On the evening of November 21, the USC Environmental Health Centers Community Outreach and Engagement Program hosted the Youth & Community Research Symposium at the Exposition Park District Office of Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas in Los Angeles.

The 48 participants from community organizations who focus on environmental justice, environmental issues, and urban agriculture, and students from several universities around Southern California presented their work to make the event a very valuable experience.

The presenters are changing the way we think about research and base their work in their communities and the environmental health issues faced by residents daily.

The presentations included:
A Comparison of Soil and Aquaponics, by USC students Jacqueline Hernandez and Ellie Wong
Created, never Found, by USC student Katrina Sarah Miller
Long Beach Alliance for Children with Asthma work on air quality, by Maribel Mireles, Maria Reyes, and Aurora Irene Mineses
Living Near Arsenic infographic, by USC COEP Master of Public Health intern Sumala Haque
Toxic chemicals in our homes by USC COEP Bachelor of Public Health intern Jessica Chavez
Programs of Community Services Unlimited, by Cristian Marroquin and members

Marina Pando Social Justice Research Collaborative/East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice members presented:

Assessing the Impacts of Dry Weather Urban Runoff in Southeast and East LA, by Jocelyn Del Real Jimenez and Iris Verduzco
Petroleum Pipelines in Westside Long Beach, by Whitney Amaya and Julius Calacsan
Get the Lead Out: Community-based solutions for the health and social impacts of Exide Technologies lead emissions, by Andrea Luna and Suzette Aguirre
Intersection(Re)alities: When lack of infrastructure intersects with women cyclists’ need, by Javier Garay

Thanks to the dedicated co-coordinators, Flori Boj Lopez, Laura Cortez, Wendy Gutschow, Jacqueline Hernandez, Danielle Neimann, Jessica Prieto, Taylor Thomas; the hosts and sponsors THE Impact Project, Environmental Health Centers based at USC, and Empowerment Congress Environmental Committee co-chairs Scott Chan and Lacey Johnson; and to Maria Reyes for the delicious food.

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More event photos are posted on our Facebook page.

Participants reflected after the presentations, and shared what they learned:
“It’s about how we live and how we protect ourselves from the environment”
“Our struggles are complimentary!”
“All the sources of pollution that there are”
“This has enlightened me to open my eyes to health and environment”
“You can make all-purpose cleaner recipe that is not toxic”
“All the studies about the earth, none of which I’d heard about before. They are very interesting to me, and I liked the poems and photographs about the environmental awareness very much.”
“Amazing pipeline map under West Long Beach!”
“These meetings need to continue”

The presenters at the event.