The Hmong Youth Task Force: evaluation of a coalition to address the sexual exploitation of young runaways

The Minnesota Wheel of Public Health Nursing Interventions identifies coalition building and community organizing as effective strategies for addressing population health issues. One program that exemplifies these strategies is the Hmong Youth Task Force, a coalition formed to address a growing issue of young Hmong girls in a Midwest state running away from home, being truant from school, and experiencing subsequent sexual exploitation. This is an evaluation of the Task Force. It draws on existing records and semi-structured interviews with Task Force members from various sectors of government, health services, and community organizations, including public health nurses. The results, evaluated in the context of best practices identified by the Wheel of Interventions, document the Task Force's development, accomplishments, challenges faced, and community changes that have resulted from the coalition's efforts to date.