31st Jul2014

Please Join Us at the Next Colorado Medical Home Community Forum

by co9to25

TOPIC:
Positive Youth Development and Youth Engagement Strategies to Increase Access to
Health Care for Youth in Colorado

Discussion Topics Include:

Youth and Young Adult Health: Data and State Plan Strategies
What does the data tell us about how/when youth access health care?

Positive Youth Development
A primer on positive youth development and how the approach applies to engaging youth in their health care.

Developing Youth-Friendly Clinics
An overview of the youth-friendly makeover project in Family Planning clinics.

YouthChat
Learn about a methodology that employs youth actor/teachers to help health care providers learn effective communication skills when providing adolescent care.

August 12
4:30 - 6:45 p.m.

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment - 4300 Cherry Creek Drive South, Denver 80246
Building A in DOC Room

Agenda
A big thank you to those of you who have already completed the RSVP. If you haven’t completed the RSVP, please do so by August 7 in order for us to have an accurate count for dinner.

For questions or more information, contact:

Barbara J Martin, MSN, ACNP-BC, MPH
Medical Home Policy Coordinator
Prevention Services Division
Policy, Systems, & Analytics Branch
Health Systems Unit
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
4300 Cherry Creek Drive South
Denver, CO 80246
Tel: (303) 692-2327
barbara.martin@state.co.us

Category : access, Co9to25, connected, youth

0 Comm

29th Jul2014

Here’s Information for teen patients about what vaccines they need, where to find them, and other common questions.

by co9to25

Vaccines for Teens

Information for teen patients about what vaccines they need, where to find them, and other common questions.

Teen Vaccine Postcard Questions

On this page:
What vaccines do teens need?
How do I know which vaccines I have and haven’t already received?
Where can I get vaccinated?
What about paying for vaccines?
Which vaccines are required for school?
Where can I get more information?

What vaccines do teens need?

Who Needs Vaccines, When
Most adolescents should receive the Tdap, meningococcal, HPV, and influenza vaccines during their teens.
Adolescent and Adult Vaccine Quiz
This CDC questionnaire will give you a personalized list of the vaccines you might need. Attention: Non-MDH link

How do I know which vaccines I have and haven’t already received?

Tips for Finding Immunization Records
Doctors’ offices, schools, and immunization registries are all potential sources.

For more information visit http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/immunize/adol/index.html

Category : access, Co9to25, connected, educated, healthy, informational, resources, youth

0 Comm

28th Jul2014

15 Hydration Facts for Athletes

by co9to25

Water is a wonderful performance enhancer. When a star U Conn basketball player took the advice of his sports nutritionist Nancy Rodriguez, RD and started drinking enough to consistently void a light-colored urine, he was amazed at how much better he felt all day.Unfortunately, too many athletes overlook the power of this essential nutrient. Perhaps it’s your turn to give water a try? This article offers droplets of information to enhance your water I.Q., optimize your water balance, and help you feel and perform better.

More: Which Is Best - Water or Sports Drink?

1. You don’t have to drink plain water to hydrate.

All fluids count, as do foods that have high water content. For example:

Oatmeal is 84 percent water.
Low-fat milk is 90 percent water.
Coffee is 99.5 percent water.
Lettuce is 96 percent water.
Tomato is 95 percent water.
Broccoli is 89 percent water.
Low-fat vanilla yogurt is 79 percent water.
Ice cream is 60 percent water.

2. You cannot function without water.

Your body cannot survive without sufficient water, as noted by the fact that athletes die from dehydration. Water is the solvent for your biochemical reactions.

3. You need water for digestion.

Water is required to moisten food (saliva), digest food (gastric secretions), transport nutrients to and from cells (blood), discard waste (urine), and dissipate heat (sweat). Water is a major component of the muscles and organs; about 60 percent of a male’s body weight and 50 percent of a woman’s body weight is water.

