Building Youth Capacity to Address Environmental Health and Justice Concerns in Dearborn, Michigan

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Community Science
• Policy Advocacy

Background:

• The Environmental Health Research-to-Action (EHRA) partnership addresses cumulative environmental exposures in Dearborn, Michigan.
• The program focuses on building intergenerational knowledge and skills, primarily through a youth academy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline the EHRA Youth Academy curriculum, recruitment materials, and program components.
• To describe the academy's steering committee, learning objectives, design, and implementation.
• To present recommendations from ongoing program evaluation and steering committee reflections.

Main Methods:

• A 2-week pilot academy in 2018 and 2019 involved 45 fellows (16-18 years old), primarily Arab youth.
• Activities included industry tours, participatory mapping, air pollution monitoring, and policy advocacy training.
• Fellows created scientifically-informed advocacy materials and completed pre/post-surveys.

Main Results:

• Participants reported increased knowledge in environmental health, community science, and policy advocacy.
• Fellows showed an increased likelihood of engaging in advocacy behaviors.
• The program successfully equipped youth with skills to address local environmental health threats.

Conclusions:

• Intergenerational community mobilization is crucial for mitigating environmental health threats in Southeast Dearborn.
• The EHRA Academy model, using community-based participatory research and active learning, effectively centers youth.
• The academy builds community capacity for environmental justice by empowering young leaders.