"Our World, Our Health" was a community initiative in New York City that addressed the urgent health risks of air pollution and smoking. We used a "One Health" approach to connect human, animal, and environmental health, focusing specifically on how toxins affect the brain. We brought together two distinct groups: youth (16–24) and community older adults/elders (50+). This mix worked well because older adults remembered the days of unregulated indoor smoking and industrial smog, while youth understood modern climate justice issues. Through "Story-Gathering Circles," where experiences were shared through stories and narratives, we compared these experiences to see how exposure to pollution has changed over time.
The project followed three main phases: Dialogue, Education, and Action.
Dialogue: Elders shared their history with pollution and secondhand smoke. We contrasted this with today’s "invisible" threats like PM2.5 particulate matter. This helped everyone understand the long-term accumulation of health risks in our city.
Education: We used recent research from **Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health** to show the molecular link between air pollutants and a higher risk of Lewy Body Dementia. This was a key moment for the group—realizing that pollution isn't just a respiratory issue, but a major threat to cognitive health.
Action: Youth and elders teamed up to launch practical local projects. They distributed "Clean Air Kits" for homes, pushed for anti-idling rules near schools to protect developing brains, and ran awareness campaigns explaining why quitting smoking and filtering air is essential for preventing neurodegenerative disease.
By combining local stories with new scientific research, "Kith & Kin" successfully connected community building with environmental health, proving that protecting our air is essential for protecting our minds.