By the Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth
COCONINO COUNTY — As 2024 comes to a close, the Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth would like to recognize a very busy but productive year for the organization.
Virtual System Change Symposium
The Coalition presented its first “System Change Symposium” virtual presentation on Oct. 22, 23 that benefitted the more than 200 attendees in Northern Arizona and statewide. In addition, the individual workshops reported a total recorded audience of 69 views to date. Participants were impressed with the diversity and the quality of the information provided.
“I am thinking currently about how I can use a systems change lens to address unemployment and poverty in the organization that I work for, instead of just providing direct career development service to my clients,” said Dylan Wilder of TransIntimate Online Courses.
Reimagine Community efforts in the region
The Coalition was one of four organizations in Arizona to be selected in April 2023 for the Vitalyst Health Foundation’s System Change Grant. The goal of the project is to improve patient engagement, treatment adherence, health outcomes and provider and staff wellness.
In 2024, the Coalition:
- Recorded two trauma-informed webinars that are reaching City and County employees
- Hosted 3 listening sessions to increase understanding
- Had high participation from both organizations for the system change symposium
More than 2,200 individuals and organizations are subscribed to the Coalition’s weekly e-newsletter, which features action items, member updates, events and handy links to a variety of Coalition resources.
The newsletter is highlighted with a weekly CCC&Y Spotlight which have included a variety of useful resources for parents including 2024 Summer Food and Summer Reading Programs; Fall 2024 back to school, 2024 family events, health & welfare resource postings.
Free Learning Webinars having reach, impact
The Coalition provides a variety of educational resources so that community members are informed, energized, and ready to come together to solve problems, impact policy, and create solutions that allow every person to realize their full potential.
Since we launched our Learning Webinars webpage, we have reported a total of 8,840 views from members of the public in Coconino County, Arizona and elsewhere, including as far away as Alaska, according to a recent story we posted.
Rikki McKay, community coordinator, for the Alaska Department of Health | Division of Public Health, Healthy & Equitable Communities, has been sharing information about the Coalition’s webinars with her fellow students in her “Introduction to Social Work” class, as well as to 15 or so members of a coalition of service providers in Alaska.
“A lot of people” are learning about the Symposium and the Coalition,” she said. “It has gained appreciation far and wide,” she said.
To share information about the learning webinars with the public, the Coalition published its first four-page Webinar catalog with handy QR code links. More than 500 catalogs have already been distributed to families this year.
In addition, we have shared information about our Learning Webinars on Facebook and partnered with Building Community to share in-person information at various locations in the region.
The Coalition’s monthly Coconino Prevention Council meeting
On the first Thursday of each month, the Coalition presents the Coconino Prevention Council Zoom meeting at 10 a.m. In 2024, the Coalition presented 10 meetings, which featured 12 different organization spotlight presentations. Meetings averaged 37 attendees/organizations per month with over 150 individuals/organizations involved.
“The Coconino Coalition on Children & Youth (Coconino Prevention Council) has been an essential opportunity for connection across sectors in the community,” said Kate Taylor of Charlie Health. “It has held an invaluable space to learn about resources and to discuss cross system collaboration. I am grateful for the intention and the action inspired by CCC&Y and to participate in the important dialogues inspired by the coalition.”
(Send an email to CCC&Y Executive Director Virginia Watahomigie at coalition@coconinokids.org to be placed on the agenda or to receive a Zoom link to our next meeting).
CCC&Y outreach efforts
The Coalition continued its efforts to reach out to the community by staffing a variety of in-person outreach events in 2024 including:
- Spring Family Health Fair at Star School near Leupp
- Spring into Health Page Health & Wellness Fair
- STEM Celebration at Fort Tuthill Fairgrounds
- Flagstaff Mall’s Fall Health and Wellness Fair
- Native American Education Support Program Indian Education Committee’s “School Supply Distribution & Health Fair” at Sinagua Middle School in Flagstaff.
- ‘Meet the Teacher’ event at Killip Elementary School in Flagstaff.
- Killip Elementary School annual Open House
- Flagstaff Festival of Science — Science in the Park
- FACTS Lights On Carnival
- Page Fall into Health — Health & Wellness Fair
- Flagstaff Mall’s Fall Health and Wellness Fair
- Fall Youth Wellness Health Fair at STAR School near Leupp
“I’d just like to thank you for your participation and support before, during, and after yesterday’s event. Despite the “challenging” weather (snow, sun, rain, sun, snow, rain, sun, and on and on and on…), I think we put on an amazing event with great energy, super teamwork, and lots and lots of happy kids and families. In the end we had over 60 exhibitors and 900 participants – pretty good considering how the morning started off,” wrote Eli Cohen, STEM City Coordinator. “I believe it was a combination of everyone’s willingness to adjust and accommodate, and frankly just to focus on the kids and families and what a great community we have here.”
Coalition continues production of annual Page and Tuba City Regional Resource Guides
“The community resource guides provided by Coconino Coalition for Children and Youth (CCC&Y) are a fantastic tool that have really connected individuals with various services, organizations, and supports that would otherwise not be known by the community,” said Jacque Gencarelle, program coordination specialist with First Things First. “The guides are easy to use, easy to share with individuals and clients, and in some instances, can be translated for individuals. With the guides being updated bi-annually, I know they are the best resource on healthcare, housing, education, food, and other social services in the region. We appreciate all the work that goes into updating these guides and I would consider these guides the most comprehensive community resource available in the region.”
Yes, it has been a busy year for the Coalition. We know our readers care deeply about the outcomes for children in our community. The easiest and most impactful way you can support this work is by becoming a member of the coalition. For those who have already added their name to our mission we thank you so much for an amazing 2024. For those who would like to add their name we welcome your membership!
We will be taking some time off during this holiday season, but plan to be back fully recharged and motivated when we return on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025.
Until then, have a joyful, loving and memorable holiday season.