Members of the Outreach and Education Division within the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Network’s Youth Advisory Board, kicked off their Music Playlist Series with a Self-Care Playlist. The members came together to create a music playlist to listen to whether you are spending an entire day full of self-care practices or simply interested in hearing some new music throughout your daily routine. Self-care is not linear and everyone has their own way they integrate self-help practices into their lives.
“We hope that this music playlist brings you joy and allows you to distress as you do things that ground you. Please feel free to share this playlist with family and friends! We hope you love it just as much as we do.”
Listen to the playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2gzaLgX7ChFe1j5iw99FN5?si=ef513f14385a4423
The Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Network (LASPN) Youth Advisory Board (YAB) is an inclusive group of 23 youth, ranging in age from 16 years old to 24, who advocate for improving mental health and well-being and its related social determinants of health for youth countywide.
The youth have received intensive trainings and are supported by vetted adult mentors drawn from the LASPN – mental health professionals, advocates, survivors, providers, researchers, and representatives from various agencies and organizations across Los Angeles County. These adult allies provide support and mentorship to the Youth Advisory Board and pathways to support when dealing with the sensitive topic of mental health and suicide.
Three youth leaders emerged and have been instrumental in founding and leading the LASPN Youth Advisory Board with a special focus on three pillars: Outreach & Engagement, Arts & Social Media and Advocacy & Communication. The LASPN Youth Advisory Board’s official inception was in 2020 but due to the pandemic, actual establishment of the YAB was in 2021.
The youth have developed several videos and participated in engagement activities and events to raise awareness and uplift the crucial role young people play in suicide prevention. Additionally, YAB members have participated in community activities, and as youth content advisors on a curriculum guide for Creative Wellbeing, a healing-informed and mental health promotion approach developed by the Department of Arts & Culture, Department of Mental Health, Office of Child Protection and the Arts for Healing & Justice Network. LASPN youth and mentors will also be taking part in the Department of Arts & Culture’s Healing Centered Engagement (HCE) Initiative created in collaboration with Dr. Shawn Ginwright and the Flourish Agenda to explore the role of arts in HCE and devise an HCE Arts Framework for LA County.
There will be an opportunity to participate in the Youth Advisory Board in the 2nd cohort. Be on the lookout for information on how to apply for the LASPN Youth Advisory Board starting mid-March. We will have the application information on this website but will also be pushing out the information on our social media platforms and email distribution list. There will be an application and interview process.