The recent important NRC/IOM report, "Protecting Youth at Work," acknowledges the lack of information and research about the work experiences of immigrant and minority youth. This paper describes the experiences of minority youth in Los Angeles and their parents and evaluates the role of school-based curricula and peer education in reaching students and the broader community with information about job hazards and workers' rights. The evaluation was implemented using quantitative and qualitative methods to answer the following questions: 1) How effective is a two week 9th grade curriculum unit at raising students' awareness of occupational safety and health? 2) What is the impact of a semester long curriculum on educating 11th-12th grade students about workers' rights and developing peer education and leadership skills? and 3) What is the role of students in reaching their peers and parents with information about occupational safety and health and workers' rights? The paper presents the results of pre-post tests, student and parent focus groups and teacher and parent interviews. These results will be discussed in the context of reaching the largely underserved population of immigrant workers and their families with information about occupational safety and health and workers' rights.
Learning Objectives: Objectives: At the end of this session, participants will be able to: 1)List two benefits and limitations to the use of school-based curriculum to educate young workers about occupational health and safety, 2) Describe the role of Latino youth in reaching immigrant families with information about workers' rights and 3) Evaluate the effectiveness of peer educators in reaching other students
Keywords: Occupational Health, Adolescent Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.