Healing futures: Engaging young voices in the equity conversation

During summer 2012, The Center for Health Equity, a division of Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness, convened its inaugural Healing Futures Fellowship Program. The fellowship brought together 25 young people (15-18 years) of diverse backgrounds from across the city to explore injury and violence as a public health issue, including root causes, impacts and potential solutions, with a focus on promoting racial healing, within a health equity framework. This fellowship engages and empowers young people to investigate community risks and resiliency factors to determine avenues for prevention of injury and violence while exploring the historical and current effects of structural and institutional racism, residential segregation, and the role of the media. The methods employed intentionally reached young people in the community for the purpose of participation in this innovative public health program. A mixed methodology design was used to evaluate the program's effectiveness. Evaluation results show that the program goals and objectives were met and there was an increase in key knowledge areas of interest. Establishing and maintaining relationships and engagement during and beyond the project life through a prospective study will also be explored. This session will demonstrate the critical role of engaging young people in the equity conversation and implementing a community-based public health program. It is imperative that a public health approach to achieving health equity and preventing injury and violence engage young voices in thoughtful discussion/dialogue and exploration of the underlying causes and solutions to community violence and inequity.