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This is my first semester with AZYP. So far, I've really enjoyed it and learned a lot about health topics such as sexual health, pregnancy prevention, substance abuse, mental health, eating healthy, and youth education. Through this internship I have strengthened my skills in research, marketing, educating, and I have learned to use new platforms such as Canva and Microsoft Excel. In addition, I have improved a few of my personal characteristics, such as organization, punctuality, and communication. Communications Projects: At my internship, one of my responsibilities is to create a calendar each month that includes the public health recognition days for that month. The calendar's purpose is for everyone on the team to learn about them and implement these recognition days in the community. The calendar is also used to create educational social media posts for the followers of AZYP. On the calendar, I include the recognition day, its date, research and the significance of recognizing the day, and finally, how this public health day relates to one of the AZYP programs. Another task I've been given is to design and create posts for AZYP's social media platforms, which include Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. These posts contain educational information about community public health and youth wellness recognition days. Followers are instructed on how to participate in the recognition day and why it is so important. The public health topics are also linked to one of the programs provided by AZYP, and a link is provided so that they can easily access the website if they want to learn more or get help. Reasearch Projects: One project I worked on this semester was a research report on STDs in Maricopa County, which I then compared to the state of Arizona as a whole. I began by categorizing my research by disease, which included chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV. The data was then sorted by year, from 2015 to 2020. The CDC has not yet released data for 2021 and 2022. This information is useful to the agency because it allows them to learn more about the most common STDs in Arizona and improve sexual education in their lesson plans. Another assignment I completed this semester was on pregnancy rates in Maricopa County and the state of Arizona as a whole. I organized this information by year, from 2015 to 2019. (Data from 2020, 2021, and 2022 has not been released yet by the Arizona Department of Health Sciences). Second, by age range, which included 10–14-year-olds, 15–17-year-olds, 18–19-year-olds, and a total of all females aged 19 and under. This information is important to the agency because it will help them improve their "Starting Out Right Division," which provides pregnancy and parenting support to youth and adults throughout Arizona. This semester, I worked on a third research project about the effects of COVID-19 on youth. I talked about how the pandemic has affected kids in both positive and negative ways. Moving to an online schooling format to help youth improve their technology skills and understanding is one of the benefits. This is advantageous because the world is moving toward more technology, so gaining this experience early on can help prepare them for their future. Another advantage of moving classes online is that children can stay in school and continue their studies rather than having school cancelled entirely, which would put students far behind. Unfortunately, it appears that there are more negatives than positives. Online classes significantly reduce social interaction, and students do not have the opportunity to interact with their peers on a daily basis. Also, in online classes, participation and attendance are more difficult to track because many students turn off their camera and microphone. This can lead to a lack of information retention, causing students to cheat, look up answers on the internet, or ask their peers for help. With all of the tests available online, this makes it a lot easier. Due to the closure of schools, sports teams, and public hangout areas to prevent the spread of the covid virus, youth do not have adequate places to socialize with their peers. Learning communication skills is an important part of maturing and becoming successful. With less social interaction, youth develop weaker social skills, which can harm them in many areas of their lives, including school, work, relationships, and mental health. There are many online platforms for socializing, but they do not provide the same skills that face-to-face contact does, rather learning to hide behind a screen. Online platforms and social media can cause a slew of issues, including low self-esteem and confidence. Trainings: Finally, I went to a suicide prevention training where I learned the QPR method: question, persuade, and refer. The QPR Institute, whose mission is to reduce suicidal behavior and save lives by providing innovative, practical, and proven suicide prevention training, taught this (QPR Institute). They believe that a good education allows everyone, regardless of background, to make a difference in the life of someone they know. This training was especially informative and beneficial to me. We were taught the three-step suicide prevention strategy and then given time to practice various scenarios with the instructors and other class participants. Prior to this training session, I had little knowledge of how to properly assist someone who I suspected was struggling or contemplating suicide. This class helped me understand how common suicide is around the world and why it is critical to learn and practice prevention methods as a student about to enter the public health field.

