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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Margaret Weiss Behrns, BA, Emily Glazer, MS, CHES, and Nora Massignotti Cortese. Marketing and Outreach, SAMHSA's National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information, 11426 Rockville Pike, NCADI, suite 200, Rockville, MD 20852, 1-800-729-6686, ext.5240, mbehrns@health.org
Almost 6 million Hispanic/Latina girls are developing their identity, finding out what it means to be bicultural, formulating goals, facing peer pressure, making decisions, and developing habits. A significant number of them are also using marijuana, cocaine, alcohol, and tobacco, and dealing with pregnancy, depression and suicidal thoughts.
In response, HHS’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention developed a bilingual public education campaign for Hispanic girls ages 9-14, and their mothers and other caregivers.
Soy Unica! Soy Latina! is designed to help the target audience build and enhance their self-esteem, mental health, decision-making and assertiveness skills, and to prevent the harmful consequences of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs. Campaign material addresses belonging and adaptation, teaches assertiveness and decision-making skills, and provides tips on becoming healthy and successful young adults. It encourages cultural pride by emphasizing the strengths inherent in the Hispanic culture.
To increase the campaign’s reach, Soy Unica! Soy Latina! joined forces with organizations who announced the availability of materials and disseminated them to their membership; invited our staff to exhibit and present at their conferences and events; integrated the materials into their programs or created programs based on the materials; co-sponsored PSAs announcing the partnership; exchanged Web links; shared information about our target audience; and provided feedback about the materials and Web site.
Establishing partnerships with organizations with similar missions is an effective way to increase the reach of a public education campaign.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Hispanic Youth, Partnerships
Related Web page: www.soyunica.gov
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.