¡Que Madre! Media began as a safe space for young women of color, and now exists as a space for youth of color ages 15-25 from the Eastern Coachella Valley (ECV) to uplift their stories and the stories of their communities. The program also provides opportunities for direct advocacy on school climate through our participation in the Alianza Community Justice Campaign.
The program empowers young people to navigate mental health challenges including, but not limited to, depression, anxiety and relationship issues through storytelling and advocacy. We believe in a wholistic approach to mental health care that is rooted in community care practices. We prioritize partnerships with culturally competent mental health experts and mental health care providers.
Youth-Led Storytelling
Young people engaged in ¡Que Madre! regularly produce multimedia content that is reflective of the intersectional issues their communities face, including mental health, school climate and community justice. Youth content is published online through our website and on our instagram account. Youth narratives are also shared in our regularly published print magazines.
Community Justice Campaign
In 2020, ¡Que Madre! joined the Alianza (formerly Building Healthy Communities) Education Justice campaign (formerly Community Justice campaign) in an effort to improve the learning environment for young people and their families and caregivers. As a campaign, we support the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) to ensure school funds reflect the priorities of young people, including restorative justice implementation at schools that allow young people to have better relationships with their peers, teachers and staff. We also collaboratively host Restorative Justice Circles to offer space for young people in the Eastern Coachella Valley to come together and build community. In May 2022, after multiple advocacy efforts, including efforts from ¡Que Madre! youth who wrote letters and spoke to the Coachella Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) school board members, funds were allocated to open Wellness Centers across all 4 high schools.
Mental Health Fellowship
The purpose of the campaign is to ensure that the seminal Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA – originally, the Mental Health Services Act, passed by California voters in 2004), is delivering on its promise to make sure that everyone has equitable access to behavioral healthcare – especially those who need it most. Funded by a one percent income tax on people making more than $1 million per year, the BHSA was designed to expand and transform California’s behavioral health system to better serve individuals with, and at risk of, serious mental health issues, and their families.
In 2025-2028, ¡Que Madre! will recruit and train 7 youth leaders to investigate, report on and advocate for policy changes that will make the BHSA even more effective. Over the course of the next 3 years, these youth leaders will:
- Learn about the BHSA and how it is operating at the county and statewide levels
- Conduct community-based research to hear directly from youth about their experiences with behavioral health services
- Meet with local and state legislators to advocate for policy changes that improve access to mental health services for youth who need it most
