This year the Change felt compelled to continue giving back to our community while focusing more on Health and Wellness.
Mission Statement We are the Change Agents of Compton Early College High School. We are a student organization aimed at inspiring girls to develop into change agents who help others, get involved in community activities, and build the skills necessary for effective leadership. Our focus is collaboration, communication, and community building. The Change Agents are focused on addressing the needs of Health and Wellness in our school community. By promoting a healthy lifestyle, we hope to empower our peers and eventually inspire the city of Compton. Our vision is to transform Compton Early College High School into a Wellness Center aimed at providing emotional support, stress relief, and an overall safe space for our school community. Furthermore, we hope to spread the message of wellness throughout the city. Project Need Inspired by the work we began last year, specifically our Wellness Series and partnership with the Yetunde Price Resource Center, the Change Agents felt compelled to provide their peers with the strategies and guidance for a healthy outlet. Mental and emotional health are still stigmatized in Black and Brown communities, however, as a whole, teenagers have suffered greatly as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In December 2021, the Surgeon General warned of an emerging youth mental health crisis. This is a reality we have been too aware of and would like the opportunity to play a small role in helping our peers cope. Realizing this the Change Agents developed a three-prong approach to the issue of teenage mental health. 1. Girls Build events 2.Wellness Month and 3. Mental Health Resource Fair. The need stemmed from personal struggles with mental health, growth from our project last year, and the voice of our peers. The uncertainty and strain of the past two years coupled with attending a highly competitive high school and enrolling in college courses has been difficult for everyone to navigate. Our hope was to simply provide a warm smile, socially distanced embrace, healthy coping mechanisms, and more importantly an effort to destigmatize mental health. Process The 30 member GBLA Change Agents met every Tuesday during lunch, monthly on an Early Release Friday after school and on Zoom weekends or school breaks when needed. Every meeting consisted of a brief check-in with all the committees, collaboration, and planning. The most effective use of our time and size was to delegate tasks and responsibilities, therefore three main committees were formed: Wellness Fair committee, Wellness Month Committee and the Civic Engagement Committee. While participating in the Future Starts Now, four subcommittees were created :Environmental Justice committee, Waste Management committee, Fast Fashion committee, and Did-You-Know committee. Every committee and subcommittee had a lead member who facilitated meetings, communicated with team members, and delegated tasks. While committee members were responsible for plan development and execution, every Change Agent assisted with promotion via Advisory announcements and personal social media reposts. The Wellness Resource Fair Committee (WRFC) consisted of 6 members who focused on collaborating with local organizations focusing on physical and mental health. The team reached out to the Compton Health Bar, Compton Girls Club, Color Compton, the American Red Cross, Planned Parenthood, Veronica Higgings, and King Drew Hospital. Although our wellness fair has not yet occurred, our goals remain the same: bringing awareness to overall health issues, specifically mental health issues plaguing teens in communities of color. The Wellness Committee events consisted of: Finals Affirmations and Valentine’s Day Affirmations. The Wellness Month Committee (WMC) consisted of 14 members who focused on helping CEC students achieve a peaceful body and mindset. The team split it up into four subcommittees: Painting Party, Just Dance Party, Cook With Us, and Yoga in the Quad. The goal of this was to help students find ways to release stress and anxiety especially with the overwhelming upcoming testing schedule that included CAASP, CAST, and AP exams. On average, every Compton Early College High School students takes at least one AP exam, with some taking up to 5 per year. Wellness Month events consisted of: Just Dance Party, Painting Party, Cook With Us, and Yoga in the Quad. Civic engagement Committee (CEC) consisted of 4-6 members who took the power to keep students informed about important local and global issues. Within this committee we promoted and recruited students for the Los Angeles Registrar’s