More: 5 Digestion Tips for Athletes

to read more of this article visit: http://www.active.com/health/articles/15-hydration-facts-for-athletes

Category : Co9to25, educated, healthy, informational, youth

0 Comm

21st Jul2014

We often overlook pedestrian safety but if you follow these tips you’re sure to be safer out there

by co9to25

Pedestrian Safety for Teens

Surprisingly, when it comes to walking safely, teenagers are now the most at-risk youth for pedestrian injuries. Cell phones and other handheld gadgets are causing teens to be more easily distracted, which is leading to greater risk on the roads. Make sure your teen focuses on the road with these tips.

Top Safety Tips

If you need to use a cell phone, make sure you stop walking and find a safe area to talk. When using headphones, you should be sure to look up and pay extra attention and remove the headphones when crossing the street.
Cross streets at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks. Most injuries happen mid-block or someplace other than intersections.
It’s always best to walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.
Look left, right and left again when crossing the street. Never run or dart out into the street or cross between parked cars.
Make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them and to watch out for cars that are turning or backing up.

- See more at: http://www.safekids.org/safetytips/field_age/teens-15%E2%80%9319-years/field_risks/pedestrian-safety#sthash.U8XZRToP.dpuf

Category : access, Co9to25, connected, educated, safe, youth

Tags : Safekids worldwide

0 Comm

17th Jul2014

Check out this blog on the life of the millennial generation. It could be a great tool for engaging them.

by co9to25

Here’s a bit about the blogger

My name is Haley and I am a 17 year old Millennial. I live in Denver, Colorado and will be a senior this upcoming year (woohoo!). Tennis is my favorite sport and I am inclined both musically and artistically. I play the Ukulele and am in the midst of teaching myself piano and guitar. In my free time, I sketch, paint, and cook. My friends are always near-by when I’m home but I often travel with my family. This blog will be aimed at understanding the way in which millennials view each other, the media, and the older generations. Feel free to contribute any thoughts that you may have!

Link to blog: http://millennialsdiscovered.wordpress.com/about/

Category : connected, educated, entertainment, informational, resources, youth

0 Comm

15th Jul2014

Here’s a youth doing great work for others in Colorado

by co9to25

AN AWESOME YOUNG PERSON

Interview by Madi Thompson - Youth Advisor

THOMAS OROZCO

A PRETTY AMAZING GUY
Some people inspire others without knowing the positive footprint they are leaving while doing so; inspiring others with their amazing story of survival in some of the darkest of times. Thomas Orozco has this ability; to inspire people by living his life the way he does in such a positive way, and always with a smile on his face, and by willing to share his story with the community and honestly, the world, to make a difference. When he started telling his story I was wowed and inspired by his strength, passion, and perseverance. Here is his story.

WHO IS HE?
Thomas is 22 years old and comes from a big family. His mom was “16 and pregnant” so as a young child, he moved around a lot. In Thomas’ opinion, many low-income apartments in bad neighborhoods and multiple types of abuse is the perfect combination for a rough upbringing. Eventually, and in his opinion, not soon enough, he went into foster care at age fifteen, which did not surprise him since he and his mother had a very rocky relationship and past.

HOW DID HE OVERCOME ALL THE UPS AND DOWNS IN LIFE?
First foster care then a transitional crisis center and eventually six months in a rehab center saved his life and put him on a more positive path. The youth rehab center taught him how to be a real person and things about life and survival that he needed to know. Like so many teens when they are in a program and turn 18, he was thrown out on the streets which led to more trouble as his safety net was gone. He couldn’t get a job and ended up living in his car which he stated “was a better situation than others I had. God blessed me and I did not get in as much trouble as my friends. I started thinking about my future and what I wanted in my life. In the meantime I went to jail for a little while for some more poor choices I had made. I got put on probation which helped me get involved with the United Way. I still had issues with doing the right thing and I decided to be homeless for a month to reevaluate my life.” That’s when he found The United Way and it saved his life.

WHAT’S HE UP TO THESE DAYS?
Life is getting easier and happier for Thomas these days. He has hobbies which include art, writing, music, guitar and the love of his newly found profession, carpentry. He and his new wife will soon have another job they will share together; Parenthood. Thomas can’t wait for the arrival of his son at the end of July.

HOW DID HE BECOME INVOLVED WITH CO9to25?
He heard about CO9to25 through his other job working for the Denver Collaborative Partnership. He is a youth representative for them and working on helping to change things in foster care for youth. He likes to be leading youth, talking to them, and helping and inspiring as much as possible.

