Vaccinate Pasadena is an COVID-19 vaccine campaign aimed to increase childhood vaccination rates within the Black and Latino community, and to instill trust in Pasadena Public Health Department. Through immersing ourselves into the community and learning from on-the-ground subject matter experts including promotores, lay health advocates and community clinic workers, we designed an educational coloring and family activities book, also an easy to apply family game booth for future local events, all themed with a multi-racial superhero family.

Employing traditional and non-traditional media and methods, our campaign engages children but also resonates with adults with the goal of countering their vaccination hesitancy and mistrust of the medical community.

This project was created in collaboration with the Pasadena Public Health Department (PPHD), and Rose Hills Foundation. Vaccinate Pasadena co-creates a community-based campaign to encourage caregivers and parents to vaccinate their children ages 6 months to 11 years in a specific Black and Latinx Pasadena neighborhood.

At the time of May 2022, Data shows that Pasadena's vaccination efforts have been more successful than surrounding cities, but unevenly distributed. While overall 99.7% of Pasadena residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, Black and Latinx populations, as well as children aged 5-11 and adults aged 18-44, have lower rates of vaccination. In addition, the vaccine was approved on June 18th for the final group of the youngest children, aged 0-4, with the decision power resting with their parents and guardians.

This program started as a sponsored class by the Rose Hill Foundation in the Designmatters program at ArtCenter, a minor pairing multidisciplinary students with non-profits and enterprises to make a social impact, with the goal to understand the historical issues between Black and Latino people with the medical community and creatively resolve it with emphasis on solving the mistrust.

The class then developed into a fellowship, that was tasked with the goal to create mass producible booklets and game events within real life limitations. As a result, we were able to host a game booth in a Halloween event for over 100 families. After we engaged with them to gather feedback and connect with the community, we were able to refine the product for final production.

In Spring 2023, through the PEACH outreach program, the booklet was distributed to over 2000 households, reaching families from all walks of life. Over time, we hope the Vaccinate Pasadena could help to rebuild trust between the Black and latino community and the Health Department, creating a stronger and healthier community for all.

The Issue

The Covid outbreak started in 2020, according to statistics, unvaccinated individuals have a higher risk of being hospitalized with Covid than vaccinated ones. Despite the high percentage of people in Pasadena who are vaccinated, disparities reflect racial inequities.

The latest target audience for Vaccinate Pasadena are parents and caregivers of young children who have become eligible to receive the vaccination. As with the initial vaccine rollout, many adults remain hesitant about allowing their children to get the vaccine, adopting a "wait and see" attitude among other reasons.

We recognized that many people in the low vaccinated communities have a history of distrust towards the healthcare system and government due to past injustices, and that this mistrust has been further fueled by the spread of misinformation through social media and other channels.

Our project aimed to address the challenges of distrust of the healthcare system and government, misinformation through media, and lack of knowledge that have contributed to low vaccination rates among underserved and underrepresented Black and Latino communities.

The Process

How can we get to know the community in order to make effective communications?

Starting with research, we spent weeks out there with local communities, learning and listening. We went to Pasadena Public Health events, local supermarkets, farmer's markets, and faith-based organizations to observe, communicate and conduct interviews.

During our interview, we met a honey vendor at a farmer's market. He told us how he and all the vendors at the market had been vaccinated, thanks to the promotores who shared about a vaccination drive during their break time. The promoter had emphasized the importance and how easy it was to get vaccinated, taking just 20 minutes, and had encouraged everyone to get the shot.

The honey vendor was excited to share with me how he and his fellow vendors felt a sense of relief and peace of mind after getting vaccinated. He also mentioned that he was happy to be part of a community that took the pandemic seriously and worked together to keep everyone safe.

This experience highlights the importance of message sources and accessibility at the grassroots level. The local promotores, as part of the local community, were able to effectively convey the importance of getting vaccinated to the vendors in a way that was easy to understand and accessible. This shows the power of word-of-mouth communication and the influence that trusted members of a community can have in spreading important messages.

Why did we choose to approach our audience through conversation between parents and children?

After conducting basic field research, we realized that many individuals in underserved and underrepresented Black and Latino communities are parents or caregivers. Our research has provided valuable insights into what resonates with our target audience and how we can promote accurate information and build trust.

We discovered that children have some degree of decision-making power and often initiate conversations on specific topics, such as viruses and vaccines. When children become curious about these topics, they turn to their parents for answers, leading to family conversations and engagement on the subject.

By incorporating superhero themes and elements, such as capes and masks, into the game, we can create an exciting and empowering experience for children. This can help to reduce any anxiety or fears they may have about vaccines and make the experience more enjoyable.