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Nick has been a youth educator since November of 2018. Born in New Mexico, his family relocated to Tucson when he was a baby, so he calls Tucson home. Graduating from the University of Arizona in 2018, he first attended West Hills Community College as a baseball player for two years, and eventually came back to Tucson to attend Pima Community College and the U of A to receive his Bachelors of Science degree in Public Health. Nick mainly teaches the Wyman Teen Outreach Clubs and Summer Leadership Institute. What do you like about being an Educator at AZYP: I want to be a mentor and leader to kids and help them achieve their goals Are things different for youth today than when you grew up?: I grew up in the Amphi School District and played a lot of sports. If there were programs like this, they met after school, so I couldn’t have gone if there were. I like that we teach our classes during school so we can interact with all kinds of kids. What has been a memorable moment for you in the last year while teaching: I was invited by the kids at Ha:san to attend their annual camping trip. It was great to hang out with the kids and teachers in a different setting. Another AZYP facilitator and I led the kids on the following day on an obstacle course and an outdoor, blindfolded version of the crane game and it was a lot of fun. The kids learned a bit of leadership and team work skills too. Youth from Ha:San Preparatory Academy at their annual camping trip Fun facts about Nick! He was named 2nd Team All Conference Utility Player, while attending West Hills Community College because he played so many positions while playing baseball there. Go Falcons! His favorite fictional character is: Michael Scott from the Office, because he always tries to do his best, even when it goes south so often! When he is not working he is most likely to be found working out, motorcycle riding, or hanging out with his girlfriend and their cute dogs! P.S. AZYP is a qualified charitable organization (20953) and your donation is eligible for the Arizona Tax Credit up to $400 for an individual and up to $800 for couples filing jointly. Contact your tax advisor for more information.

The Tax Reform Act of 2017 increased the standard deduction to $12,000.00 for individuals and $24,000.00 for couples. This has the potential to reduce the number of smaller donations to non-profit organizations without the incentive of a tax deduction. In 2019, Arizona Youth Partnership was pleased to join the Arizona Tax Credit Coalition (ATCCC). The ATCCC is a group of non profit organizations that qualify for the Arizona Charitable Tax Credit. The group has a website at GiveLocalKeepLocal.org. Luckily, in Arizona we have the ability to take tax credits, up to the amount of your Arizona Tax liability! Charitable Organization Tax Credit You can take as many credits as you like, UP to the amount of your tax liability. You can select a Charity to support at GiveLocalKeepLocal.org or you can make a donation to Arizona Youth Partnership at https://azyp.kindful.com/ Arizona Youth Partnership is based in Marana, Arizona and serves 11 counties in 18 locations throughout the state of Arizona. About Arizona Tax Credit Arizona Youth Partnership is a Qualifying Charitable Organization to accept Arizona Tax Credit donations because we are a 501(c)(3) charity that spends at least 50% of its budget on low income residents. What’s the difference between a tax credit and a tax deduction? A tax credit reduces your tax liability dollar-for-dollar. You can get back the FULL amount donated! Keep your Arizona state taxes local by directing your Arizona tax dollars to Arizona Youth Partnership! By making a donation to Arizona Youth Partnership as a Qualifying Charitable Organization, you may reduce the amount you owe to the state or you may increase your refund, dollar for dollar. This allows you to support Arizona Youth Partnership programs at no cost to you. How does this work? Anyone who pays Arizona state income tax is eligible for the credit and you’re not required to itemize deductions to claim the credit. Your primary residence must be within the state of Arizona. This credit is in addition to the school tax credits. You can make a Charitable Contribution Tax Credit donation AND a School Tax Credit. If you are unsure if you qualify for the tax credit, contact your tax advisor. The deadline to donate to a Qualifying Charitable Organization, and take advantage of the Arizona Charitable Tax Credit on your state taxes, is April 15th, 2019. How much can a taxpayer donate? Couples who file jointly can reduce their state taxes by up to $800; individuals or head of household filers can claim a tax credit of up to $400. Again, this is in addition to the School Tax Credit. You may donate any amount up to your limit and receive the credit; up to $800 if you are married and filing jointly, or $400 if you are married and filing separately or a single taxpayer or head of household. For example, if you give $100, you will be eligible for a tax credit of $100. If you give $1000, you will be eligible for up to a $800 tax credit (married, filing jointly), as well as a state tax deduction for any amount you donate over the tax credit limit. Charitable Contribution Tax Credit Donation Documentation Arizona Youth Partnership will send you an email immediately confirming the amount and date of your donation. This letter documents your contribution and is necessary to support your tax credit. Please make sure you include your name and home address on the donation page.

Don’t forget to take care of the important things in your life. Planning for the future ensures your family, friend or favorite charities will be taken care of no matter what happens. A Will helps you voice your values, relieves your family of the burden of trying to guess your final wishes and prevents confusion. Please join us for a free workshop with a top estate planning attorney! The Reid Park Zoological Society, together with The Drawing Studio, Humane Society of Southern Arizona, and Arizona Youth Partnership, is offering free workshops on updating and creating a will. The following are dates and locations of the workshops. Refreshments will be served. Thursday, March 12th,9:00am – 10:30am. Presenter: Travis Tufts. Location: Humane Society of Southern Arizona at 635 W. Roger Road Tuesday, March 31st, 6:00-7:30pm. Presenter: Denice Shepherd. Location: Reid Park Zoo at 3400 E Zoo Court, in the Zoofari Cafe Wednesday, April 29th, 9:00 – 10:300am. Presenter: Carrie Rednour. Location: Arizona Youth Partnership at 7575 W Twin Peaks Road #165 Note: Click date box on registration form for date selection

