Teen RHA Program

In 2009 and 2010, the PHH-PRC has offered a summer training program for a small group of teen resident health advocates, training four each year.  A natural extension of the longstanding RHA program, the Teen RHA Program is based on the assumption that teens will become peer leaders and mentors, carrying health promotion into their homes and peer groups.

Training begins with a five-day seminar series within the PHH-PRC covering sexual health, nutrition, violence prevention, health disparities and cultural competence, and health leadership.  Then, through a collaboration between the PHH-PRC and the nonprofit Center for Community Health Education Research and Service (CCHERS), the teens take part in a six-week program called Community Voices, offered by CCHERS.  The Community Voices program teaches the teen RHAs about racial and ethnic health disparities and encourages them to pursue careers in health fields.

As part of the program, each teen is given a camera and asked to record his or her experiences.  At the end of the program, PHH-PRC staff work with the teens to produce a calendar for the coming year that incorporates their photos and includes messages about health and about racial/ethnic disparities in health.

Are you a teenager who lives in a BHA family housing development and is interested in taking part in the Teen Resident Health Advocate training program? Contact Nechama Wildanah at nechama@bu.edu or 617-638-5036.