Moreover, we recognized that children can have a direct influence on the health decisions of their parents and caregivers. By educating children about the importance of vaccines, we could indirectly encourage their parents and caregivers to get vaccinated as well. Therefore, by engaging the whole family, we hoped to promote a culture of health and wellness that extends beyond just getting vaccinated for COVID-19.

The Outcomes

Vaccinate Pasadena was created as an outreach program of PPHD, a tangible solution was a must since the target area is not tech-savvy. As a result, an educational booklet was created and along the way, one of the game inside was expanded to a life-size game booth experience that can be implanted to every local event. Both designs will act as a tool to deliver truthful information and increase family & community engagement on COVID-19 vaccines.

The booklet

The booklet is a 13 pages educational family activity book including traditional games like word search, find objects in picture and board game, etc. By creating a hero family that is representative of the diverse community in Pasadena, we aimed to increase the relatability and cultural competency of the booklet. By emphasizing the importance of vaccination through the characters' journey, we aimed to foster trust in the vaccine and healthcare system. And to emphasize that everyone has a role to play in ending the pandemic, regardless of their race or background. We believed that this message could help to build a sense of unity and shared purpose within the underserved and underrepresented Black and Latino communities.

Moreover, our booklet provided practical information about COVID-19 vaccines and how they work, as well as dispelling common myths and misconceptions about vaccines. We used illustrations and interactive activities to make the information more accessible and engaging for our audience. We also provided information about how and where to get vaccinated, as well as tips for staying healthy and safe during the pandemic.

The decision to design the booklet in black and white as a coloring book was intentional, as it offers a cost-effective and engaging way for younger children who may not able to read, and their families to be part of this experience.

The Game

Moving on, for the 2022 Pasadena Halloween Scream & Giggle event, we teamed up with the Pasadena Public Health Department to expand the board game inside the booklet to a life-size vaccine game booth, which drew over 1,000 people.

The game was designed in three question format for families to answer(primarily the children) . Children spin the wheel, move to the numbered space, and need to answer the according question and by correctly answering each question, they get their superhero awards which include eye mask, cap and the superpower stickers.

From 111 families, including 95 children aged 0-11, we gathered 90 specific comments on prototypes. Based on the feedback, we made three major improvements.

Firstly, we surprisingly discovered that kids enjoyed the Q&A and wanted to tackle the adult version to take initiative in decision-making. We created interactive, memorizable flashcards with two levels of difficulty to challenge them.

The kids were given the opportunity to answer the questions in front of their siblings and parents, showcasing their knowledge and agency. They were thrilled to participate and compete with each other, and the interactive flash cards made the experience engaging and enjoyable for everyone.

Secondly, we redesigned the questions for clarity. After receiving feedback about the language accessibility despite 71% positive response rate, we resolved by introducing a color-coding system that helped participants quickly identify which concerns the question addressed, and using straightforward language and highlighting trusted resources made it easy to understand and remember.

Finally, we changed the game floor to hopscotch courts after we noticed that parents were hesitant to participate due to the lack of engagement opportunities.

The Impact

In previous prototype testing at a local park, we met a 8 year old Latino girl. She seemed timid at first but as we introduced her to the game, we noticed that the superhero mask and cape seems to give her power. We successfully began a conversation on the importance of making healthy choices and taking care of oneself. And the COVID-19 vaccine can be her superhero shield against virus,

As the sun began to set, the young girl started to swing higher and higher with her superhero cape, feeling empowered and strong. Her mother told us proudly, "When I see her being strong and active, I know that I am raising a confident and capable young woman who will one day change the world." Our Superhero concept has definitely been proved effective and powerful to spread the message and help us better communicate.

Through the PEACH outreach program, the booklet was distributed to over 2000 households, reaching families from all walks of life. Local organizations, including clinics, faithful groups and children's libraries, helped to spread the word and ensure that as many families as possible had access to the medical resources they needed.

Since the COVID-19 emergency nearly ended, the booklet will further changed to different topics within the same format to emphasize and deliver other health information. Over time, the Vaccinate Pasadena could help to rebuild trust between the Black and Latino community and the Health Department, creating a stronger and healthier community for all. With the ongoing support of local organizations and dedicated healthcare professionals, the program continued to grow and evolve, empowering more children and families to take charge of their health and wellbeing.

"Watching the students' final presentations, I felt my own 'inner child' come out and enjoy the projects. Not only will children appreciate these campaigns, but the parents, adults and even young adults. These projects bring out the 'youth' in us and teach us about teamwork."

-Lilyt Davtyan, Pasadena Department of Public Health