Being part of PATCH has shown me more of the resources out there and that I can make a change by speaking up for the things that I believe in.
PATCH has taught me the importance of standing up for my own health and prioritizing my wellbeing above all. Something I wasn’t previously taught and often neglected, learning to make yourself and others aware when something is bothering you or is not right is a skill I learned solely in PATCH.
I have learned to be more attuned to what others are thinking and feeling and how to make meaningful and lasting connections. Basically, PATCH gave me a lifeline when I felt like I was sinking and has helped me pull myself to the surface and emerge as a stronger, kinder person.
At a Glance
PATCH Youth Advocacy Fellowship for Social and Emotional Health aimed to engage Wisconsin youth as key partners and experts in addressing the social and emotional health (SEH) impacts of COVID-19. PATCH (Providers and Teens Communicating for Health), is a Wisconsin-based program that aims to improve adolescent health and well-being by engaging, educating and empowering youth and adults to partner for positive change.
The PATCH Youth Advocacy Fellowship successfully completed two years of programming, offering 25 youth a 10-month opportunity to gain skills and lead community advocacy projects, such as creating widely adopted suicide response policies for schools. The fellows consulted with over 30 organizations and contributed their voices and perspectives to a number of events typically reserved for adults. Comprehensive evaluation led to the fellowship’s replication in Ohio and the launch of the PATCH Alumni Impact Study. The PATCH Youth Advocacy Fellowship, now renamed the PATCH Teen Consultant Program, continues to empower youth and expand opportunities for meaningful engagement in health advocacy.
The Challenge
Providers and Teens Communicating for Health (PATCH) is a Wisconsin-based program that aims to improve adolescent health and well-being by engaging, educating and empowering youth and adults to partner for positive change. The program recognized the significant social and emotional health (SEH) challenges faced by adolescents, which were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Interviews with PATCH’s 2020-2021 fellowship cohort of nearly 30 youth revealed that mental health is the number one concern for their peer groups across various Wisconsin communities. The youth expressed a strong interest in gaining skills to help connect themselves and their friends with effective SEH resources.
Project Goals
The goal of the PATCH Youth Advocacy Fellowship for Social and Emotional Health was to engage Wisconsin youth as key partners and experts in addressing the SEH impacts of COVID-19. Through the PATCH Youth Advocacy Fellowship, the program aimed to hire, train and support a diverse group of young people to integrate their voices into policy development and SEH initiatives. Ultimately, the program sought to foster a culture of shared responsibility and accountability for adolescent health.
Results
Despite COVID-19 disruptions, the project successfully developed and completed two years of the PATCH Youth Advocacy Fellowship. The fellowship offered 25 youth between the ages of 12 and 19 a 10-month paid opportunity to gain concepts, skills and resources related to youth SEH and overall wellbeing. The program covered extensive health-related topics, including mental health, racism in health care, substance use and addiction, body positivity, healthy relationships and youth justice, organizing and advocacy among others. The youth developed and led powerful community advocacy projects such as the creation of model policies for suicide response that have since been widely adopted in Wisconsin schools. The PATCH Youth Advocacy Fellows also provided youth voice to over 30 organizations statewide through consulting sessions working to improve adolescent health services, education, programs and policies. Additionally, youth were included in decision-making spaces and events typically reserved for adults, including Wisconsin’s National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and Adolescent Health Initiatives Conferences.
In partnership with youth fellows, a comprehensive program evaluation was conducted which focused on improved and expanded pre- and post-program year metrics related to positive youth development. The evaluation also included measures related to youth and community partner experiences. The data and reflections generated from this evaluation informed the replication model for the PATCH Youth Advocacy Fellowship which was piloted in partnership with the Ohio Department of Health and is now available for further replication nationwide. The evaluation efforts also set the stage for the first PATCH Alumni Impact Study, which gathered reflective survey data and interviews from over 100 past PATCH participants throughout Wisconsin. Overall, the PATCH program, which has been renamed and reframed as the PATCH Teen Consultant Program, has been influential in empowering youth, fostering growth and expanding opportunities for meaningful youth engagement in health advocacy.
