Resource inequity is a significant public health issue, especially when referring to Hawaii youth. Youth from different backgrounds, socioeconomic statuses (SES), and income levels have access to different types of resources, education, and opportunities based on their specific circumstances. This tends to be that youth from lower income and SES have access to lesser resources and information than their higher income and SES peers (APA, 2017a). This is a global issue however, not just a local one. The Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii (BGCH) is an organization that provides school-aged children with resources, education, a safe space, care, and more. The missions of the BGCH and the Boys and Girls Club of America (BGCA) are to enable all young people (youth and adolescents) to be the best versions of themselves by gaining the skills necessary to be caring, productive, and responsible citizens who fulfill their true potential, especially those from disadvantage circumstances (BGCA, n.d.a.; BGCH, 2020e). Since it first opened over 40 years ago, the BGCH has touched the lives of over thousands of children ages 7-17 years through the Hawaii chapter alone (BGCH, 2019). Diversity of BGCH youth include 51% self-identified youth as Native Hawaiian (NH)/Part NH, 35% identified as Asian, and the remaining identified as either Caucasian, Other Pacific Islander, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN) or Other (BGCH, 2019). Income [household] was broken down into five categories: extremely low (19%), very low (24%), low (18%), other (21%), and “care not to provide” (18%) (BGCH, 2020e).
One goal and two objectives have been created for each of the five competencies. The five goals and objectives are listed in order within the Goals and Objectives section, beginning with the MPH Foundational Competencies, and concluding with the Community Health Concentration Competencies. Within these goals and objectives, two products are mentioned: a program description and a process evaluation plan (see Appendix A). However, numerous other products were also produced by the administrative intern Alexis Lam for the Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii and the What’s Next Initiative, including all the survey tools used in the program, surveys used for recreational purposes (i.e., program activities), presentations made and given to What’s Next Team members, a Data Report created using the analyzed survey program data (see Appendix B), in addition to the creation of the What’s Next program itself. The additional agency products were presented as an opportunity for growth and to expand reach experience. The roles and responsibilities given to an administrative intern included program development, data collection and analysis, and program evaluation. All products were developed for the What’s Next Initiative by the Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii using an iterative process.
The Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii utilizes evidence-based approaches to public health through a mix of community-based participatory action research (CBPR), socioecological model (SEM), and social cognitive theory (SCT) as shown through the significance placed on using positive role models to facilitate and establish behavior change. This is also shown through the use of a systems thinking approach, or systems change model that works towards leveraging change in complex systems. To promote more inclusive and comprehensive data on resource inequity in BGCH youth, especially youth of low income, surveys are recommended for both the staff and organization aspects in addition to the youth perspective. Survey questions will include questions on racial equity, workplace and environment conditions, utilization of resources, and feelings towards the adaption and implementation of new approaches and strategies, among other items. It is also recommended that the BGCH focus on hiring a data and management systems specialist, or a contractor with data management experience, as the BGCH acknowledges that non-profits tend to lag behind in their data processing abilities and capacities (BGCH, 2019).