Student Election Worker program, held a Pre-registration/registration Fair to vote, and invited District 64 candidate Fatima Zubair Iqbar on campus as a guest speaker. The goal was to prioritize the importance of civically engaging and getting involved in one's community regardless of our age. The Future Starts Now committee (TFSN) consisted of 18 members who focused on spreading environmental awareness. The team was split into four subcommittees: Environmental Justice committee, Waste Management committee, Fast Fashion committee, and Did-You-Know committee. The goal was to make a difference by informing our peers about climate justice by using digital media content and hosting on campus events that promoted a sustainable lifestyle. The Future Starts Now events consisted of: Tik Tok awareness, Clothes Swap, Sustainable Pot Painting, and Environmental DYK. |
2021-2022 Change Agents Events Event: Future Starts Now Date: October 4-October 26, 2021 Location: IG: @change.agents; Compton Early College Participants: +/- 58 likes; +/- 20 participants Event: Pink Fridays Date: Fridays in October 2021 Location: Compton Early College Participants: +/- 50 CEC students Event: Pizza, PIQ, and YOU Date: November 17, 2021 Location: Compton Early College Participants: 20 CEC Seniors Event: Holiday Hygiene Kit Drive Date: December 9-December 16, 2021 Location: Change Agents HQ Participants: 30 kits donated Event: Finals Week Affirmations Date: December 6-December 9 Location: Compton Early College Classrooms Participants: 453 CEC students Event: Black History Month Spotlight Figures Date: February 1, 2022-February 28, 2022 Location: IG: @change.agents Story Participants: +/-100 views Event: Valentine’s Day Affirmations Date: February 14, 2022 Location: Compton Early College Participants: 200 Event: Women’s History Month Spotlight Figures Date: March 1, 2022-March 31, 2022 Location: IG: @change.agents; CEC Morning Announcements Participants: +/-100 views; 453 students Event: Fatima Iqbal-Zubair Community Talk Date: March 1, 2022 Location: Change Agents HQ Participants: 25 Change Agents Event: International Women’s Day Date: March 8, 2022 Location: Compton Early College Participants: 50 CEC students Event: Clothes Swap Date: March 25, 2022 Location: Compton Early College Participants: 150 articles of clothing re-homed Event: Just Dance Party Date: April 1, 2022 Location: Compton Early College Participants: 15 CEC students Event: Painting Party Date: April 8, 2022 Location: Compton Early College Participants: 33 CEC students Event: Pre-registration/Registration Drive Date:April 11-April 13, 2022 Location: Compton Early College Participants: 40 Event: Cook With Us Date: April 13, 2022 Location: Compton Early College Participants: 43 CEC students Event: Yoga in the Quad Date: April 29, 2022 Location: Compton Early College Participants: 14 CEC students |
Civic Engagement
The Change Agents have always been motivated by a sense of agency and civic engagement, therefore, while we did not focus on Civic Engagement this year, we continued a few legacy projects: Student Worker Election Program and Pre/Registration Drive. We alse extended our platform by reaching out to a local SHEro and political candidate, Fatima Iqbal-Zubair.
On March 1st, 2022, we hosted Fatima Iqbal-Zubair on campus. We were eager to hear from a candidate for our local, State Assembly 65 with a platform promising to prioritize people over profits. She shared her perspective on local issues and imparted great advice. From her visit we gained invaluable insight on what it’s like to be a woman in politics and what goes into a campaign.
We continued our partnership with the Los Angeles County Registrar’s Student Election Worker Program. Joseph Canal, the Student Election Worker Program Coordinator, reached out to us personally in an effort to increase our recruitment in Compton! The Student Election Worker Program allows students to engage in our community, gain civic experience, and receive a stipend. This is an excellent opportunity for students who are still too young to vote to become civically engaged! This year, we were able to recruit 40 peers and have 30 accepted.
Lastly, we continued our legacy project-voter registration! In order to drive a new generation of voters, the Change Agents felt the urge to give the student body of Compton Early College a nudge in the right direction. We hosted a Pre-registration drive that permitted students who had not yet turned 18 to become as prepared and involved as possible. Tons of students are looking forward to contributing to our community and demonstrated this passion through pre-registration. We had a total of 40 Phoenixes register to vote over the course of 3 school days.
