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With the COVID-19 vaccine becoming more available to younger audiences, South Shore Works interviewed a team of 16 - 24 years old to get out and encourage their peers to become vaccinated. Not an easy feat, the organization recruited six inspiring youth to get the job done.
The youth team worked alongside our COVID-19 Response Street
Fellow team in conjunction with the Chicago Department of Public Health to help promote COVID-19 vaccinations in our community. They canvassed the neighborhood, knocked on doors, worked at community events where vaccinated were available to the South Shore community.
As part of their responsibilities in raising awareness and increasing vaccination rates in South Shore, youth were asked to complete the City Colleges of Chicago Vaccine Ambassador Course. This certificate-based course gave a comprehensive overview of COVID-19, addressed myths and common misunderstandings while presenting evident-based findings. This information prepared our youth to have conversations with community members and business owners.
The team's work even got the attention of Channel 7 ABC News. The team expressed the importance of being vaccinated and also their concerns about not being vaccinated, especially in preparing for their return to school next month. The team also created a few Public Service Announcements (PSAs) illustrating again the importance of being vaccinated.
Besides catching the attention of the local media outlets, Mayor Lori Lightfoot also kept a watchful eye on their efforts.
In the end, we celebrated the work of our youth program with food from a local eatery, back-to-school supplies, and a refresher of the Vaccine Ambassador Course. The celebration and success of our summer vaccination efforts would not be possible without the support of the Chicago Department of Public Health and Partners in Health. Thank you!