Teen health leadership project: Innovative partnerships to support underserved adolescents

Johns Island, the site of the THLP, is adjacent to mainland Charleston, SC and has remained poor and isolated for years with a large proportion of African American residents and a growing Latino population.

In collaboration with the Charleston County School District and multiple community organizations, THLP seeks to empower high school students to assist and serve their community. The project provides health literacy training as well as leadership development skills, enabling the students to design and implement outreach projects to improve the awareness and use of quality health information in their community. Through a series of experiential opportunities and mentorship, the THLP also seeks to encourage young people of diverse backgrounds to become health professionals.

Funded by the National Libraries of Medicine, the THLP has produced relevant results related to health literacy, youth engagement and pipeline development. First, the Internet is a critical component to the field of health literacy when working with adolescents. The ability to evaluate a website for credibility and navigate proper health websites are keys to success for teaching health literacy to adolescents. Second, teens understand the complexity of their community, are able to identify health concerns and engage in their community to promote health. Finally, partnering with the academic health center in Charleston, SC provides unique opportunities for health careers promotion for students in this rural community.

THLP is a model program for other Title I schools in South Carolina to promote a diverse health care workforce of educated leaders in the future.