What is Z-VYBE ?

Gen-Z Visionary Youth Building Empowerment is part of LCHC’s larger Latine and Indigenous Workforce Institute, and is designed to supply high school aged students with knowledge about mental health awareness and resources, youth civic engagement, drug abuse prevention, career/college pathways, and public speaking.

At the end of the program, student participants understand the ways youth can be agents of change in their communities and how to advocate for change in all state and local branches of government.

Our Areas Of Learning Include

Youth Mental
Health

Youth Drug Abuse Prevention

Youth Civic Engagement

Our Vision

Z-VYBE envisions a future where youth, who are most disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs, are emboldened and empowered with education and information on the many systems that affect their health and the outcomes of their communities.

What We Do

The Gen Z-Visionary Youth Building Empowerment (Z-VYBE) opportunity is an immersion program for high school students to become more civically engaged. By being a part of Z-VYBE, youth participants learn about mental health, the impact of substance abuse, the importance of civic participation, youth advocacy, the social determinants of health, and more. Participants will gain experience building and nurturing healthy civic relationships with local decision-makers. Z-VYBE is a fantastic opportunity for youth who are curious about the topic of public health or public policy and would like to strengthen their civic engagement skills in a fun and encouraging space. Follow us on social media @ZVYBE_SAC for the latest news and updates from the 2024 Z-VYBE Cohort.

Z-VYBE 2025 Student Cohort

Coming Soon…

Mental Health Awareness

Since the pandemic there has been a rise in mental health disparities and ailments. According to a comparative study by Arch Gen Psychiatry, and later reported by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 75% of mental illness conditions emerge before the age of 25. Dr. Daniel G. Whitney from the University of Michigan found in a study about the prevalence of mental illness that In the U.S. about 1 in 6 youth aged 6 to 17 experience a mental health disorder each year. The impact of mental health on youth is astonishing, making engagement in conversations with our Z-VYBE youth even more important.

The Z-VYBE curriculum includes conversations about participant experiences with mental health, their solutions, and the state of mental health in our state and in their communities. Creating safe spaces for youth to share their experiences, and a youth-led environment where students feel safe to express their point of view on the matter. Student ideas are transformed into action by holding conversations with their electeds, or hosting youth-led forums where they share their ideas with the community and youth just like them.

Drug Abuse Awareness

In conversations with youth, data, lived experience, and harm reduction information meet to combat common myths, stigmas and misconceptions about drug abuse. Students are taught about the harmful effects of common drugs and connect students to harm reduction specialists in their community. This creates a youth population that can fill supportive roles to their friends or loved ones who may be using drugs. Students often share about the prevalence and normalization of drug use in their circles, and how eager they are to obtain education from educators about this subject.

In class we demystify the effects of drugs and we create a safe space where students can share their thoughts, opinions, and lived experience without judgment. According to a news report from Sacramento County CBS News from November of 2023, Sacramento has seen an increase in opioid deaths among youth populations. For that reason it is important to empower our youth with information about the effects of drugs, drug use resources and supports, and how to be a non-judgemental support to others.

Sacramento Youth Activation

Z-VYBE is housed at the South Sacramento Burbank High School campus and partners with several schools in the Sacramento region. Our students range from 13-18 years of age. It is important that we uplift the voices and experiences of youth in Sacramento because as diverse as they are in their identities and backgrounds they also incorporate the many experiences of high school aged students throughout California.

Our students represent and identify as Latine, Black, indigenous, Hmong, and LGBTQIA2S+ youth. Student participants have experience being impacted by existing systems including the carceral/prison system themselves or by way of their family members/loved ones. Youth are motivated to create change in the communities they live and thrive in. The youth bring powerful solutions needed to positively transform where they live, play, and attend school.

Created By Youth, For Youth: Social Media Campaigns

Now more than ever it is imperative that our local and state governments pour into our youth populations. Youth are living in a time of technology, able to receive and send information in seconds to the entire globe. Youth voices are some of the most overlooked and disenfranchised. Youth do not have opportunities to vote yet however they are eager and understand the changes they’d like to make in their communities. Aligning with youth and youth voices creates pathways for our youth to do well in school, learn the various ways they can impact their communities, and transition positively into adulthood. Our youth are our present and future – investing in them will ensure that all of our futures flourish.

Students complete the program well versed on how to share their personal narratives and lived experiences. At the 2023 Fall Forum – Nothing About Us Without Us Block Party – students showcased their lived experiences, thoughts and solutions on youth mental health. Photovoice Projects are a tool Z-VYBE students use to take ownership of their experiences and provide their own perspectives on the solutions that will support the health and growth of their communities. Please see adjacent our students Photovoice projects from the 2023 and 2024 Z-VYBE cohorts.

Follow Us For The Latest Z-VYBE Updates!

Meet The Staff

 

 

 

“Our youth need to learn about the beauty and power that resides within their environment. Youth know first hand the challenges and opportunities for growth within the spaces they live in, and Z-VYBE empowers them to speak and create those into existence.” – Angela Maldonado, Youth Programs Manager (Left)

” Z-VYBE not only educates students on the importance of mental health and drug abuse but empowers them to amplify their voice as they become our next generation of future leaders and change makers.”- Michelle Lozano, Programs Associate (Right)