How Gen-Z Visionary Youth Building Empowerment (Z-VYBE) is Shaping the Next Generation of Changemakers
An LCHC Youth Programs Blogpost
Gen-Z Visionary Youth Building Empowerment (Z-VYBE) is a testament to the power of fostering youth leadership and mobilization to create community power and policy change.
Z-VYBE was born out of the need to impact young lives through addressing, teaching, and training them on topics of mental health, drug abuse awareness, and the social determinants of health. The impacts of drugs and mental health are no secret to high-school-aged children, and many Sacramento youth have experienced these issues.
In the past year, 97 fentanyl-related deaths were reported by the Sacramento County Coroner’s office; 16 of those were Latino. Black, Indian, Pacific Islander, Laotian, Filipino, and other individuals of color were impacted. On June 30th, a local 15-year-old Latino male died of a Fentanyl overdose. These heartbreaking stories, about youth, continue to grow as this epidemic spreads. But we know overdose deaths are entirely preventable.
Through the Z-VYBE program, we’re ensuring that youth are engaging in conversations about prevention and intervention methods that can save lives. We host Z-VYBE sessions on campus weekly throughout the school year and engage virtually over the summer. Z-VYBE is also a critical component of our Latine and Indigenous Workforce Institute, bridging high school youth to LCHC’s leadership and workforce development opportunities.
In our sessions, students often share that they benefit from more information on the effects of drugs, drug consumption, and mental health. Empowering our youth with this knowledge gives them the autonomy to choose a healthy life path for themselves and be a supportive influence for their loved ones and friends, especially when they may need extra support. These teachings transcend the four walls of the classroom – as students take these conversations into their homes, the cafeteria, the field, and all other spaces they occupy.
Through their leadership training, our students have been empowered to learn about solution-oriented policy-making. Through our programming , students discuss solutions to issues like drug abuse, mental health, and homelessness. They’ve created solutions that include meditation & mental health classrooms in every school, school gardens, increasing green spaces in their communities, and the need for more accessible mental health clinicians and therapists who speak their families’ native languages. Our youth not only understand the issues in their communities but also train to develop policy ideas to address them.
For this reason, we brought Z-VYBE students from the halls of high school to the halls of power to talk about these issues with decision-makers.
Z-VYBE at Day at the Capitol
A major goal of LCHC is to break down barriers to decision-making processes and facilitate youth civic engagement. This past quarter, our Z-VYBE students took part in advocacy during LCHC’s Day at the Capitol. Their diverse perspectives came to life through storytelling during administrative and legislative visits. Many of them shared their personal and community related to mental health and community improvement making them a voice for change.
Decision-making spaces, like our State Capitol, have historically been designed for and by adults. Having youth participants included in Day at the Capitol renewed and invigorated those legislative spaces and demonstrated how important it is to have youth involved in policy change.
Z-VYBE youth also had the opportunity to connect with mentors from diverse cultural backgrounds, age groups, and career trajectories. One Z-VYBE’r shared, “Since we’re the youngest, it feels like we’re doing a big thing because we’re pretty young, and we’re starting to advocate at a young age, and it feels like we’re representing all our people and all our youth.”
Building the next generation of advocates requires us to include them in conversations and engage in an exchange of knowledge. We can’t fix youth issues without youth vision. Z-VYBErs are leaders in their own lives, and they deserve platforms inside and outside of class to share their experiences and policy solutions.
Want to be a part of the change? The 2024 Z-VYBE class is excited to host the Flourishing Futures, 2024 Fall Forum, where they will host a panel of mental health professionals to raise awareness on mental health and drug use, along with fun community activities and resource booths. Get your tickets today at Bit.ly/FlourishingFutures2024!
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About LCHC:
Latino Coalition for a Healthy California (LCHC)—the only statewide policy organization with a specific emphasis on Latinx health—was founded by health care providers, consumers and advocates in 1992 to impact Latino health by focusing on policy development, providing enhanced information, and community involvement.
