"THEY DON'T TRUST US; WE'RE JUST KIDS." VIEWS ABOUT COMMUNITY FROM PREDOMINANTLY FEMALE INNER CITY YOUTH

The cornerstones of health promotion are the concepts of empowerment and community participation. There has been little research, however, on how these concepts are actualized within a youth population and even less from a gender perspective. Girls are socialized to be more compliant and cooperative; thus they feel less assertive to express themselves. The benefits of community participation, such as the development of personal identity and …