ICYMI – Recent Adolescent Health News and Resources

There is a lot of news happening right now and it can be challenging to keep up with it. Every few weeks we will share a blog post with recent resources and new articles that may be beneficial to your work.

Race, Equity, and Health

Educators and schools across the nation are planning anti-racist work. Elizabeth Kleinrock at Teaching Tolerance outlines questions that you should be asking to ensure your school isn’t just going through the motions.

Civil Rights and Social Justice Resources for Classrooms is a resource list by Common Sense Education. It can be especially helpful for all educators trying to build lesson plans and activities that are more just, inclusive, equitable, and healthy.

When we work with young people around social-emotional learning, we can’t ignore the reality of racism in the United States and how it affects the mental health of Black children and adolescent youth. This EdSurge article by Tony Weaver Jr. discusses this.

This NBC News article discusses how Black Americans experience deadly stress due to the pandemic and violent racism. “Black people today are also suffering from experiencing racism in a way that has not been possible in the past, because of social media and the constant replay of killings.” The article references this great post from Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, California’s Surgeon General.

Access to parks and green space is an important health issue. This opinion piece by Tyrone Mullins and Joyce Armstrong explains why San Francisco residents must remember that “Safe, healthy public spaces are not a luxury. They are a right, especially for neighborhoods hit hardest by the pandemic and its economic impact.”

This editorial from High School Sophomore Selena Rojas, a Fresno Barrios youth organizer, discusses how police & SROs affect school safety. “I’m asking Fresno leaders to show up for and listen to students and community and listen to us tell you what safety looks like.”

Distance Learning, Schools Opening, and Mental Health

Distance learning and its impact on a student’s mental health is a critical topic. Edutopia has published a couple of recent resources that may be helpful.

• Distance Learning FAQ: Solving Teachers’ and Students’ Common Problems
• 7 Takeaways From Our Experiences With Distance Learning

Adam Chang and Justin Clark discussed recent recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) that schools reopen for in-person classes and what this means for teachers, parents, children, and adolescent youth.

Additional Resources

This resource from River X. Suh published on WeAreTeachers shares ways to address gender and sexuality-based teasing and is very helpful. It specifically outlines what young people say, how that is interpreted, and how educators can respond.

Interviews with Experts

AHWG created a video interview series with individuals to discuss topics related to adolescent health.

• Sasha Simon from Drug Policy Alliance on Harm Reduction-Based Drug Education
• Suzan Kotch from East Bay Children’s Law Offices on Juvenile Dependency Court and the Foster Care System
• Marsha Aizumi on Parenting and Supporting LGBTQIA+ Young People

Upcoming Events

PBS Teachers has a Virtual Professional Learning Series in July. Events include:

• Amplify Student Voice on 7/28
• Focusing on Young Learners on 7/30