Family and Youth Engagement (includes fatherhood involvement, family-centered care)
Skills Building Session
Jennie Blakney, MA.Ed
State Adolescent Health Coordinator
Child and Adolescent Health Program, New Jersey Department of Health
Trenton, New Jersey
Jennifer (Jenny) Baker, BA
Public Health Specialist II
State of Alaska; Division of Public Health; Section of Women's, Children's and Family Health
Anchorage, Alaska
Iliana White, MPH, CHES, CPH
Senior Program Manager
Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs
Washington, District of Columbia
Isabella Gonzalez
Youth Engagement Specialist
Child and Adolescent Health Program, New Jersey Department of Health
Trenton, New Jersey
Evangeline Dooc
Youth Representative Mentor
YAHA- WCFH Alaska DPH
A critical component of Title V programming is its ability to engage families, consumers, and stakeholders to inform its work and execute mission. While state MCH programs have made great strides to increase the voice of families in their initiatives, the perspective of youth and young people can easily be truncated because of limited capacity and understanding of effective methods for engagement. In reality, there are multiple opportunities to invite youth to be at the table in program development, policy change, and decision making. There simply isn’t a one-size fits all approach, nor does effective collaboration between young people and MCH program require extensive infrastructure or formality to generate success. This session, co-led by youth advisors, is intended to inform and equip MCH leaders, staff, and essential partners on techniques to advance Title V priorities through a range of both informal and formal partnerships.