Outcomes
The Change Agents’ decided to continue to focus on Health and Wellness this year. Through collaborative and informative activities, we hoped to destigmatize mental health in our community, provide safe spaces and outlets, and share tips on how to lead a healthy lifestyle.
The Planet’s Future Starts Now: Throughout the month of October, the Change Agents hosted events to advocate for sustainability and eco-friendly living. Each week, they focused on one topic, which included a “Did You Know” series, fast fashion, waste management, and environmental justice. Events, such as the Say NO to Fast Fashion Clothing Swap, taught students about the dangers of unsustainable living while allowing them to participate in sustainable habits. The success of the event and encouragement of our peers led to us hosting a second much larger event in the Spring.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month: The Change Agents hosted a school-wide event for the entirety of the month where students were encouraged to wear pink on Fridays. These Pink Fridays aimed to raise awareness on breast cancer in an inclusive way.
Black History Month: To celebrate Black History Month, the Change Agents hosted a daily dedication to one significant Black woman every day during school announcements as well as on the official Change Agents Instagram page. Throughout the month, the Change Agents were able to highlight an incredible Black woman that is making HERstory and inspiring present and future generations.
Women’s Month: To celebrate Women’s Month, the Change Agents highlighted the inspiring work of one woman every day on both school morning announcements and the official Change Agents Instagram page. Additionally, they hosted a school-wide celebration in honor of International Women’s Day where students were able to learn about the influence of women while participating in fun activities such as Women’s History Trivia, Name that Tune, and Title IX.
Wellness Month: The Change Agents dedicated the month of April as Wellness Month. Each week, the girls hosted an interactive, but also informative, event which included Painting, Dancing, Cooking and Yoga. Each event was hosted with the aim to provide a stress-relieving experience for participating students and informing them about the benefits of healthy living.
Short Term: Our immediate goal was to help students feel heard and seen. We were able to introduce our peers to strategies that encouraged a sustainable lifestyle, movement and art, self-care, a healthy diet, and an overall positive outlook. We were able to reach every CEC student through morning announcements, engage our social media following of 564, and host on average 35 peers per event. We can say with pride that we feel that we accomplished our goal of assisting our peers on their mental and emotional health journeys.
Long Term: Though this will be difficult to gage, we want to begin having the difficult conversations aimed at de-stigmatizing mental health in our community. We want to expand our reach to include teachers, staff members, parents and guardians and teach them about the power of language and the importance of health and wellness.
Healthy Mindset allowed us to reintroduce ourselves to the CEC campus. Based on feedback throughout the year, we feel that our presence was felt and received positively. While we always wish we could have accomplished more, the numbers speak for themselves.
The Change Agents have always been motivated by a sense of agency and civic engagement, therefore, while we did not focus on Civic Engagement this year, we continued a few legacy projects: Student Worker Election Program and Pre/Registration Drive. We alse extended our platform by reaching out to a local SHEro and political candidate, Fatima Iqbal-Zubair.
On March 1st, 2022, we hosted Fatima Iqbal-Zubair on campus. We were eager to hear from a candidate for our local, State Assembly 65 with a platform promising to prioritize people over profits. She shared her perspective on local issues and imparted great advice. From her visit we gained invaluable insight on what it’s like to be a woman in politics and what goes into a campaign.
We continued our partnership with the Los Angeles County Registrar’s Student Election Worker Program. Joseph Canal, the Student Election Worker Program Coordinator, reached out to us personally in an effort to increase our recruitment in Compton! The Student Election Worker Program allows students to engage in our community, gain civic experience, and receive a stipend. This is an excellent opportunity for students who are still too young to vote to become civically engaged! This year, we were able to recruit 40 peers and have 30 accepted.
