South Boston Community Health Center’s Youth Ambassadors are determined to get their friends protected from the Covid-19 virus. The teens, all fully vaccinated, spearheaded a video/social media project to encourage other teens to get vaccinated after discovering that many of their peers and classmates were still not vaccinated against the virus.
Michael Indresano, of Indresano Productions donated his studio time and talent to help the teens bring their vision to reality. The campaign went live on SBCHC’s YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/HFxfRBrRIlE
“We couldn’t be more proud of these young people” said Bill Halpin, CEO of South Boston Community Health Center. “The Youth Ambassadors have always been an important voice among their peers on critical health issues like substance abuse and anti-vaping efforts. We were really encouraged when they wanted to reach out to other teens about the vaccine.”
The Youth Ambassadors brainstormed with Linda Doran, Youth Program Coordinator, to streamline their concept. Then they enlisted the participation of other vaccinated teens from the Edgerley Family South Boston Boys and Girls Club, the South Boston Neighborhood House, and students from the Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers where several of the Youth Ambassadors attend.
Michael Indresano invited the teens to his South Boston studio where the production team brought their ideas to life during two days of shooting. It was an empowering experience for the teens. “They felt heard and respected,” Linda said, “everyone on the team was welcoming and really valued what our kids had to say.”
For the past 21 months, South Boston Community Health Center (SBCHC) has been a force in Boston’s Covid-19 response. Because of early preparation and foresight, they were among the first centers in the state of Massachusetts to be awarded a direct federal Covid-19 supply and were the very first (and for some time the only) site offering the Covid-19 vaccine to the public in all of Suffolk County.
The SBCHC has distributed over 30,000 vaccines and has tested over 17,000 people for the virus. Their positive impact on this public health crisis has been significant.
