Virginia Healthy Youth Culture Initiative
The
Virginia Healthy Youth Culture Initiative (VHYCI) is
an innovative application of proven prevention strategies to prevent
risk behaviors and promote healthy behaviors amongst Virginia’s
urban youth, particularly African-American urban youth. The initiative’s
physical and mental health efforts focus on strategies to increase
youth physical activity, prevent tobacco use and prevent violence
throughout Virginia.
VHYCI includes two major brands for reaching these populations:
2up2down (Social events
to reach teens with positive social messaging)
Step Royale (step-dancing
competitions to increase physical activity and promote fitness)
FOUNDING PRINCIPLES
Youth perform risk behaviors because it is perceived positively
within the culture they identify with. In effect, asking certain
youth to stop engaging in a risk behavior would be synonymous
to asking them to abandon their culture. With this understanding,
Social Branding® is a comprehensive cultural-level intervention
that allows youth to celebrate their cultural identity, while
simultaneously working from within to redefine the behaviors positively
associated with the culture.
Following a successful pilot, a comprehensive intervention was
designed with an evaluation strategy to measure the initiative’s
impact. In November 2009, the campaign launched full-scale in
the Hampton Roads area with the following strategies:
Youth
Events: 2UP2Down
Community-wide social events will establish the social brand
as a cultural leader. Research shows that youth who prioritize
their social lives and status amongst peers are more influenced
by their culture and are at higher risk. To influence these higher-risk
teens, the social brand must be an established fixture within
the local culture. As part of the VHYCI, local law enforcement,
community officials, and the campaign team will create a safe
and fun environment. Each event will contribute to the social
influence of the intervention, disseminating positive messages
within a social context in a manner that feels natural to youth.
For more information, visit 2up2downva.com
Competitive
Step Dance League: Step Royale
Effective prevention efforts need to identify alternative strategies
for youth to reach social status without engaging in risk behaviors.
Step dancing is a behavior that is both physically active and
positively perceived within hip-hop culture. The establishment
of a competitive step-dance league will provide an opportunity
for youth to achieve social status without engaging in risk.
For more information, visit steproyale.com
Youth Brand Ambassadors
Local youth have been involved in every activity during the
pilot phase and will continue to be involved throughout the campaign.
Young people who fit the cultural image being targeted, who also
choose healthy behaviors and are trendsetters in their community
will be selected to support the initiatives.
Evaluation
Social Branding® is a relatively new strategy, but Virginia
is not the first to apply the approach. Other states, cities,
and counties have used the approach to successfully prevent tobacco
use and other risk behaviors. The Virginia Healthy Youth Culture
Initiative will be the most comprehensive evaluation of Social
Branding® to date. The evaluation consists of annual surveying
of teens in the Hampton Roads and a control community (Richmond).
The baseline study showed that African American teens who identify
with hip hop culture were nearly twice as likely to smoke and
engage in violence, providing further evidence for the need for
this intervention.
Contact
Danny Saggese
Director of Marketing
Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth
