Teens for Screens at UCLA

As part of efforts to come up with a new model for community outreach about breast cancer, UCSF's San Francisco Cancer Initiative Breast Cancer Task Force (SFCAN) discussed the idea of Teens for Screens (T4S) in 2018. In the course of numerous meetings and collaboration with community-based organizations geared toward the underserved population of San Francisco, the concept of creating a sustainable model of outreach to raise awareness of breast cancer among youth to educate their families and communities was developed. In addition to the support of SFCAN through the funding and resources they provided, the T4S pilot program would not have been possible without the leadership of Dr. Laura Fejerman, Dr. Ana Velasquez, Tania Dugatkin, and UCSF staff. We recognize them for the time, passion, support, and dedication they have contributed to T4S. In the Fall of 2019, T4S launched and empowered high school students with information to advocate for breast cancer screenings and healthy behaviors among their friends, families, and communities. In this vein, Teens for Screens at UCLA has adopted this model with a twist. To implement this model, UCLA Teens for Screens seeks to train undergraduate students as breast cancer educators to have them educate middle and high schoolers locally either in-person or remotely. As part of our outreach efforts, we aim to partner with high schools with high populations of underserved groups, such as low-income students and minorities, to provide them with information about breast cancer and the importance of screening. We also aim to provide one-on-one mentorship, with a culminating capstone project at the end of each program. As we continue this journey behind Teens for Screens, we hope that we can spread awareness about an often under-discussed, yet important issue.

https://teensforscreensucla.wixsite.com/teensforscreens
teensforscreensatucla@gmail.com

Signatories: Ariel Lucas, Julia Lei, and Catherine MacKenzie

Advisor: Maria Anna Salazar Capinpin