Collective STEP for Youth is a group of professionals and community members who are passionate about building the capacity of organizations serving youth 10-19 to prevent teen pregnancy and enhance adolescent wellbeing.
Would you like to learn more about us? Visit our Newsletter Archives here!  
 REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!

Collective STEP for Youth will be hosting its 4th Annual Summit on February 28, 2018 at the Black Canyon Conference Center!
We invite you to this FREE event to expand your network and build future partnerships! Join us and connect with thought leaders and content experts to equip yourself with knowledge you can take back to your organizations. Breakfast and lunch are included and there will be a number of exhibitors, breakout sessions, and networking opportunities to connect with colleagues working in adolescent health and wellbeing throughout Maricopa County.  You will walk away from this Summit with strategies and solutions to enhance youth services.

Who Should Attend: People who are passionate about improving the lives of youth. This Summit unites seasoned and new professionals, students and community members from various disciplines with a focus on adolescent wellbeing.
                                                                                   
 Registration deadline is February 14, 2018.

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

The official call for abstracts is now open. Collective STEP will convene 3, 1.5-hour breakout sessions that will be presented at three different times throughout the day of the Summit. Breakout session themes include:
  • Inclusive Practices and Diverse Populations
  • Adolescent Health Issues on Point
  • Taking Action, Improving Adolescent Health and Wellbeing
  • Positive Professional Development 
Please click here for breakout theme descriptions. A stipend of up to $500 will be given to selected abstract presentations. All proposals are due by Monday, January 8, 2018.

  Submit an abstract to the Connecting Hope: Uniting for Youth 2018 Adolescent Summit Now!
 
For more information or if you have any questions, please contact Eileen Aguilar, Adolescent Professional Development Coordinator at [email protected].
STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
   Meet the Youth Steering Committee Members!      
 

Izaiah Lopez  

Izaiah serves as a youth Steering Committee member on the Collective STEP for Youth coalition Steering Committee.  He was born and lived in Phoenix until he was about 5-6 year old, then moved to the Gila River Indian Reservation where he now resides. He attended kindergarten at Larry C. Kennedy School in Phoenix, then moved to the reservation where he attended Gila Crossing Community School from 2nd-8th grade and Cesar Chavez High School where he graduated. He was been fortunate enough to have several mentors that saw something in him that he did not see in himself. Throughout his entire time in school these mentors were instrumental in helping him achieve success and as a way to offer and pass down this valuable practice, he wants to help other teens just as those mentors helped him. Izaiah has attended workshops and camps that have attributed to attaining leaderships skills. One life lesson that he has learned is the importance of patience. He loves the winter and rainy weather. He is excited to work with the coalition and looks forward to making a difference in the lives of youth.   
 
Nemesis Salazar 
Nemesis serves as a youth community member on the Collective STEP for Youth coalition steering committee. She grew up in Phoenix and is currently attending Insight Academy, an online school. She likes going tothe Grand Canyon and going to community events. She feels adolescent health and wellbeing are important and wants to help youth have stable lives and not struggle in life. Nemesis is a good listener, works hard and is interested in learning new languages. She is currently practicing ASL and Spanish. Her favorite color is dark grey and favorite books are IT and Christine by Stephen King.  

EVENTS, OPPORTUNITIES & RESOURCES
EVENTS
Peer Solutions will be hosting their Annual Pot Luck on Saturday, December 9 from 11-1PM at Jaycee Park, 715 W 5th Street, Tempe, Arizona. There will be a free raffle, variety show, pizza, games, and more. Bring a dish to share if you are able.  
 
Arizona Public Health Association (AzPHA) will be hosting Healthy Living with Chronic Pain, a Lunch & Learn Webinar on Thursday, December 21 at 12:00PM. Register today!  
 
The Dibble Institute invites you to listen to a Podcast from Freakonomics Radio: The Fracking Boom, a Baby Boom, and the Retreat From Marriage. It clearly lays out the argument for marriage as a value vs. economic decision. Click here to listen to the podcast.  
Who Should Attend: Healthy marriage and relationship professionals, violence prevention staff, middle and high school health and Family Consumer Science teachers, counselors, college student affairs personnel, parents, and anyone who works with and cares about young people.   
OPPORTUNITIES
Delaware North at Grand Canyon-Learn more here about full time or seasonal position career opportunities. 
   
The City of Phoenix is accepting applications for an Apprenticeship Program. Learn more here.   
 
Primavera Foundation is accepting applications for an Operations and Database Administrator. Learn more here.  
    
The Maricopa County Department of Public Health South Phoenix Healthy Start wishes to contract with a Consultant who can subcontract projects developed by the Baby beyond One Zone Program. Full details and a copy of the request for quote can be found here.  
 
Walmart's Community Grant Program is accepting applications until December 31, 2017. Grants range from $250 to $2,500 and are awarded in eight funding areas. Learn more here.   
 
RESOURCES
December Awareness Campaigns

Did you know...   

 

Healthy Teen Network is offering their members a great opportunity? Learn how you can request a discounted membership to Sociometrics online library here.   

 

The December 15th deadline to enroll for health insurance through the healthcare marketplace is right around the corner. Visit CoverAZ.org today to learn more!    

 

The National Research Center on Hispanic Children and Families has put together a guide to easily accessible resources on cultural competency that front line service providers and community-based organizations can use to become more responsive to the needs of diverse populations. Learn more here.    

 

Facilitation Quick Tips: I Usually Say Yes to This, is an engaging and powerful activity that introduces topics related to consent. It's ideal for a Training of Educators or Training of Trainers.   

 

Power to Decide provides trusted, high-quality, accurate information backed by research on sexual health. Learn more here. 


We can help you spread the word!
Please fill out the Events, Opportunities & Resources (EOR) form here.
Submit EOR forms the first and third Monday of the month to be included in the newsletter.

WARM UP WITH A GOOD READ
Parent Engagement: Key for Girls in STEM  
Learn more here about how family engagement is a vital strategy for boosting girls' participation in STEM learning and careers.
Crossover in the Median Age at First Marriage and First Birth: Thirty-Five years of Change    
Over the past 35 years, the median age at women's first marriage has surpassed the median age at first birth. This infographic documents the trends in women's age at first marriage and first birth using recent Current Population Survey and Center for Disease and Control (CDC) National Vital Statistics.  
Observations about Gender Norms and Health-Part 1   
Learn more here about gender norms and health and some insights and perspectives that practitioners and educators can incorporate in their youth programming. 
 
 Observations about Gender Norms and Health-Part 2    
Learn more here about a framework that helps integrate gender transformative approaches into programs. This framework helps us raise awareness, question the costs of unhealthy norms, and replace unhealthy mores with healthy, equitable ones. 

Collective STEP for Youth shares resources for adolescent wellbeing as a service to its partner community.  
Any questions about a resource shared here should be directed to the organization it came from.
The project described is supported by Grant Number TP1AHOOO129 from the Office of Adolescent Health. 
Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.