Who We Are
A diverse group of youth in Oregon from different counties working on various health and wellness topics. Our equity statement has become central to the work that we do as it has driven all our major decisions.
As the Oregon Health Authority's Youth Advisory Council, we recognize and prioritize the challenges youth face, especially when it comes to youth well-being. We also acknowledge and emphasize the importance of inclusivity within communities and strive to make youth-informed decisions that values human life. We do this for the future of Oregon youth, and to promote diversity, safety, stability, quality of life, and the rights of every human being. Our goal is to improve communities' health across the entirety of Oregon by offering youth feedback on policy, distribution of funds, and more to reach the goals listed above.
If you would like to get to know us better check out this video we made about youth voice:
OHA-PHD YAC Youth Engagement – How Adults Can Work Well with Youth
Past Projects
Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is looking for youth leaders to join a Youth Advisory Council (YAC) for the 2024-2025 school year.
During the 2022-2023 school year, the first cohort of the YAC consisting of 20 youth from across Oregon informed OHA on how to spend $1,000,000 in COVID-19 Recovery Funds for schools.
During the 2023-2024 school year, the second cohort of the YAC consisting of 26 youth from across Oregon worked to build internal infrastructure for years to come, including creating the council's charter. Additional projects that the second cohort were apart of are detailed below:
- Disbursed additional COVID-19 Recovery Funds to the top YAC grant recipients from previous cohort who most closely aligned with the YAC's goals and mission.
- Developed a partnership with the Governor's office.
- Partnered with programs across Public Health to advise on projects and offer youth insight.
- Members worked on a project for Minor Consent and Confidentiality rights in order to develop a product to help inform youth across the state on their rights in healthcare settings.
During the 2024 - 2025 school year, the YAC will:
- Work with the public health department to develop program and policy recommendations that impact youth all over Oregon. The policy recommendations will be youth-led and driven.
- Create subcommittees to explore and address new projects and initiatives within the scope of the OHA YAC.
- Interested in data analysis, research skills and/or surveys? Providing input to the Student Health Survey, seen here.