Lastly, we continued our legacy project-voter registration! In order to drive a new generation of voters, the Change Agents felt the urge to give the student body of Compton Early College a nudge in the right direction. We hosted a Pre-registration drive that permitted students who had not yet turned 18 to become as prepared and involved as possible. Tons of students are looking forward to contributing to our community and demonstrated this passion through pre-registration. We had a total of 40 Phoenixes register to vote over the course of 3 school days.
Outcomes
The Change Agents’ decided to continue to focus on Health and Wellness this year. Through collaborative and informative activities, we hoped to destigmatize mental health in our community, provide safe spaces and outlets, and share tips on how to lead a healthy lifestyle.
The Planet’s Future Starts Now: Throughout the month of October, the Change Agents hosted events to advocate for sustainability and eco-friendly living. Each week, they focused on one topic, which included a “Did You Know” series, fast fashion, waste management, and environmental justice. Events, such as the Say NO to Fast Fashion Clothing Swap, taught students about the dangers of unsustainable living while allowing them to participate in sustainable habits. The success of the event and encouragement of our peers led to us hosting a second much larger event in the Spring.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month: The Change Agents hosted a school-wide event for the entirety of the month where students were encouraged to wear pink on Fridays. These Pink Fridays aimed to raise awareness on breast cancer in an inclusive way.
Black History Month: To celebrate Black History Month, the Change Agents hosted a daily dedication to one significant Black woman every day during school announcements as well as on the official Change Agents Instagram page. Throughout the month, the Change Agents were able to highlight an incredible Black woman that is making HERstory and inspiring present and future generations.
Women’s Month: To celebrate Women’s Month, the Change Agents highlighted the inspiring work of one woman every day on both school morning announcements and the official Change Agents Instagram page. Additionally, they hosted a school-wide celebration in honor of International Women’s Day where students were able to learn about the influence of women while participating in fun activities such as Women’s History Trivia, Name that Tune, and Title IX.
Wellness Month: The Change Agents dedicated the month of April as Wellness Month. Each week, the girls hosted an interactive, but also informative, event which included Painting, Dancing, Cooking and Yoga. Each event was hosted with the aim to provide a stress-relieving experience for participating students and informing them about the benefits of healthy living.
Short Term: Our immediate goal was to help students feel heard and seen. We were able to introduce our peers to strategies that encouraged a sustainable lifestyle, movement and art, self-care, a healthy diet, and an overall positive outlook. We were able to reach every CEC student through morning announcements, engage our social media following of 564, and host on average 35 peers per event. We can say with pride that we feel that we accomplished our goal of assisting our peers on their mental and emotional health journeys.
Long Term: Though this will be difficult to gage, we want to begin having the difficult conversations aimed at de-stigmatizing mental health in our community. We want to expand our reach to include teachers, staff members, parents and guardians and teach them about the power of language and the importance of health and wellness.
Healthy Mindset allowed us to reintroduce ourselves to the CEC campus. Based on feedback throughout the year, we feel that our presence was felt and received positively. While we always wish we could have accomplished more, the numbers speak for themselves.
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Evidence: In order to better assess our impact and guide our future GB projects, we interviewed participants following every event. We received feedback that demonstrated we positively impacted our peers, were effective in promoting a healthy mindset, and overall success in encouraging our peers to take care of themselves! You may find the compilations videos to the left. <-- |
Reflection
The Healthy Mindset project taught us that everyone struggles to transition. YIn spite of our love, commitment, and genuine intention to assist our peers, the Change Agents learned a lot about themselves this year. Year 7 proved to be humbling. In terms of recruiting, while we gained 10 new Change Agents, there was a sense that we could have done more. Additionally, this year, we struggled with planning, collaboration and communication. While we had great visions and delegated tasks, we learned to set more realistic goals and timelines. However, the most important lesson we learned was sisterhood. We learned how to communicate, we learned to take initiative, we learned to hold ourselves accountable, we learned how to apologize, and we learned that we truly love what we do.