WHY DOES HE CARE?
He is passionate about just trying to be somebody who makes a difference in the lives of others. Thomas stated “GOD drives me to be a better person. He gives me a lot of hope and faith”.

WHAT DOES HE WANT TO SEE CHANGE FOR YOUTH?
Thomas felt a lot more focus on closeness in families and children’s education was at the top of his list. He also feels that families need to be more monitored so that children do not continue to fall through the cracks and end up in tough situations like his.

HIS ADVICE TO THE YOUTH READING THIS…
If he could offer any advice to youth it would be that “anybody can do what they want with their life. Learn from your past and look towards the future. Stay focused and if you want something, you can have it. If you don’t know what love and support feels like get involved in organizations like the United Way or CO9to25. Everyone is only there to benefit from everyone. There is a whole other side of life you will find within these organizations”.

AND FOR THE ADULTS IN THE ROOM…
And if there are any adults reading this interview, Thomas stated “I think they need to know that there is a lot to learn from youth, one being that youth are great. They need to listen more and put the youth on their level and try to connect.”

If you are interested in becoming involved in CO9to25, as an organization or a member of the team please contact Ana Soler!

Thomas’ interview can be found on

Category : Co9to25

0 Comm

15th Jul2014

WHAT’S GOING ON UP IN THEM THEIR HILLS?

by co9to25

Tobacco Free Parks in Lake County

Summary of a study conducted and written by Walter and Dominic; Youth Interns with Lake County Build A Generation

FOCUS OF THE PROJECT
Our focus for this task was to see if the use of tobacco in our community was a problem or not. We created a survey and our results were very interesting. We did this as part of our summer internship at Lake County Build A Generation (LCBAG) in Leadville, Colorado.

HOW DID IT START?
We wanted to see if tobacco was a problem at our parks. We went to multiple parks around the county where many parents take their children to have some fun in the sun. Our first step was meeting with officials of Lake County and the City of Leadville. We learned tobacco use at parks in Lake County is a big concern.

WHAT THEY FOUND…CONFUSION

LCBAG looked at the current rules at one of our parks. They state that drug, alcohol, and tobacco products and smoking are prohibited. We also learned that the parks are owned by the county but they are in city limits so, some confusion was brought to who creates the regulations for the parks. We also found out that the police can give fines and tickets to underage violators dealing with tobacco, drug, and alcohol use but not to the people who are old enough to possess these items.

NEXT STEPS: TALK TO THE COMMUNITY

To maintain a healthy and safe place to be at, we asked what community members thought would be more effective. Our choices were; fines/ticketing, signs, public education, and police patrol. We found that community members thought fines and ticketing would be the best option to enforce these rules. Next it was signs, then public education, and the one that the community said would not enforce the rules was police patrol around the park.

We also asked the community where they think tobacco free places should be elsewhere. From our survey, community members feel that playgrounds, the community field, picnic areas, and the skate board park should be tobacco free. A majority of them also said that Campgrounds and Rodeo Grounds should be the less restrictive on tobacco use.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE…
After our meeting with City officials and Lake County officials, we can see that tobacco is being looked at more, especially at our parks. We do see some concerns with tobacco use, but our hope in the future is that these concerns will be reduced and that the parks in Lake County will be even safer and healthier places.

Category : Co9to25, healthy, informational, youth

0 Comm

10th Jul2014

Here are a few civic engagement resources for you

by co9to25

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT RESOURCES

Youth Civic Engagement Research CIRCLE (The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement) conducts research on the civic and political engagement of young Americans. Recent highlights include a new analysis of youth voter registration and voting in midterm elections, the results of a national survey of civics and U.S. government teachers, and a state-by-state map of civic education policies. Get all the latest info at www.civicyouth.org	Election Resources for Nonprofits Nonprofit VOTE partners with America’s nonprofits to help the people they serve participate and vote. They are the largest source of nonpartisan resources to help nonprofits integrate voter engagement into their ongoing activities and services. Nonprofit VOTE provides resources and trainings for the nonprofit sector on how to conduct nonpartisan voter participation and election activities.www.nonprofitvote.org/all-resources

