Category Archives: Health

Health, Videos

Real-Life Superhero – 1st Place Winner in Directing Change

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Sixteen-year-old Jed Hawkins is your average junior at Del Norte High School. He plays tennis, enjoys being with friends, loves music, and is a creative storyteller. Jed has dreams of becoming a famous actor, helping people struggling with mental disorders, and changing the world. However, Jed’s daily life is also made more complicated by Asperger’s Syndrome. Asperger’s is a developmental disorder that makes socializing and focusing in school difficult for him. He often finds himself feeling depressed, isolated, and misunderstood. Despite these challenges, Jed continues to reach out, trying to make a difference in the lives of others. So, when he heard about the Directing Change Statewide Film Contest, he was immediately up for the challenge.

The Directing Change Program and Film Contest is part of Each Mind Matters: California’s Mental Health Movement. The program offers youth opportunity to participate in the movement by creating 60-second films about suicide prevention and mental health that are used to support awareness, education and advocacy efforts on these topics. Program participants – whether they are making a film, acting as an adult adviser, or judging the films – are exposed to appropriate messaging about these topics, warning signs, how to appropriately respond to someone in distress, where to seek help, as well as how to stand up for others who are experiencing a mental health challenge.

Redwood Voice, a local youth media program funded through the Building Healthy Communities Initiative, provided equipment, training, and support for youth interested in submitting to the contest. Jed worked with Makenzy Williams and Jacob Patterson, leaders of Redwood Voice, as well as community partners including Meng Lo with Harrington House and Michelle Carrillo with Building Healthy Communities. The message Jed wants to share was clear: he doesn’t want anyone to feel alone, and wants the world to know that we need to support, love, and care for each other regardless of any mental health challenge that may be complicating our lives. Fifty percent of us will experience a mental health challenge in our lifetime, according to CDC: U.S. Adult Mental Illness Surveillance Report, and Jed wants to end the negative stigma existing around these mental health challenges that affect such a significant portion of our population.
Jed created a 60-second film called “Real-Life Superhero.” On April 14th, it was announced that “Real-Life Superhero” won 1st place in the state in the Youth and Young Adult, Mental Health Matters category. This was the first winning submission from Del Norte County since the beginning of the contest in 2014, and Redwood Voice took first place over submissions from UC Davis, Mount San Jacinto College, California Baptist University, Pasadena City College, and University of California Riverside. Jed, Makenzy, and Jacob will attend a red carpet award ceremony in Glendale, Calif. on May 20th. They also attended a local showing in Eureka, Calif. on May 7, and presented at the local Economic Summit in Crescent City on April 29. Jed won $500 and Redwood Voice received $1000 to support suicide prevention and mental health awareness projects.

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Health, LGBTQ

Get PINK with Gender Talk’s Women’s Health Celebration

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Do you know where you can access women’s health resources? Do you know where to direct a friend in need? Are you interested in learning more about local resources and women’s health issues? Gender Talk has a solution, and it comes in the form of a celebration. Gender Talk’s Pink Party is a fun, free event open to all ages and genders organized with the purpose of broadening interest in women’s health and youth development through performances, art, music, and presentations from your local health agencies.

Gender Talk is a community group housed at Coastal Connections that advocates for promoting gender and LGBTQ+ equality in addition to providing a safe space for discussion and creative outlets for local youth. Jacob Patterson, facilitator of Gender Talk states “Our goal is that with the Pink Party, we will bridge gaps between local services and maximize this opportunity not only to educate the community, but to allow agencies to network and learn about each other. We want to make it a fun event that makes health more approachable and that also makes talking about health issues less scary for people.”

The event will include live performances by Spare Change, a youth group with Planned Parenthood NorCal, in the form of educational skits on healthy relationships, gender equality, domestic violence, and bullying. Other presenters, booths, and guests include Building Healthy Communities, CASA, Del Norte Child Care Council, Del Norte High School’s new GSA, Expanding Youth Horizons, Harrington House, the Inter-Tribal Council of California, North Coast Rape Crisis Team, Open Door Community Health Center, Planned Parenthood, Redwood Voice, Tolowa Dee-Ni’ Nation, True North Organizing Network, Universal Heart Shamanic Drummers, Wild Rivers Community Foundation, Yurok Tribe, and more.

“Agencies don’t always have a venue to mingle and learn what each other is doing” Patterson says, “We want to break down health silos and perpetuate community discussion around health issues.” If you are an agency looking to educate the public about what you do, you are welcome to bring along any promotional materials (pamphlets, flyers, business cards, etc) to make available to attendees during the event at a local resources booth.

“Women’s health issues have impact on the community as a whole,” says Patterson, “At the Pink Party, you will have the opportunity to educate yourself, meet with groups whose services you may not have been aware of, and learn how to be an advocate by familiarizing yourself with services available. If someone in your life is in need, you will have names and face that you can refer them to.”

The Pink Party will take place Friday, February 19th from 5:00pm-8:00pm at the Veteran’s Hall 810 H St, Crescent City. There will be door prizes, catering by Bar-O Boys Ranch, music, and art. All are encouraged to attend! For any questions, visit Gender Talk on Facebook at facebook.com/GenderTalkCC

Community News, Education, Health, Opinion

True North Seeks End to Racial Profiling with Passing of AB953

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The statewide push for accountability with law enforcement in their relations with communities of color has come to Del Norte County and Tribal Lands. Local organizing network, True North, have been collecting prayer cards signed by citizens urging Governor Brown to pass Assembly Bill 953, the Racial and Identity Profiling Act, a data collecting bill making it mandatory for law enforcement to track and report the race of persons they make contact with.

Redwood Voice reporters followed some of the leaders and organizers of True North as they made their trek through our region on their way to the State Capitol.