¡Que Madre! (2020-2021)
¡Que Madre! Media partners with young people, ages 15-25, to examine systemic community health challenges and to amplify youth voice in the Eastern Coachella Valley.
In the Eastern Coachella Valley, young people of color, specifically young women of color, experience the highest rates of mental health challenges including, but not exclusively, depression, anxiety and relationship issues. They often feel like their concerns are unheard or silenced. According to the Center for Disease Control, young Latinas are more likely to attempt suicide than Black and White non-Latinas. The CDC also reported that 13.5 percent of Latinas in high school reported having attempted suicide. Locally, Riverside County epidemiology reported that youth suicide attempt rates were highest in the Eastern Coachella Valley. In Riverside County, for every 1000,000 young people, ages 10-24, about 108 of them attempted suicide in 2010. But in the ECV, that number was higher at 414 young people per 100,000 people.
¡Que Madre! Media youth are focused on destigmatizing these mental health challenges and mental health care through creative, multimedia storytelling. In this program, young people are supported to create bilingual (English and Spanish) storytelling projects like personal narratives, photo galleries and social media campaigns. All storytelling projects are published online and in a quarterly publication. ¡Que Madre! Media also partners with mental health service providers to connect young people with culturally competent mental health resources and to host community health events like mental health fairs and mental health panels.
There is an urgent need to raise awareness and de-stigmatize mental health challenges facing young women in ECV. ¡Que Madre! Media provides a safe space for young women to connect with their peers and adult allies in order to end isolation and the stigma around mental health in our rural, unincorporated region.
