title: An innovative community organizing campaign to improve mental health and wellbeing among Pacific Island youth in South Auckland, New Zealand.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine whether being an organizer in a community organizing program improves personal agency and self-reported mental health outcomes among low-income Pacific Island youth in Auckland, New Zealand.
  
  
  METHODS
  Counties Manukau Health initiated a community organizing campaign led and run by Pacific Island youth. We used interviews, focus groups and pre- and post-campaign surveys to examine changes among 30 youths as a result of the campaign.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ten youths completed both pre- and post-campaign surveys. Eleven youths participated in focus groups, and four in interviews. Overall, youths reported an increased sense of agency and improvements to their mental health.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Community organizing has potential as a preventive approach to improving mental health and developing agency over health among disempowered populations.
authors.affiliation: Anton Vonk Associate Professor of Political Science, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA hahrie@polsci.ucsb.edu.
authors.forename: Hahrie
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Project Coordinator, Community Organizing, Ko Awatea, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nicholas
authors.affiliation: Development and Delivery Lead, Ko Awatea, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aimer
authors.affiliation: Director, Ko Awatea; Chair, Healthcare Improvement and Innovation, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Jonathon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gray
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006303:Health Services, Indigenous / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D011203:Poverty / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D058996:Quality Improvement; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Pacific Island; agency; community organizing; mental health; youth