In February, a group of young changemakers partnered with CLASP, the Center for Law and Social Policy, to launch #WhyWeCantWait: A New Deal for Youth (https://www.clasp.org/new-deal-4-youth). A New Deal for Youth calls on leaders in the public and private sectors to support youth-led policy solutions to address the glaring economic and social injustices facing young people today, particularly young people of color. In this podcast, Prevention Institute's Ruben Cantu talks with Dr. Nia West-Bey, a senior policy analyst on CLASP’s youth team, and three New Deal for Youth changemakers—Isabel Coronado of Next100 in New Mexico; Kadesha Mitchell with The Cove/DFZ Adolescent Clubhouse in Maryland; and Connor Kalahiki representing the Center for Native American Youth in Hawaii—about what policies are needed for young people to be able to thrive.

#WhyWeCantWait: A New Deal for Youth

How do you reduce the incarceration and detention of youth of color, lift up their strengths, and make a community safer? In this podcast, Dr. Assata Richards speaks personally and passionately about how the Redefining Youth Justice Coalition successfully advocated for the creation of a Youth Justice Community Reinvestment Fund in Harris County, Texas, comprised of $2 million in funds redirected from juvenile probation and $2 million from the county's General Fund. Dr. Richards uses the metaphor of making a pot of gumbo—layering ingredients and patiently nurturing the pot—to describe how the coalition brought together impacted youth and families and local and national partners to learn, organize, advocate together, and work through tension points with compassion and care. With a commitment to “power with,” not “power over,” they kept a laser focus on their shared vision and created relationships and resources for a continuum of care that is sure to nourish the community. This podcast was made possible with support from The Langeloth Foundation.

Community safety through investing in youth: Harris County youth justice community reinvestment fund

Over the past three years, Prevention Institute (PI) has worked to strengthen the relevance and effectiveness of public health strategies to advance racial justice and health equity within the field. In this podcast, Director Ruben Cantu talks with PI staff members La’Quana Williams (Associate Program Director) and Alberto Espiricueta (Program Assistant) on their journey to accomplish this goal. The podcast details the tools produced within the grant period, the importance of cultivating partnerships with racial and social justice organizations, as well as the challenges, opportunities, and lessons learned over the last three years. This episode was made possible with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Advancing a System of Prevention for Racial Justice and Health Equity

In this episode of Moving Upstream, Prevention Institute’s Vibhuti Kacholia and La’Quana Williams explore what it means to expand the boundaries of evidence in public health. They discuss UCEE—Uplifting Contextual and Experiential Evidence—a framework that challenges the field’s overreliance on quantitative data, and La’Quana’s narrative case study series A Mercy in the Telling, which positions  memory, story, and place as legitimate forms of evidence. Together, they explore how  research, lived experience, and art can be interwoven into a more human framework for equity and justice.

🔗 Links & Resources

Prevention Institute Frameworks & Initiatives:

➡️ Uplifting Contextual and Experiential Evidence (UCEE)
A framework for expanding what counts as evidence in public health—recognizing lived experience, context, and story as critical sources of knowledge.

Link: https://www.preventioninstitute.org/projects/uplifting-contextual-and-experiential-evidence-ucee

Featured Creative Work:
➡️ A Mercy in the Telling – Case Study Series (1–8)
This series uses storytelling to examine how public health systems meet—or miss—people’s lived realities, inviting readers to see the connections between care, evidence, and belonging.

Link: https://laquanaq.substack.com/s/a-mercy-in-the-telling

➡️ Case Study 4: Homes Made Thick with Quiet
Referenced at [11:40]

Link: https://laquanaq.substack.com/p/case-study-4-homes-made-thick-with

Framework Referenced:
➡️ Story-Based Evidence Framework (SBEF)
Referenced at [18:15]
A methodology developed by La’Quana Williams that positions story as rigorous evidence in public health practice.

Link: https://open.substack.com/pub/laquanaq/p/the-story-based-evidence-framework?r=5wg4ns&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

⏱ Timestamps

[11:40] Case Study 4: Homes Made Thick with Quiet
[18:15] Story-Based Evidence Framework (SBEF)

Produced by Prevention Institute’s Moving Upstream series. Views shared are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Prevention Institute or its funders.


A Mercy in the Telling: Memory, Story, and Public Health Evidence

In this podcast discussion, representatives from the initiative Making Connections for Mental Health and Wellbeing Among Men and Boys explore opportunities for leveraging veterans’ experience and skills to enable connection and healing, as well as ways to inform and activate whole communities to support veterans, military members, and their families. Featured are: Justine Ginsberg, Resilience Grows Here, Connecticut;  Lance Newman, Brokenfocus, SC Thrive; and Teri Clark, VetSET, Nebraska Association of Local Health Directors.

