FACES for the Future Coalition
Coalition History
The FACES for the Future Coalition was born when the Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland FACES for the Future program was recognized by other communities within California as a best practice model for youth enrichment and health workforce development. As the program began to replicate, there was a desire and need for collaboration – the sharing of best practices, innovations and strategies to better the work of each Coalition Member site.
Co-founded in 2000 by two physicians, Dr. Tomás A. Magaña and Dr. Barbara Staggers, at Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland, FACES for the Future program was created in direct response to what they saw in the Adolescent Medicine Clinics - young people struggling to survive their circumstances, motivated to overcome challenges to reach academic success, but lacking the appropriate support and pathways to help them succeed. With the knowledge that the three leading causes of morbidity and mortality (i.e., trauma, homicide and suicide) among adolescents in the nation could be prevented in part through active engagement of youth in opportunities for personal and professional growth, FACES was designed to address adolescent health disparities among at-risk youth through opportunities for health careers exploration, academic enrichment, wellness training and youth leadership development.
In 2005, Dr. Magaña launched the FACES summer medical program with the belief that all youth who wish to pursue a career in healthcare, regardless of background, should understand the particular complexities and benefits of effectively working with diverse communities.
As such, the FACES programs are designed to facilitate the growth and transformation of youth into future leaders through innovative approaches that focus on the whole child.
