives 26

27. Evaluation of Outcome Objectives 27

28. Evaluation of Outcome Objectives 28

29. Select Program Outcomes • Participants reported a statistically significant increase on: • Self-Esteem Scale 3.35% • Depression Scale -8.79% • Participants improved their attitudes and knowledge towards substance abuse: • Substance Abuse Knowledge Scale 6.75% • High Risk Substance Abuse Attitudes -28.04% • An improvement in their perceived social support was also encountered: • Social Support Scale 6.55% • Parent-Youth Trust Scale 1.81% • Social Support - Father 12% 29

30. Challenges Parent participation. Latino parents often work evenings, work more than one job, and do not have transportation or child care. Transportation. High costs and limited availability of transportation for youth and families to access services. Resources. Lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate services. Waiting lists. Some referral sites have long waiting lists in contrast with the immediate needs our clients face. 30

31. Lessons Learned • One agency can not respond to all the families’ needs. Essential to work with partners. • The development of community leadership is key. The community needs to become its own advocate. • Cultural and linguistic competency is critical to success. • Ongoing program evaluation: data collection and analysis. 31

34. Thank you! www.identity.ws