Military Cultural Competence

Charles Clayton Daniels Jr., CEO and founder of Fathers Uplift, talks about the the key roles that fathers play in their children's lives. He highlights what we can do to reduce barriers that prevent fathers from being fully engaged in their children's lives, from cultural norms that discourage men from expressing a full range of emotions to systemic hurdles like the lack of affordable housing for single fathers.  

Fathers Uplift is a partner organization in Making Connections for Mental Health and Wellbeing, a national initiative coordinated by Prevention Institute and funded by the Movember Foundation. Making Connections communities across the US are improving community conditions that contribute to men’s and boys’ wellbeing by building social connections, economic and educational opportunities, and safe physical spaces.

Charles Clayton Daniels Jr., Fathers Uplift

Prevention Institute’s Ruben Cantu discusses what solutions to the opioid epidemic might look like if they took community trauma and resilience into account. He also applies a community trauma lens the issue of immigrant families being separated at the US border.

Moving Upstream - Ruben Cantu talks about community trauma

Prevention Institute’s Lisa Fujie Parks and Alisha Somji discuss their experiences working with cities to prevent violence. They emphasize that despite the magnitude of gun violence in the United States, communities can and are using a public health approach to prevent gun violence. PI works with communities throughout the country that are reducing gun violence through upstream prevention approaches that go beyond federal policy. Learn more about PI’s recommendations on how to prevent gun violence here: https://www.preventioninstitute.org/focus-areas/preventing-violence-and-reducing-injury/preventing-violence-advocacy This work is made possible by the Langeloth Foundation.

#gunviolence #community

Photo Credit: Fabrice Florin

How Communities Can Prevent Gun Violence

Prevention Institute’s Andrea Buffa interviews leaders from five communities about why their collaboratives, focused on health and equity, are now developing community-driven approaches to prevent partner violence. Hear from Cultiva La Salud (at 1:17), Department of Violence Prevention Steering Committee in Oakland (at 7:11), The Center at McKinleyville (at 10:46), LA Worker Center Network (at 13:09), and East African Men and Boys Collaborative (at 16:41).

Learn more about the program: http://preventioninstitute.org/projects/safety-through-connection-building-community-capacity-prevent-partner-violence

Safety Through Connection: Interviews with Community Leaders

In part one of this two-part podcast, Charles Corprew from What's Your Revolution talks with members of Prevention Institute’s Making Connections, an initiative that creates partnerships between community organizations in 14 sites across the country to promote the mental health and wellbeing of men and boys. In this episode he explores healthy masculinities with community leaders from Canton, CT, New Orleans, LA, and Albuquerque, NM who share how vulnerability, art, and self-care play big parts in the work that they do.

Learn more about Making Connections, funded by the Movember Foundation, here: http://www.preventioninstitute.org/projects/making-connections-mental-health-and-wellbeing-among-men-and-boys

Making Connections: Exploring Healthy Masculinities with Community Leaders (pt 1)

Charles Corprew from What's Your Revolution returns for the second part of this two-part podcast to interview members of Prevention Institute’s Making Connections, an initiative that creates partnerships between community organizations in 14 sites across the country to promote the mental health and wellbeing of men and boys. In this episode he continues the conversation about healthy masculinities with community leaders from Kokua Kalihi Valley, HI, Tacoma, WA, and Boston, MA, who talk about the importance of mentorship, food justice, and community.

Learn more about Making Connections, funded by the Movember Foundation, here: http://www.preventioninstitute.org/projects/making-connections-mental-health-and-wellbeing-among-men-and-boys

Making Connections: Exploring Healthy Masculinities with Community Leaders (pt 2)

PI's Ruben Cantu interviews Cody Ragonese, Gender, Health, and Masculinities Consultant from Promundo-US about Promundo’s new report, "Masculine Norms and Men’s Health: Making the Connections." They discuss healthy masculinities, and how men and communities are harmed by universal societal norms, attitudes, and behaviors that the report describes as a 'man box.' What would a re-designed man box look like? Listen to find out. Read the report here: https://promundoglobal.org/resources/masculine-norms-and-mens-health-making-the-connections/#

Re-designing the Man Box: Converting Toxic Masculinity to Healthy Masculinities

Prevention Institute’s Elva Yañez discusses why some communities have more access to green spaces and parks than others, and what Los Angeles has done to improve park equity. To learn more about park equity, visit https://www.preventioninstitute.org/projects/park-equity.

