Using the Personal Balance Tool for Youth Self-Assessment and Goal Development

The Personal Balance Tool is a youth-developed and published self-assessment tool that is used to develop youth-driven holistic wellness goals. The tool includes 20 items rated on a 5 point Likert scale that are mapped onto mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual wellness constructs. In the original paper version, each item of the tool links to a section of a medicine wheel that allows youth to color with four (4) different colored crayons. This supports youth in learning about holistic balance and gives them the ability to visually see the amount of color in each area of wellness so they may consider holistic wellness goals for themselves. In this session the Personal Balance Tool authors will provide a demonstration of how the tool is implemented electronically in a Virtual platform. The session will include how the Personal Balance tool is being used by Urban Indian Health Organizations.

Presenters:

1. Jami Bartgis (Cherokee Nation), President and CEO, One Fire Associates, LLC
2. Rachel Ramirez (Wukchumni-Yokut), Director of Youth Services, Fresno American Indian Health Project

Objectives:

1. Learn how to support a ‘mini-teach’ to administer the Personal Balance Tool with youth virtually.
2. Identify tools and resources for supporting youth in setting their own SMART goals.
3. Understand the various settings and contexts in which the Personal Balance Tool can be used.