Jóvenes Sanos

JS will begin planning for our 3rd annual event focused on promoting mental wellness, healing, and HOPE.

JS will continue their partnership with Youth Action Network and the UC Santa Cruz and initiate a new Youth Research Project focused on elevating youth voices in Santa Cruz County.

In collaboration with Living Evolution, JS will host an outdoors workshop focused on connecting with nature and peers. It will be an opportunity to explore the outdoors, learn new skills and make meaningful connections.

JS plans to host another college readiness workshop in the fall with Cabrillo College, and will continue the partnership over the summer.

This fall we will host impactful mental wellness workshops, including "Ending the Silence" and a special session led by Soluna. These workshops will foster open conversations and provide valuable tools for mental health and well-being.

During Summer Leadership, participants gained valuable insights into mental health, including the distinction between mental health and mental disorders, and learned effective public speaking tips. They also developed skills in conflict resolution, understanding different perspectives, and navigating community involvement, which enriched their ability to communicate and engage with others constructively.

At the 2nd Annual Cultivating Hope event on May 4th, Jóvenes Sanos brought together 50 youth participants to foster connections & provide them with tools & resources for enhancing their health and mental well-being. Through engaging activities, participants delved into stress-busting self-care strategies. This collaborative effort, supported by partnering community organizations, & funded by the Santa Cruz Office of Education underscores the ongoing commitment to nurturing the well-being of our youth.

This collaboration brought together 40 youth from across the county, who committed to monthly Saturday meetings to drive the research forward. These meetings often included Undergraduate researchers, which not only fostered the Undergraduate’s educational development, but also provided youth community members with exposure to young adults in higher education. Their collective efforts in analyzing the provided data led to the creation and distribution of 200 comprehensive resource kits designed to support immigrant families. Each kit included essential information on community services and educational materials, providing much-needed support to immigrant farmworkers in our community.

The Youth Action Network and Jóvenes Sanos in collaboration with Teen Action Council, Empower Watsonville, and CAB: Luna y Sol–are taking proactive steps to enhance youth development in Watsonville by proposing a proclamation to establish the 41 developmental assets framework for all youth organizations in the city. Collaborating with Nick Merolla, youth have crafted a compelling presentation to be delivered at the Watsonville City Council Meeting on March 26th. With a shared vision of empowering local youth, this initiative aims to secure approval for the proclamation and foster ongoing collaboration, establishing holistic growth and resilience among Watsonville community’s youth and adult allies.

Paint nights at Studio Judy G offered by Expanded Learning provided  a creative and interactive way to explore self-expression and develop new skills. During these events, JS youth not only learned painting techniques and color theory but also gained confidence and a sense of accomplishment as they created their own artwork.

JS youth had the opportunity to participate in Expanded Learning's WHS Life Skills Program in the Fall, focusing on nutrition, fitness, and mental wellness.

The Jóvenes Sanos leadership group visited Barrios Unidos’ Walter Guzman Retreat Center, where they connected with nature, debated leadership qualities, and realized they share attributes of effective leaders.

Video- Jóvenes Sanos Visits Barrios Unidos!

On May 6, 2023, Jóvenes Sanos & National Alliance on Mental Illness of Santa Cruz County (NAMISCC) planned an exciting event for youth to unite and have youth-led conversations about mental wellness, healing, and hope. 47 participants worked with partnering community organizations by engaging in various activities promoting self-care, self-expression, reflection, and establishing self-love habits.

Video- Cultivating Hope 2023 Activities!

JS in collaboration with Living Evolution hosted two events that included activities aimed at increasing youth's positive cultural identity, connections to nature, and peers in order to promote healing.

Video- Healing Through Nature Pt. 1 & 2

Watsonville's historically low higher education rates among residents have led many youth to become first-generation college students, often discouraged by negative perceptions of community colleges. To address this, Jóvenes Sanos and Cabrillo College organized the Paving the Way event on June 21st, offering high school students a campus tour, college trivia, information on dual enrollment, and interactions with current students to improve their understanding and comfort with higher education.

Jóvenes Sanos participated in the creation of a multilingual survey training to build capacity for creating surveys and analyzing data. The training will be shared with local community organizations.

We Belong is a community-initiated student-engaged research project that addresses these questions by documenting the experiences of immigrant families, their contributions, and the obstacles they face. We aim to elevate immigrant voices, strengthen local community coalitions, and generate actionable knowledge to improve social services and inform policies to ensure ALL community members belong and thrive.

UCSC interns mentor 8-10 Jóvenes Sanos youth and community college students, introducing them to community-based research and pathways to college, while Jóvenes Sanos youth provide guidance on community, youth, and public health issues as well as help with project outreach and recruitment.

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Jóvenes Sanos  created and led culturally relevant and engaging after-school peer-to-peer programming to promote various self-care and mindfulness strategies and help reduce stress among youth.

In May 2022, Jóvenes Sanos partnered with the Watsonville Library to host a week of awareness for Mental Health awareness month. Youth will create and lead  activities throughout the week and collaborate with NAMI Santa Cruz County to host an Ending the Silence workshop for families. 

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