Healthy Mindset taught us the importance of retaining healthy relationships with our environment and its effects both physically and mentally. One of our more prominent events during The Planet’s Future Starts Now was our clothing swap. Although originally the event was meant to promote sustainability, as a result of positive feedback, we decided to implement it into our Health and Wellness month. While we did not assess the impact of our Future Starts Now campaign, we would like to continue focusing on the environment and sustainable living for years to come.
Throughout our project, specifically Wellness Month, while we hosted weekly events, we established a sense of solidarity amongst the girls. It impacted the way we came to perceive mental health, and how we can encourage our school community to be better as a whole. By the time we hosted our final event-Yoga in the Park, we had learned how to effectively plan, organize, and host events completely on our own. We felt a sense of accomplishment as our advisor and school administration trusted us to host events on our own.
In regards to our impact on our peers we are proud of ourselves for following through, however, we have a sense of longing that stems from our desire to affect positive change. For example, there is one event that we did not host-the Wellness Fair. While it is difficult not to be disappointed, it wasn’t without effort. We reached out to organizations, planned, and ultimately began coordinating details. Unfortunately, due to our rigorous school schedule we were unable to host our Wellness Fair. We remain committed to bringing resources to our school community and will continue to plan and eventually host our fair.
This year the Change Agents grew, learned, apologized, laughed, and thrived. Healthy Mindset re-established our presence on the Compton Early College campus. We look forward to continuing to grow and positively impacting our peers. We know more could have been done, but we are proud what what we did.
The Healthy Mindset project taught us that everyone struggles to transition. YIn spite of our love, commitment, and genuine intention to assist our peers, the Change Agents learned a lot about themselves this year. Year 7 proved to be humbling. In terms of recruiting, while we gained 10 new Change Agents, there was a sense that we could have done more. Additionally, this year, we struggled with planning, collaboration and communication. While we had great visions and delegated tasks, we learned to set more realistic goals and timelines. However, the most important lesson we learned was sisterhood. We learned how to communicate, we learned to take initiative, we learned to hold ourselves accountable, we learned how to apologize, and we learned that we truly love what we do.
Healthy Mindset taught us the importance of retaining healthy relationships with our environment and its effects both physically and mentally. One of our more prominent events during The Planet’s Future Starts Now was our clothing swap. Although originally the event was meant to promote sustainability, as a result of positive feedback, we decided to implement it into our Health and Wellness month. While we did not assess the impact of our Future Starts Now campaign, we would like to continue focusing on the environment and sustainable living for years to come.
Throughout our project, specifically Wellness Month, while we hosted weekly events, we established a sense of solidarity amongst the girls. It impacted the way we came to perceive mental health, and how we can encourage our school community to be better as a whole. By the time we hosted our final event-Yoga in the Park, we had learned how to effectively plan, organize, and host events completely on our own. We felt a sense of accomplishment as our advisor and school administration trusted us to host events on our own.
In regards to our impact on our peers we are proud of ourselves for following through, however, we have a sense of longing that stems from our desire to affect positive change. For example, there is one event that we did not host-the Wellness Fair. While it is difficult not to be disappointed, it wasn’t without effort. We reached out to organizations, planned, and ultimately began coordinating details. Unfortunately, due to our rigorous school schedule we were unable to host our Wellness Fair. We remain committed to bringing resources to our school community and will continue to plan and eventually host our fair.
This year the Change Agents grew, learned, apologized, laughed, and thrived. Healthy Mindset re-established our presence on the Compton Early College campus. We look forward to continuing to grow and positively impacting our peers. We know more could have been done, but we are proud what what we did.
Project Planners and Final Budget:
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wellness_fair_event_planner.pdf | |
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wellness_month_teen_talk_event_planner.pdf | |
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_civic_engagement_event_planner.pdf | |
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