Leadership Learning Network (LLN)

Eddy Jara and the Clear the Air team were part of CALAPH’s sixth cohort during the 2020-2021 program year. The Clean the Air team focused on developing a ” … digital vaping peer-to-peer youth-led toolkit that [focused] on community power-building and address the issue of vaping as a vehicle to engage youth participation in addressing systemic barriers that contribute to disparities in health equity.” During the team’s program year, Eddy and his team engaged existing partners in new ways, developed an art-based tobacco use prevention collaborative, and honed their skills in the utilization of a health equity lens. 

From Eddy’s perspective, an experience from the CALAPH program that was particularly impactful was when the team convened with other community partners who were also striving to reduce youth tobacco usage. The Clear the Air team challenged their partners to hypothetically remove all constraints, such as funding and staffing, to visualize the group’s goals. The team also greatly benefitted from their CALAPH coaching experience. Their coach supported the team by providing advice and updates while stimulating excitement around the team’s projects. By participating in the CALAPH program, Eddy and his team members utilized the structure provided through program tools and learnings to engage and build upon the team’s partnerships. 

The Clear the Air team brough together concepts, ideas, and their shared passion to utilize art as a tool to achieve health equity in their community. Eddy and his team developed a learning collaborative centered on the reduction of tobacco usage in youth by using art to create pamphlets and educational materials to combat tobacco companies’ influence on youth. Through this innovative and artistic approach, Eddy felt like they were exploring a new frontier. The team found that by working with a health equity lens, they were better able to develop strategies to combat challenges faced by those experiencing health inequities; in particular, youth targeted by tobacco industries.  

With the concepts and learnings from the CALAPH program, Eddy Jara and the Clear the Air team were able to revitalize their work by incorporating new approaches grounded in health equity.  The team’s efforts during the program year culminated in an innovative, arts-based educational campaign, the development of a learning collaborative, and stronger alignment with community partners in their shared efforts to reduce adolescent tobacco use