In partnership with community organizations, ZFCPHP hosts a variety of health promotion programs and interventions for young people and their families. From sexual health to obesity prevention, center staff and student interns/volunteers provide informative and comprehensive education, develop tools and resources, and collaborate with the community to prioritize health equity. Programs are offered throughout the year at multiple Tucson and South Tucson locations. If you are interested in bringing a program to your organization, contact our coordinators below.
Fall & Spring:
GAME (Guys After-School Mentorship & Education)
Location: Estes Elementary School & Quail Run Elementary School (Marana, AZ)
Program Director: Lindsay Bingham, MPH (lbingham@arizona.edu)
Description: GAME! is a year-long (22 sessions) after-school psychosocial intervention for 5th and 6th grade boys. Inspired by its partner program (Growing Girls), boys learn about growing up male, including lessons about staying positive, stereotypes, media messages, peer pressure & bullying, puberty, teamwork, responsibility, and healthy boyhood. During each 2-hour session, boys participate in 30 minutes of structured, team-based physical activity and 30 minutes of unstructured free play. Undergraduate/graduate Group Leaders guide boys through important topics using interactive and experiential learning strategies and provide support and mentorship. To support community connectedness and program sustainability, we also recruit father volunteers or school staff to co-lead sessions. In addition to weekly sessions, GAME participants take an annual field trip – with Growing Girls – to the University of Arizona where boys start to envision their academic and professional futures. GAME is held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2-4 PM. Review our End-of-Year Report for '21-'22!
Growing Girls
Location: Estes Elementary School & Quail Run Elementary School (Marana, AZ)
Program Director: Lindsay Bingham, MPH (lbingham@arizona.edu)
Description: Growing Girls is a year-long (22 sessions) after-school psychosocial intervention for 5th and 6th grade girls. With the goal to improve self-esteem and enhance peer connectedness, Growing Girls teaches girls positive thinking skills, conflict-resolution, assertive communication, and how to ask for help. Undergraduate/graduate student Group Leaders guide girls through growing up, discussing topics such as bullying, self-care, adolescent development & puberty, gender roles, media messages, and healthy friendships. In addition to weekly sessions, Growing Girls participants take an annual field trip to the University of Arizona where girls begin setting academic goals and planning for the future. Growing Girls is held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2-4 PM. Review our End-of-Year Report for '21-'22!
Healthy Schools Tucson
Location: Saints Peter and Paul School (SPPS)
Program Coordinator: Sabrina Plattner, M.Ed. (plattner@arizona.edu)
Description: Concerned about the health of today's youth, Dr. Frank Marcus, Professor Emeritus of Medicine at the University of Arizona and an internationally recognized leader in cardiovascular research, has guided our efforts to bring PHS to Tucson. Renamed Healthy Schools Tucson (HST), the program has six main goals: 1) COVID-19 prevention and reducing stress, 2) Immunity and increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, 3) Monitor sugar intake, 4) Awareness of "portion distortion" and control, 5) Moving our body, every day, and 6) Increased sleep and hydration. Since Fall 2018, HST has been housed at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic School in Tucson, AZ.
Safe Space (Espacio Seguro)
Location: YWCA Southern Arizona
Program Coordinators: Lindsay Bingham, MPH (lbingham@arizona.edu) & Imelda Esquer (YWCA Southern Arizona)
Description: Created in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Safe Space is a 10-week mental and emotional wellness program for Latina mothers/caregivers and their teens held on Saturday afternoons. Parents and teens meet in separate groups, led by trained facilitators, to learn about wellness through the pandemic, coping with challenges (including feelings of fear, isolation, and grief), staying positive, self-care, boundaries, healthy family communication, and technology/media safety. The Safe Space program has created a supportive and encouraging community for families to endure the ups and downs of the COVID-19 pandemic. Program currently on pause.
Wildcat Marathoners
Location: Tucson-wide
Program Coordinator: Sabrina Plattner, M.Ed. (plattner@arizona.edu)
Description: The Wildcat Marathoners (WM) program engages local school children through a walking/running program to promote a healthy, active lifestyle. Participating schools will set up a walking/running club at their school with a goal of meeting at least once per week. With the help of the club's supervisor (school staff or parent volunteer), children will track laps using punch cards and receive "fitness finder charms" as incentives when they reach mielage milestones. Club participants will complete at least 12.1 miles - 1 mile short of a half-marathon - before the one-mile FitKidz race at the University of Arizona on February 9, 2020. Children participating in this event who have accumulated at least 12.1 miles at their school's WM program will receive a completion certificate and a University of Arizona superhero cape.
Summer:
Healthy 2B Me Camp
Locations: Dietz K-8 School, John Valenzuela Youth Center (JVYC), Pasqua Yaqui Wellness Center
Program Coordinator: Nicole Falbo (nbergier@arizona.edu)
Description: Healthy 2B Me (H2BM) is a wellness camp for underserved youth in the greater Tucson area. Since 2013, Healthy 2B Me Summer Camp has reached nearly 600 local elementary students, ages 7-10, in Southern Arizona. Our camp is designed to increase public health knowledge (diet, physical activity, and tobacco prevention) and promote positive lifestyle choices related to self-care, kindness and healthy relationships. The camp is held as week-long sessions, with each camp day focused on a specific health and wellness theme. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, we adapted our in-person camp into "Camp in a Box" for a unique learning experience for 26 local families.
Mujeres y Niñas (Mamas e Hijas)
Location: YWCA Southern Arizona
Program Coordinators: Lindsay Bingham, MPH (lbingham@arizona.edu) & Imelda Esquer (YWCA Southern Arizona)
Description: Established in 2016 in partnership with the YWCA Southern Arizona, “Mujeres y Niñas” (Mamas e Hijas) is a 13-week holistic, comprehensive, and culturally sensitive sexuality education intervention for Latina mothers/caregivers and their 9–13-year-old daughters. For the first 8 weeks, mothers and daughters learn separately, receiving age-appropriate education regarding lifespan sexuality, sensuality, intimacy (emotions & hormones), sexual identity, growth & development, disease and violence prevention, and relationships. Mothers and daughters join together to learn about assertive communication, conflict resolution, consent & boundaries, body image & self-esteem, and sexuality in the media. Since 2017, over 80 families have completed Mujeres y Niñas, with notable outcomes including increased utilization of preventative services, increased frequency of sex-related conversations, improved relationship quality, and improved communication skills. During Summer 2022, Mujeres y Niñas was piloted as a new 7-week summer "camp" for families at the YWCA House of Neighborly Service.