Meet Helen Jones, Community Partner in the FLEx Study

Since 2024, our Research and Evaluation (R&E) team has been promoting our newest youth health study — the Film Learning Experience (FLEx) Study — to systems-impacted youth ages 14-22 across the United States. FLEx aims to enroll 1,850 youth into the study to 1) watch one of two sets of health-related films; 2) participate in activities that help them reflect, process, and learn helpful information in a fun and convenient way; and 3) give us their feedback on the program. Eventually, through a collaboration with our evaluation partners at The Policy and Research Group, the data gathered from this project will be analyzed to help us determine whether our intervention is effectively impacting youth’s decision-making regarding their health.  

Deep and meaningful community engagement is one of our core values at IWES, and the FLEx study is no exception to this. Although most sessions are held virtually — allowing youth across the country to participate and benefit — we do have a physical presence on the ground in some communities, which significantly helps us with recruitment when youth find out about the program from a trusted adult. As we work to grow the study nationally, we have partnered with people who work every day to make youth’s lives healthier. One of those FLEx champions is Helen Jones, who has been essential in promoting the study and sharing its value with the youth she works with. Based in Los Angeles, Ms. Jones is a Senior Campaign Lead at Dignity & Power Now, an LA-based non-profit dedicated to securing dignity and power for all incarcerated people, their families, and communities. After her son died in the Men’s Central Jail, Ms. Jones has worked tirelessly to advocate for justice and accountability. She has also been running a music label since 1998 to help youth engage with music, improve their writing skills, and to help improve their lives overall.   

Ms. Jones has been incredible to work with, as her dedication to the health and well-being of youth, especially those impacted by the legal system, is clear and very strong. As of this first quarter of the year, Ms. Jones has already recruited SEVENTY SIX youth to take the initial screener and see if they are eligible for the study. As we continue enrolling youth in FLEx from across the country, partnerships like this one with Ms. Jones remain essential, so if you’re interested in working with us, or to learn more about FLEx and our other research activities, reach out to our Research and Evaluation Director, Ayesha Umrigar. 

Check out the full video here of our interview with Helen Jones, or read the transcript below:

TRANSCRIPT: Helen Jones

[00:04] Hi, come on in.

[00:23] All I can say about who I am, Helen Jones, I'm a mother, I'm an activist, I'm an aunt of a lot of nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, and I love my community and I want to see a lot of things change.

[00:45] And I'm in this fight to make sure that I do my part to make that change.

[00:53] Our youth, their voices, never, they, they don't feel heard.

[00:57] First of all, they don't feel heard.

[00:59] And just for them to be able to be able to use their thoughts, give their thoughts, give their opinions, I think that's huge for them to be able to do that.

[01:11] And I think they really don't get those opportunities, and also be able to get compensated for it in some type of way.

[01:21] And I think that's another, too that, you know, right now, a lot of youth really don't have nothing.

[01:28] And a lot of them, like I say, are being raised by, you know, other family members and a lot of folks, too, in especially in the times that we and a lot of folks don't have, you know, money; groceries is high, gas is high, bills are high.

[01:45] So it's not a lot of money leftover for them to do a few things that they want to do for themselves.

[01:52] They want to earn, they want to earn their money.

[01:57] They want to earn what they get and just knowing that their opinion matters here.

[02:04] I think that is just huge. And it's it's just amazing. I love it.

[02:07] I love it.

[02:08 Well, I would just say the only thing is I appreciate the opportunity to be able to, you know, share this with the youth, work with them, you know, listen to them, hear these questions and you know, and make sure that I give them the best answer that I can,

[02:26] And just uplifting them, and them uplifting me.

[02:31] Just interacting with, with the youth and just seeing how smart they are and how much drive and will that they have.

[02:41] And they really want to work hard, You know, they want to do their part in society.

[02:47} And I love that.