CALLING ALL HIGH SCHOOLERS! WE NEED YOUR HELP!
The Youth Advisory Board is now recruiting for the 2024/2025 school year! Let your voice be heard. The YAB is space where students have their voices and opinions heard by local organizations – creating youth lead change within Lebanon County.
Why Join? Get involved in making YOUR community better, meet students from other schools, earn service hours, develop your skills — add to your resume!
WHO CAN JOIN? For more information contact Caitlin at Clockard@sarccheals.com All welcome to apply! We are looking for a diverse group of students (grades 9-12). If you have the time to participate, provide advice, and contribute–this group is for you!
- Youth interested in health, wellness, community
- Students willing to listen, consider different viewpoints, and provide feedback
What’s Required? Students will commit to attendance at 80% of meetings (4-5 in person) advisory sessions.
Nothing for Them, Without Them
This organization gives high school aged students a recognized, formal role in the leadership and prevention education/programming space.
There has been no way to capture the “youth voice” regarding health and wellness programming designed specifically for students and their families. To address the lack of youth input, in 2021, the Community Health Council of Lebanon County (CHC) established a county-wide Youth Advisory Board. It is comprised of high school students from across the county. YAB chapters operate within participating high schools as a school club: an advisor (school staff) is assigned, and students meet regularly throughout the year.
Highlights
- Five of the county’s six public high schools established YAB chapters in September 2021: Cedar Crest; Annville-Cleona; Lebanon; Palmyra; and ELCO.
- SY 2021/2022: The YABs launched a pro-unity campaign. Chapter-created messages were turned into posters and window art which were placed across the county at local businesses and schools. More than 30 posters and displays were created.
- Chapter projects were implemented in May-June 2022: Cornwall-Lebanon’s YAB helped establish a supply closet for local families; Lebanon’s YAB created QR-code enabled health messages that were shared during a school basketball; Annville-Cleona’s YAB team created a health resource bulletin board and sponsored a positive messaging campaign during finals week; ELCO’s YAB produced a week-long unity campaign that culminated in a school assembly with student-teacher games; and Palmyra’s YAB hosted a “PrimeTime” activity period where students enjoyed some fun while interacting with kids outside their grade/classes.
What’s Next:
Help individual students develop leadership and communication skills: YAB students will receive training from local experts to improve their skill sets.
Promote the YAB as a meaningful resource for local coalitions and leaders to consult, in order to better benefit our youth and families.
