Collective Roots is seeking a citizen journalists to investigate racial/ethnic health disparities in East Palo Alto--home to one of the most densely populated immigrant communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. Citizen journalists will join a reporting network of university-level Minority Public Health Fellows and high school-level Youth Health Advocates. This campaign begins with a series of six bilingual (Spanish and English) feature stories.

Citizen journalists will with work with our Staff Photojournalist to create content for various multimedia-rich educational Web sites developed by Collective Roots.

Project Description

East Palo Alto faces both a digital and health information divide, where residents and community-based organizations lack access to baseline data on the health status of all residents - regardless of legal status. Furthermore, research shows that an under-representation of minority health care professionals is directly linked to continued disparities in health, such as poor nutrition, asthma, obesity, diabetes and heart disease - conditions that disproportionately affect these residents and reduce their life expectancy.

Research Methodology

This project takes a two-part approach to data collection:

Social Documentation
A reporting network of university-level Minority Public Health Fellows and high school-level Youth Health Advocates - selected for their own backgrounds as immigrants - will also support and document conditions under which East Palo Altans work to sustain themselves and interview residents about their strategies for improving their lives.

The Healthy Development Measurement Tool
Health data will be collected, analyzed and disseminated using the Healthy Development Measurement Tool (HDMT). This community-driven process involves partnering with existing immigrant advocacy groups and agencies to assess the overall health of a population experiencing the greatest disparities.

• Desired Qualifications * Amateaur photographer and/or videographer. * Experience twittering, blogging etc.; support social media strategies (e.g. Facebook fan page) to raise awareness around health disparities in low-income communities of color. * Familiarity with HTML, CSS, WordPress and/or Drupal Content Management Systems (CMS). * Applicants will be selected based upon their relevant backgrounds or interest to serve as social change agents, experience or understandings related to communities of color or underserved populations, or other experiences that have cultivated a deep understanding and commitment to the communities that experience racism, poverty, health disparities and injustice. Other desirable qualifications include: * Personal understanding or sensitivity to underserved communities and the social justice issues they face. * Ability to work with a variety of stakeholders, particularly youth and other members of the community whose voices are under-represented. * Bilingual and bi-literate in English and Spanish, Tongan, or Samoan is a plus.