Why We Need Park Equity

Prevention Institute’s Sarah Mittermaier and Rachel Bennett discuss how decisions about land use (development, gentrification, ownership, etc.) impact health, and what role public health can play in healthy development without displacement. To learn more about displacement and health, check out PI’s latest paper here: https://www.preventioninstitute.org/publications/healthy-development-without-displacement-realizing-vision-healthy-communities-all. Learn more about our Healthy Equitable Active Land Use summit series here: https://www.preventioninstitute.org/equity-through-line-four-part-summit-series-social-movements-public-finance-and-infrastructure

Land Use, Gentrification, And Health

Prevention Institute’s Lisa Fujie Parks interviews Reggie Moore, Director of the Milwaukee Office of Violence Prevention. Listen to Reggie describe how the Milwaukee Blueprint for Peace was created with leadership from communities most directly impacted by violence (5:00), and learn why and how it addresses the structural roots of violence (8:55). Hear about community-driven efforts like “We Got This!” that are transforming neighborhoods and the growing movement behind the Blueprint (25:26). Reggie shares powerful stories of devastating loss, triumphant healing, and collective action (17:28). He also speaks passionately about the role of government in supporting community leadership, why a culture shift is needed in government from passivity to responsiveness, and what that looks like in practice (29:54). This work is made possible by the Langeloth Foundation.

Community organizing to prevent violence

Prevention Institute’s Leslie Mikkelsen, Sandra Viera, Katie Miller, and Rea Pañares discuss how healthcare organizations are collaborating with community organizations to address social determinants of health and improve health and equity. They talk about challenges of the work and highlight successes from the field. To learn more about PI’s health system transformation work, visit: http://preventioninstitute.org/focus-areas/health-systems-transformation

*Photo credit: Heart of Texas Community Healthcare System

How healthcare is partnering to improve community health

PI’s deputy executive director, Manal J. Aboelata, talks about her recent trip to Medellín, Colombia to learn about their innovative improvements to the city’s infrastructure. She explains how this city that was not long ago called “one of the most dangerous cities on earth” has transformed itself through public health investments, and what we in the United States can learn from its example.

What Medellín can teach us about healthy and equitable land use

Prevention Institute Board Member Howard Pinderhughes interviews community leaders from Prevention Institute’s Making Connections, an initiative that creates partnerships between community organizations in 14 locations across the country to promote the mental health and wellbeing among men and boys. In this episode he talks with leaders from the Making Connections sites in San Diego, CA; Florence, SC; and Boston, MA. Going into their fifth year with Making Connections, these guests share how they keep their momentum going through challenges, plan for the future, and think ‘upstream’ with the work they’re doing.

How communities working on mental health for men and boys build and sustain momentum

Stable, safe, and affordable housing is critical to health. But across the state of California, more and more people are being displaced, particularly low income communities and communities of color. In this episode of Moving Upstream, Prevention Institute’s Associate Program Director Sandra Viera interviews leaders from California’s Central Orange County, High Desert, Sonoma, and Eureka communities who seek to improve health through equitable housing policy as part of the Intersections Initiative. Intersections brings together coalitions that include healthcare in seven California communities. These coalitions are working to achieve health equity through strategies that emphasize elevating resident voices, working across issue areas, and strengthening policies and practices. This work is made possible by the St. Joseph Health Community Partnership Fund. Learn more at https://intersectionsinitiativeorg.wordpress.com/

Equitable housing is key to health

Prevention Institute Executive Director Rachel Davis joins women leaders in healthcare, health equity, and public health for a broad-ranging conversation about the coronavirus crisis, what it reveals about our society’s inequities, and what we can learn from it to ensure a healthier and more equitable society moving forward. The podcast guests discuss topics ranging from questions about the term “social distancing” to ideas for turning the current media moment of reaction into a national agenda for action. Dr. Karen Remley, the former health commissioner of the Commonwealth of Virginia and former CEO of the American Academy of Pediatrics, hosts the podcast. She and Rachel Davis are joined by Dr. Shari Barkin, the Chief of General Pediatrics at the Monroe Carrel Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, TN and a well-respected community researcher; and Dr. Jewel Mullen, the associate dean for health equity at the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas in Austin and a previous public health commissioner in Connecticut.

