Foundations and funders committed to building healthier, safer, and more equitable communities may be overlooking or undervaluing a key strategy: youth civic engagement. On March 20, PACE hosted a discussion featuring key findings from its Health & Safety working group, focusing on why and how investments in youth civic engagement can be key to improving community health and safety. The discussion illustrated specific ways funders can support youth civic engagement, shared stories and case studies of successful health and safety initiatives involving youth, and explored how incorporating youth into health and safety strategies can have an impact on equity in community outcomes. Speakers included:
- Kristen Cambell, Executive Director, PACE
- Marian Mulkey, PACE Fellow
- Carolyne Abdullah, Director of Strengthening Democratic Capacity Team, Everyday Democracy
- Jme McLean, Founding Principal, Mesu Strategies, LLC
- Jonathan Kartt, Programs and Evaluation Officer, Rita Allen Foundation
- Matthew Pierce, Program Officer, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
This event also marked the launch of two new publications from PACE:
Youth Civic Engagement for Health Equity and Community Safety: How Funders Can Embrace the Power of Young People to Advance Healthier, Safer Communities for All, a detailed report distilling the results of interviews and research, on the impact of youth civic engagement for community health and safety outcomes, by Jme McLean of Mesu Strategies, LLC.
Youth Civic Engagement and Health, Wellbeing, and Safety: A Review of Research, a review of existing literature at the intersection of youth civic engagement and health and safety, by Parissa Ballard, of Wake Forest School of Medicine.