Advocacy Sparks a Change

“The Advocacy Institute actually hasmade a change in my life. I am learning to not look at the negative thingsgoing on in my community but focus on what I can do to make it better”
 -Tajah M. White, 15;Girls High

Youwould think that most teenagers would still be sound asleep at 12pm on a hotsummer Monday, but if you had walked into the Houston Center that same afternoon you would have a totally differentperspective. Walk up a couple flights of stairs, make a left, and slide openthe door and you would witness the most energized group of high school studentshanging out and playing video games just waiting for 1pm to roll around.

               The group of fourteen, formally known as theP.U.F.F.A. (Philadelphia Urban Food and Fitness Alliance) Youth weren’t at theHouston Center to hang around, but to participate in Health Promotion Council’sAdvocacy Institute. The institute aims to mobilize youth toadvocate for changes that improve the health and well-being of their community. This is accomplished by educating  about advocacy and increasing their awareness about foodaccess and food justice within their communities.

The dayopened up with a large group discussion about how they can make a change intheir communities using advocacy. It was clear that motivations to change theircommunity’s stance on healthy access were very high, and the flow of ideas of how to take action was abundant. In order for the youth to have clear insight on what theircommunity had, they went on a walk around the neighborhood. The youthwere responsible for mapping the area assigned to them, talking to the residents,and evaluating the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (S.W.O.T.); , within the area.

               After walking around parts of the South Philadelphia community, it became clear how the Advocacy Institute cold benefit it and the city as a whole.

Upon  to theHuston Center, a large map of the community was drawn so they could compare the physical assets of the community. All thoughts fromthe youth just seemed to be constantly verbalized in the last discussion. Inthe closing of the session it was realized that the P.U.F.F.A Youth of theadvocacy project are the change within the community, and they will make adifference.