Election Information Resources Vote411.org (provided by the League of Women Voters) lets you find your polling place, build your ballot with the online voters’ guide and much more! With their voters’ guide you can see the races on your ballot, compare candidates’ positions side-by-side, and print out a “ballot” indicating your preferences as a reminder and take it with you to the polls on Election Day. http://www.vote411.org/Project Vote Smart provides free, unbiased, in-depth information about current officials, candidates, issues, legislation, and voting. Biographies, voting records, issue positions, ratings, speeches, campaign finance information. All politicians. Instantly.http://votesmart.org/	Resources to Engage Young People in Policymaking & Local Government Authentic Youth Civic Engagement: A Guide for Municipal Leaders published by the National League of Cities offers practical tools for promoting meaningful youth participation in local government.http://bit.ly/1lCZ38hBuilding Effective Youth Councils: A Practical Guide to Engaging Youth in Policy Making published by the Forum for Youth Investment helps states and localities create or strengthen their own youth councils. Advice and lessons are offered by people in the field who have started or staff youth councils.http://bit.ly/1lXroe6

Category : access, Co9to25, connected, contributing, informational, resources, youth

0 Comm

10th Jul2014

Here are great ideas for how youth can get involved in voting.

by co9to25

14 IDEAS FOR ’14: HOW YOUTH CAN GET INVOLVED THIS ELECTION

from YSA

As we just celebrated the July 4th Independence Day holiday, we are reminded that our democracy depends on “we the people” (all the people!) getting involved to help “form a more perfect Union.” With that in mind, YSA offers the ServiceVote 14 Ideas for ’14: How Youth Can Get Involved & Serve This Election Season.

Youth can:
1. Conduct voter registration drives.
2. Educate voters by developing voter guides.
3. Educate voters and engage candidates about issues.
4. Host a convention or debate watch.
5. Organize a debate, forum, or town hall.
6. Host a Service Stop to engage candidates.
7. Organize Get-Out-The-Vote activities.
8. Hold mock elections to teach younger students about the electoral process.
9. Become a citizen journalist and make your voice heard during the election.
10. Volunteer for campaigns.
11. Serve as poll workers or election judges on Election Day.
12. Help protect student voting rights.
13. Vote.
14. Ask your mayor to support service and youth engagement in policymaking.

Get resources for all of these ideas at www.ysa.org/servicevote

Category : access, Co9to25, connected, contributing, events, informational, opportunities, resources, youth

0 Comm

09th Jul2014

Another amazing young hero, these young people never quit doing awesome things!

by co9to25

EVERYDAY YOUNG HEROES

Kaya Cook

Brooklyn, MI

YSA honors Kaya Cook, 12, of Brooklyn, Michigan as an Everyday Young Hero for his commitment to supporting the troops through the Project Soldier Troop Support Club, a club he created at school. Through the club, Cook works with other students to assemble care packages to send to the troops. Cook and the club’s members put together food boxes for homeless veterans, hold coffee drives to ship coffee to those deployed overseas, make quilts for veterans in the hospital, and provide communication for soldiers. Read more athttp://www.ysa.org/kaya_cook

Read about all the recent Everyday Young Heroes at www.ysa.org/tags/everyday_young_hero

To nominate a young person who has improved their community through service to be recognized as an Everyday Young Hero, please visit www.ysa.org/eyh_nomination

Category : access, Co9to25, connected, informational, young heroes, youth

0 Comm

Pages:12 »

Please Join Us at the Next Colorado Medical Home Community Forum

Here’s Information for teen patients about what vaccines they need, where to find them, and other common questions.

Vaccines for Teens

What vaccines do teens need?

How do I know which vaccines I have and haven’t already received?

15 Hydration Facts for Athletes

1. You don’t have to drink plain water to hydrate.

2. You cannot function without water.

3. You need water for digestion.

We often overlook pedestrian safety but if you follow these tips you’re sure to be safer out there

Pedestrian Safety for Teens

Top Safety Tips

Check out this blog on the life of the millennial generation. It could be a great tool for engaging them.