March 16, 2020 Dear Arizona Youth Partnership Community, Considering COVID-19 and recent state and federal guidance, we have made several changes. As we serve 10,000 youth and families directly across 13 counties with 90 staff who travel throughout Arizona, we know it’s time to postpone our activities to do our part to help stop the spread of this virus. We are not conducting school-based programs through the school closure and possibly beyond. Before the closure, we were reaching out to give alternate activities to schools. Community Based programming has been postponed or moved virtually as available Please reach out to your local contact for more information on upcoming programs Our youth shelters in Mohave and Yavapai counties remain open with strict precautions in place for the sanitation of the facility and the safety of the youth. Please contact us if you would like specific information on what we are doing to keep youth and staff safe. Open Doors Community School is closed along with all other Arizona schools at least through March 27. We are committed to continuing to provide prevention services throughout this period in a different way. In this time, our youth need positive skills and influences. If you would like to partner with us to move our programs online, please reach out and let us know what we can provide virtually to your population. Our staff remains available via email, or phone. Voicemails will be returned within 24 hours. Although we are working on social distancing as a Nation, we know we need each other more than ever. We’ll get through this together. Be healthy and stay safe. Regards, Lori Malangone CEO

I invite you to take a minute to look back on your own childhood. The chances are great that who you are today, how you think, what you do, what you have achieved, what your culture is, etc. was greatly influenced by the mentorship you did (or did not) receive from adults in your life. It is critical that youth are engaged with positive role models and mentors, especially through times of difficulties and ACEs, Adverse Childhood Experiences. As we face a global crisis of COVID-19 and struggle with unemployment, widespread fear, social distancing, and isolation, it is important that we do not forget the youth in our lives, and this does not only include your direct children. Whether you have students that you work with through a school, youth in a mentorship program, scouts in your troop, youth in a healthcare setting, kids from down the street who like to visit you, youth on a team you coach, or any other role involving youth, I do not believe we as adults realize the impact and mentorship that we have on them. During these times, youth need trusted adults the most. In college I volunteered for an amazing organization called Gabriel’s Angels with my certified therapy dog. We visited at-risk youth in a variety of settings, working specifically with the students labeled as “behavior difficulties”. These students truly did not enjoy coming to school, but also acted up the week before summer break because as much as they hated school, going home was even worse. It took two years for these students to share this with me… two years! Can you imagine growing up feeling alone and hopeless? Without a mentor or a meaningful adult relationship? The takeaway point: the youth in your life may not have opened up to you about what truly goes on in their life, or how much your presence in their life is making an impactful difference. During times like these, they need you the most. So how can you help? The following link includes a checklist with 19 creative ideas for developing relationships during the COVID crisis, including ways to reach out while maintaining proper quarantine restrictions. https://www.search-institute.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Coronavirus-checklist-Search-Institute.pdf?utm_sourc Nicole Marlin is a Youth and Families Educator for Arizona Youth Partnership, serving the White Mountains area.

In the face of this pandemic, we are hearing about how to take care of ourselves to prevent contracting and spreading COVID-19: we are washing our hands more frequently, being more mindful about covering our coughs and sanitizing surfaces. Communities are practicing social distancing, sheltering in place, quarantine all in consideration of our health and the health of those around us. But what affect is all of this having on our mental well-being and the mental health of those we care about? The new “normal” each of us is experiencing right now can cause us to have a lot of different feelings. Are you overwhelmed by the constant barrage of new information you are seeing the on news and on social media? Worried about the impact of lost income as businesses close on a temporary or permanent basis? Antsy because you are a very social creature and you can’t do things you would normally be doing (with the people who mean the most to you)? Angry because major plans (including graduations and weddings) have been cancelled or postponed? Tired of hearing “we’re all in this together”, “we’ll get through this” or “at least you’re healthy”? It is absolutely okay to be feeling…whatever it is you are feeling. That said, in order to keep mentally healthy, we have to be honest about those feelings, find someone to process them with and most importantly find healthy ways to deal with these thoughts and emotions. It’s not going be as simple as “snap out of it”, “find something to do at home”, “this too shall pass”. If we are going to take care of each other, we have to take care of ourselves first. This article has some tips on how to do that. | How to Care for Yourself While Practicing Physical Distancing Now take it one step further: imagine that someone you care about/have frequent contact with is having all of those feelings but they were dealing with a mental health concern before COVID-19 was part of our everyday lives and it seems they are struggling much harder or not dealing well at all. Maybe their depression or bi-polar disorder is keeping them from reaching out for help – from you or anyone. AzYP is proud to be providing Mental Health First Aid training throughout Pima County and are eager to share the resources at our disposal to help the community walk through this stressful time. This article can provide some tips on how to reach out to someone who might need you.