MEDIA ADVISORY December 10, 2007 CONTACT: Christy Pardew, christy@sociedadlatina.org, 617-442-4299 work, 617-913-7672 mobile Storefront Ads on Agenda as Sociedad Latina Youth Host City Council Hearing Tonight Youth to Present on Harm of Unhealthy Storefront Advertising Where:  City Council Chambers, City Hall, 5th Floor When:  Today, Monday, December 10, 2007 from 5-8 PM Who:  Sociedad Latina’s Youth Community Organizers and Unique Rhythm Youth Leaders, Boston City Councilor Michael Ross, Boston Public Health Commission, Tobacco Free Mass, Boston Collaborative for Food and Fitness, concerned citizens and others BOSTON – Sociedad Latina Youth Leaders will host a City Council hearing tonight to bring awareness around unhealthy advertisements in storefront windows and the harm they bring to youth in our communities. At tonight's hearing, Youth Leaders will present problems with advertising, including disparities in ad placement, to the City Council. The research of youth from Sociedad Latina’s Youth Community Organizing and Unique Rhythm programs, a collaboration with City Councilor Michael Ross and the Boston Public Health Commission, is aimed at assessing advertising in Boston’s communities and its correlation with health disparities like obesity and tobacco use that are plaguing Boston neighborhoods. Youth Leaders will highlight social justice issues behind advertising, including the strategies of advertisers in targeting communities of color and youth. Our Youth Leaders will propose changes to the zoning code in the city of Boston as one solution to address this vital issue. Youth Community Organizers at Sociedad Latina are youth between the ages of 14 and 18 who work to change systems and policies to improve the overall health and well-being of their community. The program is a member of Department of Public Health Youth in Action Initiative, through The Medical Foundation, and is working with other youth groups across the state on youth advocacy. One of three initiatives that Youth Community Organizers engage in, storefront advertising has been a critical component of their work over the past three years. Unique Rhythm Youth Leaders work as health organizers, health educators and performers. As part of Sociedad Latina’s Healthy Mission Hill program, these Youth Leaders work through organizing, education and policy work to bring about healthier lifestyles for residents of Mission Hill and all of Boston. Based in Roxbury’s Mission Hill, Sociedad Latina has been working with Latino youth and families in the Boston area for 39 years, creating a new generation of Latino leaders by offering programs that nurture the inherent strengths of youth, instill a sense of cultural and personal pride, and offer a place for youth to speak and be heard. # # #