Coronavirus: from the urgency of reaction to the importance of long-term action

Sana Chehimi, PI’s policy and advocacy director, interviews Sue Polis, director of health and wellness, and Mike Wallace, legislative director, of the National League of Cities. They discuss the many ways city governments are responding to the coronavirus pandemic and its social and economic fallout. Polis and Wallace highlight how local governments are using this time of upheaval to address long-term challenges including racial inequities and the precarious situation of people who live on the economic margins. National League of Cities is collecting and sharing actions taken by local leaders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic on their Local Action Tracker: 

https://covid19.nlc.org/resources/covid-19-local-action-tracker/

Cities respond to COVID-19

In this podcast, Prevention Institute’s Lisa Fujie Parks interviews Anthony Smith from Cities United and Cuco Rodriguez from the Hope and Heal Fund about advocating with mayors and school districts to divest from policing and invest in proven public health approaches to community safety, like violence interruption and youth employment opportunities. They highlight the need for cities and philanthropy to invest equitably, and for white-led organizations to act as allies in support of frontline, organizations led by and that support African American communities and other communities of color. These community-based organizations are not only working to stop violence, they are also protecting people from COVID-19, connecting people to food and jobs, and supporting culturally rooted multigenerational healing. This podcast was made possible with support from The Langeloth Foundation and CARESTAR Foundation.

Photo credit: Kiara Thompson, via Instagram

Ending violence by the police and in the community: calls to action for justice and peace

In this podcast Sana Chehimi, director of policy and advocacy for Prevention Institute, interviews Isha Weerasinghe, a senior policy analyst on the youth team at the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP). They discuss the importance of supporting mental health and wellbeing for communities of color to achieve an equitable COVID-19 recovery and as part of dismantling systems that perpetuate structural violence and racism. Isha describes how applying a racial justice lens to center lived experiences and community leadership allows CLASP to broaden the understanding of mental health and wellbeing and develop policy solutions and strategies that are otherwise overlooked.

Read more about CLASP’s work:

Behind the Asterisk*: Perspectives on Young Adult Mental Health from "Small and Hard-to-Reach" Communities
https://www.clasp.org/publications/report/brief/behind-asterisk

Reconnecting, Realizing and Reimagining Justice: Advancing Economic Justice for Individuals and Communities Impacted by the Criminal Justice System
https://www.clasp.org/publications/report/brief/reconnectingjustice

“Everybody Got Their Go Throughs”: Young Adults on the Frontlines of Mental Health
https://www.clasp.org/sites/default/files/publications/2017/08/Everybody-Got-Their-Go-Throughs-Young-Adults-on-the-Frontlines-of-Mental-Health.pdf

Between the Lines: Understanding Our Country’s Racialized Response to the Opioid Overdose Epidemic
https://www.clasp.org/publications/report/brief/between-lines-understanding-our-country-s-racialized-response-opioid

Ten Core Competencies for Youth and Young Adult Centered Mental Health Systems
https://www.clasp.org/publications/report/brief/ten-core-competencies-youth-and-young-adult-centered-mental-health-systems

Refining Evidence-Based Practices: Expanding Our View of Evidence
https://www.clasp.org/publications/report/brief/redefining-evidence-based-practices-expanding-our-view-evidence

Unlocking Transformation and Healing: Overview of Policy Options for Accessible Youth and Young Adult Mental Health Care
https://www.clasp.org/publications/report/brief/unlocking-transformation-and-healing-overview-policy-options-accessible

Mental and Behavioral Health System Fixes During the COVID-19 Crisis, and Beyond
https://www.clasp.org/publications/report/brief/mental-and-behavioral-health-system-fixes-during-covid-19-crisis-and

"We are pressed on every side, but we are not crushed" by Kisha Bird 
https://medium.com/@CLASP_DC/we-are-pressed-on-every-side-but-we-are-not-crushed-5206f6de093f

"Divest to save Black lives. Invest to heal communities" by Duy Pham and Kayla Tawa
https://www.clasp.org/blog/divest-save-black-lives-invest-heal-communities?utm_source=ea&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=youth&emci=2287a787-71c0-ea11-9b05-00155d03bda0&emdi=7e74bca6-8cc0-ea11-9b05-00155d03bda0&ceid=6522859

"Defund police in schools and expand school-based mental health" by Whitney Bunts
https://www.clasp.org/blog/defund-police-schools-and-expand-school-based-mental-health?utm_source=ea&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mh&emci=2287a787-71c0-ea11-9b05-00155d03bda0&emdi=7e74bca6-8cc0-ea11-9b05-00155d03bda0&ceid=6522859

*Photo credit: Sarah Mittermaier

Applying a racial justice lens to mental health and wellbeing

Prevention Institute Executive Director Rachel Davis joins women leaders in healthcare, health equity, and public health for a broad-ranging conversation about what we’ve learned six months into the coronavirus pandemic and what we still desperately need to do. The podcast guests discuss topics including inconsistent and inadequate data collection, attacks on public health leaders, and the importance of an equitable recovery. Rachel is joined by Dr. Shari Barkin, the Chief of General Pediatrics at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, TN and a well-respected community researcher; Dr. Jewel Mullen, the associate dean for health equity at the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas in Austin and a previous public health commissioner in Connecticut; and Chrissie Juliano, the executive director of the Big Cities Health Coalition, which is composed of America’s largest metropolitan health departments.

