Youth in Radio for Health Campaign

El Paso, TX, 2002

Montana Vista, Fabens, Socorro and San Elizario. All four are rural, low-income, medically underserved communities in West Texas. They exist despite grinding poverty, substandard housing, insufficient water supply and/or wastewater systems and limited or nonexistent health care services. The critical shortage of primary care practitioners plus the lack of health insurance and health education programs contribute to disproportionately high rates of preventable disease and chronic illness as compared with the county, state and nation.

To address these issues, KTEP-FM and the Institute for Community Border Health Education formed a campus-community partnership to provide practical opportunities for youth to use radio programming as a community service for health education. Both organizations believe that mentoring activities are needed to bring youth and their families fully into a fledgling health system, as competent leaders who design, implement and evaluate disease prevention and intervention programs that shape lives and build a healthier future.

The partners created “Youth Health Leader Radio Clubs” in each of the four communities to provide for the mentoring, training and support of high school age youth in the development of radio programming and health education skills. Students in the project learned the basics of reporting, utilizing information technology, basic journalistic writing and editing, producing and editing sound recordings using computer work stations, and voicing stories and public service announcements.

The project included the production of Health Without Borders, a series of weekly half-hour call-in programs, that included features and public service announcements focused on preventive education promoting healthy lifestyles, and provided access to Community Partnership Health Centers and Health and Journalism Career Awareness and Community Service opportunities. The project encouraged residents in these communities to talk with health professionals, visit their neighborhood health center and consider seeking a healthier lifestyle.

Awards:

KTEP Round Three

Outstanding Senior in Electronic Media for 2004 graduating class to Raquel Pinela for her work on the Sound Partners project
— selected by Communication Department faculty

$15,000 to support community students and promotora work at the Institute for Border Community Health Education
— Paso del Norte Health Foundation

$10,000 to support community clinics
— Anonymous Donor