Breakout Session 2

1:30 – 2:30 Breakout Session 2

  • Systems Change: People Organizing & Working for Equitable Results, Janssen Hang, Birdie Lyons, Bethlehem Yewhalawork, Ashwat Narayanan, Jodi Broadwell, and Nik Allen
    Systems change also means transforming social norms, mindsets, and the way we do
    the work and meet the needs of those most impacted by the issues we see in our
    communities. This panel will highlight 5 Health POWER (People Organizing and
    Working for Equitable Results) Initiatives, funded by the Center for Prevention at Blue
    Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. These community-driven initiatives focus on
    improving community health and addressing health inequities through policy, systems,
    and environmental changes in the areas of physical activity, healthy eating, and
    reducing commercial tobacco use. This session will highlight the value of cross-sector
    partnerships and provide concrete examples of organizations that are working to
    meet community needs during this challenging time. Each panelist will share about
    their initiative, along with challenges, adaptations, and successes they have had over
    the past couple of years. Their stories can help us envision what may be possible in
    our own communities, by integrating an approach that centers the voices of those
    most impacted.

  • Using Superpowers to Advance Health Equity, Jacquelyn Freund, Melissa Adolfson
    You can be a superhero for youth in your community. Minnesota Student Survey (MSS)
    findings show that protective factors like having adults to discuss problems with,
    feeling empowered, and feeling safe are associated with lower rates of youth
    substance use and mental health issues. But the findings also reveal that these
    protective factors are not always equitably distributed in Minnesota communities.
    New response options for self-identified race/ethnicity on the 2019 MSS allow us to
    see how prevalent protective factors are for each population, and which protective
    factors are most salient. Groups that experience the greatest disparities in health
    outcomes also have experienced the greatest inequities in social conditions that
    strongly predict health. Communities can use the MSS data, along with new
    Minnesota Compass Cultural Community Profiles, to learn more about the youth in
    their area and which community member superpowers can be unleashed to improve
    health equity.

  • Remembering Resilience: The Healing Power of Storytelling, Susan Beaulieu, Briana Matrious, and Linsey McMurrin
    In this session, we will share the story of our journey developing the podcast series,
    Remembering Resilience. The focus of the podcast is to highlight Native American
    resilience through and beyond trauma, as we explore concepts, science, history,
    culture, stories, and practices that we are working with as we seek to shape a future
    for our children and our grandchildren that is defined not by what we have suffered,
    but what we have overcome. This session highlights the power of storytelling and how
    it can be used to promote community engagement, a sense of feeling seen, heard,
    and understood, while we continue on our journey to both individual and collective
    healing.

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