WELLNESS VILLAGES: Youth Involvement Key to Success
The unique aspect of the 10 Wellness Villages throughout the state is that the California Wellness Foundation-sponsored, $1 million health campaign aimed at young people was "required to involve young people from the beginning," a San Jose Mercury News editorial asserts. "The Wellness Foundation chose to view young Californians as the ones who deserve a chance to solve problems, rather than viewing them as contributors to drug abuse, early pregnancy and violence," the editorial notes, adding, "Rather than just be targets of the programs, they will create the programs." The youth group involved in the program's inception, Y.E.S. -- Youth Empowered for Success -- views it as a "bridge between cultures and between generations." The editorial concludes, "The number of youngsters involved in planning the Wellness Village promises good things will come from the private California Wellness Foundation and the non-governmental organizations it has generously funded for this creative approach to public health" (8/20).
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