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What The L.A. Trust’s Y2Y Conference meant to me
More than 100 Los Angeles student health advocates and their adult allies attended The L.A. Trust’s Youth to Youth Conference.
The L.A. Trust Y2Y Conference was developed by students, for students, and included youth-led workshops on STD prevention, stress, healthy eating and active living. Here’s one student’s account of how this event, for students by students, impacted her.
By Ashley Diaz
Manual Arts High School
Going to The L.A. Trust Y2Y Conference was definitely eye opening for someone like me who was going through a time when I was trying to discover myself. The stories that were shared really touched a place in my heart, telling me that there shouldn’t be such a thing as giving up.
This one presentation by a group of kids talking about teenage stress helped me discover symptoms of stress that I didn’t know I lived with. When I was hanging out with my partner Taaliyah, I was happy I got the chance to know her better, and we now consider each other friends.
Things like that Y2Y Conference really help bring people together no matter their purpose being there. As a presenter, the only thing that worried me was the possible lack of engagement from the audience. But at the end I was satisfied with the amount of responses I got. I really like to try and give a neutral vibe when talking to audiences to make them feel comfortable, that’s why I usually like to use my humor as a comforting tool.
I believe the honesty is what gets the audience’s attention, and it’s a way to help scare them away from the dangerous things we want them to avoid in life.
As for me, the Conference will always be something to be thankful for, and presenting to bigger crowds will definitely help me improve my skills as a presenter. Also, the vibes and positive energy I felt from the staff was very comforting as well as the help that came from everyone, such as the caterers, the presenters, and the teachers. They really help make a difference in the world and they make people like me want to follow in their footsteps.
Student advisory members train each other at Y2Y event
More than 100 student health advocates and their adult allies learned from each other March 2, 2020, at The Los Angeles Trust for Children’s Health annual Youth to Youth Conference, held at the California Endowment in downtown L.A.
Members of The L.A. Trust’s Student Advisory Boards from the Belmont, Carson, Crenshaw, Elizabeth Learning Center, Fremont, Gage, Jefferson, Jordan, Locke, MaCES, Manual Arts and Washington Prep campuses attended. The next Y2Y Conference will be held in November.
“Y2Y is for students, by students,” said Robert Renteria, The L.A. Trust’s program manager who helped facilitate the gathering. “Students think of questions and answers adults don’t think of,” he said. “They also have great credibility with their peers. We saw in our workshops that these young people have tremendous insights on student health.”
The Summit included an impassioned keynote by former Hollywood High Student Advisory Board member Wendy Siguenza, who talked about the real-life challenges facing many LAUSD students, from immigration to social injustice. LAUSD Student Health and Human Services psychologist Dr. Kimani Norrington-Sands addressed the hidden trauma some students have suffered and outlined services, counseling and referrals available through the District’s Wellness Center network.
The L.A. Trust’s partner F*ck Cancer hosted an information booth and an online petition to the California State Assembly to expand access to the life-saving human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine.
Youth-to-youth workshops
In the morning, students from Locke presented a one-hour workshop on how to promote HPV vaccinations; Crenshaw students gave a breakout session on STDs and birth control; and Carson students outlined how to relieve stress and improve the mental health of teenagers. In the afternoon, students from Jordan High gave a workshop on how to run a student health campaign on campus.
Students also participated in workshops on:
Wellness & Adolescent Substance Use Prevention project (WASUP)
Tobacco Use Prevention Education (TUPE), focused on vaping cessation
The L.A. Trust’s Healthy Eating, Active Living (HEAL) outreach
A presentation on LAUSD water quality by the District’s Chief Facilities Executive Mark Hovatter
A separate track provided information for the Student Advisory Boards’ Adult Allies.
The conference an exercise that asked students to consider the most important parts of their identities, including ethnicity, sexual orientation and personal passions, a social media challenge, a photo booth and a TikTok-inspired “Renegade” dance competition.
“The Y2Y event is always an ‘all hands on deck’ event for The L.A. Trust, and our entire staff was proud to support our student advocates once again,” said Maryjane Puffer, executive director. “The enthusiasm of the young people is not just inspiring, it’s essential to the success of our programs and outreach,” she said. “It’s why we build student engagement into everything we do at The L.A. Trust.”
A ground-breaking year for The L.A. Trust and its partners in student health
Maryjane Puffer joined students and community leaders at the groundbreaking for a new Student and Family Wellness Center at Mendez Learning Center December 15.
The year 2019 was a busy one for The Los Angeles Trust and its partners, and 2020 will be busier still. Thanks to its partners and stakeholders, last year The L.A. Trust:
Made final preparations for the launch of its ground-breaking Data xChange initiative, which will link confidential Wellness Center data with academic performance numbers to improve outcomes on both.
Supported LAUSD’s growing network of Student and Family Wellness Centers, helped dedicate new clinics at Santee Education Complex and other schools, and hosted two Learning Collaboratives where clinicians received critical data and best practices on student healthcare.
Provided oral health education and partnered with More L.A. Smiles to provide free dental screenings and interventions to thousands of kindergartners and third-graders at LAUSD elementary schools.
Supported anti-vaping and substance use education efforts across the District, assisting student outreach and hosting a Vaping 101 webinar series for clinicians and others.
Hosted a Youth2Youth Summit engaging 100 student health advocates and their adult allies from across the District.
Presented recipes, nutrition and food-shopping advice at more than 50 classroom and community events as part of the CalFresh Health Living initiative.
Worked with UCSF research staff on the development and delivery of the “Health-E You/Salud iTu,” an app-based contraception awareness program focused on Latina youth. The program resulted in a 117% increase in the use of Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives (results will be published in leading health journals this year).
Partnered with leading healthcare organizations and announced important new program grants, driving the organization’s mission through 2021.
Hired new staff, including Marsha Ellis as director of programs; Rob Wray as associate director of communications and media; Mackenzie Scott as student engagement coordinator; and Danielle Griffin as student engagement assistant.
2020 vision
“We had a great 2019,” said Executive Director Maryjane Puffer, “and we have laid the groundwork for a truly breakthrough year in 2020.”
She said The L.A. Trust has a new strategic plan, a new logo and a new mission statement: “Bridging the worlds of health and education to achieve student wellness.”
“We also have our first vision statement,” Puffer stated. “It’s ‘A world where every student is healthy and successful.’ We have always stood for this, but this is our northstar and it’s important to share it.”
Puffer said The L.A. Trust will reintroduce itself in the spring with a new website and a new awareness campaign. “The L.A. Trust believes nothing is more important to the future of our country than the health of our kids. In 2020, we will be better positioned than ever to help advance student health where it’s needed most.”