Youth Engagement
Partnering with Young People to Advance their Health
We believe that healthy youth lead productive, healthy adult lives and positively impact the school-based health centers of their community. And, that young people hold the expertise about what their healthcare should look like.
Project REACH (Realizing Excellence through Academics and Careers in Health)
Youth Healthcare Alliance is excited to partner with our national affiliate, School-Based Health Alliance, in launching this new project in 2023. Project REACH is a career exploration program for Black high school sophomores and juniors interested in a future in health and wellness. Through workshops, shadowing, mentorship, and internships, students will build their knowledge of the school-based health care field, foster connections with health professionals, and enhance their agency and leadership potential.
To tie direct feedback from a young person’s perspective, Youth Healthcare Alliance is supporting a youth intern who will also learn about the political advocacy process in the state Capitol and co-create with us Youth Healthcare Alliance’s very first youth advisory board. This board is currently slated to launch in fall 2023.
Youth Advisory Board
Youth Healthcare Alliance plans to launch our first-ever youth advisory board in fall 2023 with the recruitment of high school students. This board will serve as the opportunity for youth engagement in our work, namely in the following areas:
Advocacy
Young people can make change in policy that impacts them. We plan to educate them on the state legislative process and connect them with the lawmakers who represent them. Our vision is to elevate the youth voice in the process about the very policies that impact them.
Advancing School-Based Healthcare
As communities continue to support school-based healthcare or explore new ways of providing healthcare, we want to ensure that young people directly shape what this should look like for them.
Strategic Planning
Youth Healthcare Alliance is committed to integrating youth voices in the structure of our organization. This vision includes providing meaningful opportunities for the YAB to guide projects, materials, and work.
