SALSA Youth Voices - Prevention Education & Research Unit

SA

L

SA

Youth Voices

SALSA Youth Voices is an extension of the SALSA program. It empowers students to create a healthier school environment. Grounded in the Socio-Ecological Model and Positive Youth Development Framework, the initiative follows a two-step process: Leadership Day and Action Day.

Leadership Day

SALSA Peer Leaders attend a one-day workshop where they identify barriers to healthy eating, drinking water, and physical activity in their school. Peer Leaders are asked to develop, implement, and evaluate a school-wide health initiative with executive support.

Action Day

Students showcase their initiatives to an audience of health and education professionals. The program is a unique coalition of health, education and the Greater Western Sydney Giants who have strong investments to promote health in young people.

Leadership Day 2024

Action Day Highlights

Since its inception, students have led impactful changes, including installing water refill stations, upgrading school gyms, modifying girls’ sports uniforms, and organising student sports activities.

Erksine Park High School’s water bottle refill stations

Model Farms High School ‘Smooth Steps’ walking competition

Rooty Hill High School’s student inspired gym

GWS Giants Partnerships

Recent Published Media

Voices of the future: Western Sydney students become health advocates at SALSA Youth Voices Leadership Day at Westmead Hospital

Youth Voice delivers on water

“Inspiring Western Sydney High School students”

Socio-Ecological Model

Principals, teachers and participants have a lot to say about SALSA

“The partnership and the relationship between SALSA and the Giants is very important. Students have that frame of mind where it’s not just about me, it’s about how can I benefit the community and work with everyone around me.”

“SALSA gives students the opportunity to voice their opinion to actually take on what they are learning and be confident enough to express their views and the knowledge gained through the program, to other students.”

“After so many years, we see the need and inherent value of the SALSA program throughout the school. In a school where 25% of the students live in homes of considerable poverty and 200 of the 1125 students have health plans for chronic poor health, a health strategy of this kind is a powerful opportunity to change health and life outcomes for those students, for all students”

“SALSA has given peer leaders interpersonal skills to work in different groups, and strengthened the value to live healthy lifestyles. The program is a positive avenue for students to learn through creativity and practice.”

“The SALSA program has helped open channels of communication between younger and older students, as well as between students and teachers on not only health topics covered in this course, but also a much broader range of areas across all dimensions of health.”

“I think it’s a very neat model where you’re not just saying to students sit back and listen, and I’ll tell you all about it. We’re saying this is for you to be active – active in your learning, active in managing your lifestyle … but also active in giving the message more broadly to family and friends.”

“Seeing disadvantaged areas of Sydney that I wouldn’t be exposed to during my studies has been really beneficial for my career, and it’s been a real privilege to be involved in the SALSA Program.“

“At a time when western Sydney is experiencing a diabetes epidemic, the SALSA program‘s ability to contact so many young lives and reach into families couldn’t be more significant. Simply telling someone to do something rarely leads to sustained change”.

“I’m 13 years old. I’ve done the SALSA Program at school. I really enjoyed playing soccer and basketball with the Year 10 mentors, and it made me want to be active.“

“The SALSA Program is important because it teaches students leadership skills as it allows them to learn how to teach and allows them to experience and learn more about health through actually teaching, which is a good way to learn.”

“I’ve found being involved in the SALSA Program this year has increased my self confidence and motivated me to act as a role model and lead by example in attempting to influence younger students’ lifestyle habits.”