Provided by Prince William County Schools
Forest Park High School Art Teacher Mike Pullum was named to the Kaiser Permanente’s Thriving Schools Honor Roll. This award program recognizes individuals who champion sustainable, healthy school environments. Pullum is the sponsor of Forest Park High’s Youth in Action (YIA) program.
The Youth in Action Program
YIA is a 32-week after-school program that teaches young people how to use photography as a social justice tool. The program supports them in articulating and addressing the health needs they witness every day in their community. During weekly meetings, Pullum encourages students to share stories using their own, unique voices. Students are exposed to the ways that storytelling, photography, and art can shape public policy, health, and well-being, by creating narratives to which others react. Students use their stories to advocate for greater safety and cohesion in their families and communities.
Forest Park senior Julianna Bolivar said, “This program really helped me reflect on what my life should look like. How can it be better? How can I improve my community? Youth in Action is focused on allowing young people to have a voice in their community. We’re also able to be grant-makers. We choose a local organization that will focus on the issues that we’re concerned about.”
Pullum said, “These students are often told that they are able to make a difference… They normally don’t have a seat at the table when it comes to making decisions in their community. So, to see them be able to say, ‘we are going to decide what to do with this money,’ is huge to them.”
Find a Challenge in the Community
As part of the YIA program, each year Kaiser Permanente tasks students with identifying a challenge in their community. The organization provides each group with a $10,000 grant to fund an organization that addresses that challenge. For the 2018-19 school year, Pullum’s YIA students chose The House INC. The House is a nationally recognized youth development program and organizer of out-of-school time programs for pre-teens and teens in the Greater Washington, D.C. area.
“Our group chose to focus on socioeconomic security and mental health in minority youth. The House INC. was chosen because it most effectively addressed these concerns,” said Pullum. “The students are excited to begin research on prospective nonprofits to work with for this year’s grant award. “
