Sisters Network Inc. relaunches teen health program as mobile app

Sisters Network Inc., the national Black-woman-founded breast cancer survivorship organization, has relaunched its Teens4Pink program as a mobile app, continuing its mission of empowering Black teenage girls with breast health information.

“Things have changed over the last 10 to 12 years with young people, and everyone has a phone in their hands, so we thought we’d bring [Teens4Pink] back more innovative with the mobile app,” said Caleen Allen, vice president of Sisters Network. “That will allow us to have a larger footprint to impact more young people.”

Originally launched in 2013, the teen-oriented program trained young people ages 12 to 17 to become breast health ambassadors in their own families. They would participate in in-person training sessions, learning about breast cancer rates in African American communities, the impact of family history, early detection, and other valuable insights. The young women were encouraged to share what they learned with their families and inner circles.

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Sisters Network discontinued Teens4Pink in 2018 due to difficulties maintaining the program financially, said Jackson. However, recognizing the growing use of technology among teens and wanting to continue the mission, Sisters Network has relaunched the program by embracing the digital era.

“It was an intentional program that we felt would directly impact generational health for the Black community, and that intent has always been there,” said Jackson. “Using a mobile app was perfect.”

On the app, teens receive the same resources and support as the in-person sessions but in a digital format. The app features Family Surveys, with questions they can ask their immediate female family members about their personal breast health. The surveys provide them with information about their family breast health history, bringing attention to any predispositions or risk factors.

“There’s nothing more magical than to have your child come home and tell you about what they learned and how it can help you,” said Karen E. Jackson, founder & CEO of Sisters Network® Inc.

Allen added that teens can have an important impact on their parents by sharing the information with them.

“We hope any parent wants to be a good role model for the young person in their life, and so when you have the baby in the family coming to you asking, ‘What are you doing about your breast health? Do we have any of these problems?,’ we want to set a good example, so ‘Yes, I’m taking care of this’ or ‘No, I haven’t, but I will now since you’re asking me,’” she said.

Asia, 13 from Houston, Tex., said she downloaded the app about a month ago and has found it very useful. “I wanted to see the importance of breast cancer [awareness] and see if it will help in the future or anything,” she said.

In addition to learning about breast cancer rates in the Black community, such as the fact that Black women are less likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer yet are more likely to die from it, Asia has also passed along the information to close friends.

“I shared it with one of my friends, and they used it, and they found some information about their grandma because she had breast cancer and their mom,” she said.

Both Allen and Jackson said that fear tends to be a barrier preventing Black women from seeking treatment or screenings for breast cancer, making teen advocacy even more important.

“We always had that fear that immobilized us and we didn’t take action,” said Jackson. “We can change those statistics with the knowledge and the access to resources that weren’t always there.”

By empowering the women around them with what they have learned, the teens contribute to mending breast health disparities — the ultimate goal of Sisters Network Inc.

“I see the program [as a] staple for [outreach within] the organization because it does so many things,” said Jackson. “It’s making sure that the teens are well-equipped so that they don’t have the same fears that their mothers, aunts, and sisters have, because the knowledge we give them will help make the fear go away — because knowledge is power.”

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