*Photo credit: Satoko Arw

6 Months into the Pandemic: What’s working and what do we still desperately need to do?

Ruben Cantu of Prevention Institute and Kathryn Evans of Rooted Strategy interview network leaders from Mobilizing Action for Resilient Communities (MARC), an initiative of the Health Federation of Philadelphia that supports cross-sector, community networks using the science of ACEs and trauma to build a just, healthy and resilient world. In this episode, Ruben and Kathryn talk with Yusuf Ali, Soojin Conover and Suzeth Dunn from Boston’s Vital Village Network about using data to effect change.

The MARC Podcast Series is a joint production of the Health Federation of Philadelphia and Prevention Institute. For more information about MARC, visit MARC.HealthFederation.org.

Funding for the series comes from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The series is also supported in part by Cooperative Agreement No. 6 NU38OT000305-02-03 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Department of Health and Human Services, or the CDC.

Photo credit: Vital Village

Mobilizing Action for Resilient Communities (MARC) Podcast Series: Using Data to Effect Change

Ruben Cantu of Prevention Institute and Kathryn Evans of Rooted Strategy interview network leaders from Mobilizing Action for Resilient Communities (MARC), an initiative of the Health Federation of Philadelphia that supports cross-sector, community networks using the science of ACEs and trauma to build a just, healthy and resilient world. In this episode, Ruben and Kathryn talk with Laura Norton-Cruz, former director of the Alaska Resilience Initiative, about the role of an effective backbone organization.

The MARC Podcast Series is a joint production of the Health Federation of Philadelphia and Prevention Institute. For more information about MARC, visit MARC.HealthFederation.org.

Funding for the series comes from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The series is also supported in part by Cooperative Agreement No. 6 NU38OT000305-02-03 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Department of Health and Human Services, or the CDC.

Photo credit: Laura Norton-Cruz

Mobilizing Action for Resilient Communities (MARC) Podcast: The Role of a Backbone Organization

Ruben Cantu of Prevention Institute and Kathryn Evans of Rooted Strategy interview network leaders from Mobilizing Action for Resilient Communities (MARC), an initiative of the Health Federation of Philadelphia that supports cross-sector, community networks using the science of ACEs and trauma to build a just, healthy and resilient world. In this episode, Ruben and Kathryn talk with Joel Fein and Crystal Wyatt, members of the Philadelphia ACE Task Force’s Steering Committee, about effective network leadership.

The MARC Podcast Series is a joint production of the Health Federation of Philadelphia and Prevention Institute. For more information about MARC, visit MARC.HealthFederation.org.

Funding for the series comes from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The series is also supported in part by Cooperative Agreement No. 6 NU38OT000305-02-03 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Department of Health and Human Services, or the CDC.

Photo credit: Philadelphia ACE Task Force

Mobilizing Action for Resilient Communities (MARC) Podcast Series: Effective Network Leadership

On January 20, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn in as the new president and vice president of the United States. During the election, they spoke out forcefully about public health, health equity, and racial justice, but what will they do now that they’re in office? Prevention Institute’s Ruben Cantu and Sana Chehimi discuss what the new administration should prioritize in the first 100 days and in the long-term to promote thriving, equitable communities.

SHOW NOTES: Here is the pre-recorded discussion on Policy & Advocacy to Advance Mental Health and Wellbeing:

https://preventioninstitute.org/tools/policy-advocacy-advance-mental-health-and-wellbeing

Here are Prevention Institute's policy priorities, and the executive actions undertaken thus far by the Biden-Harris administration:

https://preventioninstitute.org/publications/prevention-institute-policy-priorities

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/

*Photo by Steffan Limmen on Instagram

Policy priorities for the Biden/Harris Administration

It’s easy to see the problems in our world: chronic diseases, gun violence, substance misuse, toxic water... What’s often less obvious are the conditions in our communities that help create these problems, and that ultimately point to smart solutions. Moving Upstream tells the stories of people and communities that are finding surprising and inspiring ways to transform these conditions and prevent the problems from happening in the first place.

Prevention Institute's Moving Upstream

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