Demonstration 1: Mental Illness in Bronzeville

• In Event: Out-of-School STEM Learning: Youth-Driven, Applied Data Science Addressing Needs in Their Own Communities

Abstract

Objectives/Purpose
The first presentation “Mental Illness in Bronzeville” centers around the question of whether Bronzeville, one of the 77 community areas in Chicago (officially called Grand Boulevard), has a mental health crisis and seeks to determine solutions to that public health problem.

Perspectives
Social Learning and Social Cognitive Career (Lent et al., 1994a, 1994b) theories scaffold the learning structure that fosters positive social interactions among youth data collectors, near-peer mentors, and adult staff coaches. Youth teams (4 high school youth) develop a goal-oriented project plan for their asset-mapping project in service to their community. MAPSCorps alumni, trained as field coordinators and data coordinators, train and mentor the teams to develop confidence, critical thinking, and self-awareness. This near-peer structure ensures ample opportunities for dialogue and as a model for community cohesion, allowing all youth participants to envision the potential to achieve equity through meaningful use of data.  

Methods/Techniques
The youth-driven research questions ask: What is the state of mental illness in the Bronzeville neighborhood? What access do residents have to mental health services? Using the combined datasets of the MAPSCorps neighborhood asset mapping project, the Chicago Health Atlas, and the American Community Survey data, the youth team analyzed the descriptive data, visualized it, and interpreted it. Together, they determine the state of affairs in relation to the City of Chicago averages and then recommend solutions to address the access gaps in the neighborhood.

Data Sources
The youth team uses the MAPSCorps neighborhood asset mapping data that they themselves contribute to during their summer programming. They then learn how to use these data in conjunction with the data in Chicago Health Atlas and the American Community Survey. Together, they use descriptive statistics and visualization data to assess the extent of the issue in Bronzeville compared to Chicago overall.

Results/Conclusions
The youth will begin their presentation by sharing community information and identifying and analyzing mental health assets in Bronzeville in comparison to other community areas. For context, they will also share the historical changes and context of state under-funding, city disinvestment, and federal de-institutionalization as it relates to mental health assets in the community. The youth will then present their proposed viable and effective public policy proposals to focus on equity and accessibility in mental health through expanding school-based mental health clinics and opening new public mental health facilities.

Scholarly significance
Although common in the humanities and the arts, there is a dearth of scholarship on STEM curriculum that is youth-led. This demonstration project shows how youth can combine data science with social science skills to work through the scientific inquiry process, frame a social science argument, support the argument with data, and recommend solutions to the problem.
The direct importance of the issue to the youth’s lives and families promotes a dedication and motivation to work through challenging new skill learnings. There is good potential to engage historically underrepresented youth in STEM using this out-of-school STEM program design.

Author

• Nia Abdullah
  Presenting Author