youthdevelopment@sbh4all.org 
By Joey Kaji, SBHA Youth Advisory Council member The following reflects Joey’s lived experiences, thoughts, and opinions. As a senior in high school, I know that right now is a time for big changes. However, one change that is often overlooked is the shift in healthcare management. In school, I’ve heard my friends complain about … Read more
Submitted By Catherine Owen The following reflects Cathrine’s lived experiences, thoughts, and opinions. The Fort Smith Public Schools – School-Based Health Center (SBHC) recently gave a free dodgeball to every single student at Darby Middle School, a middle school located in Fort Smith, AR. In order to promote best use of the new dodgeballs, the … Read more
Submitted By Catherine Owen The following reflects Cathrine’s lived experiences, thoughts, and opinions. Prior to Winter Break, the Youth Leadership Advisory Council (YLAC) for Fort Smith Public Schools – School-Based Health Center hosted a Holiday Hygiene celebration for students at Tilles Elementary, a neighboring elementary school. YLAC partnered with a local medical college, The Arkansas … Read more
Submitted By Catherine Owen The following reflects Cathrine’s lived experiences, thoughts, and opinions. The Youth Leadership Advisory Council (YLAC) for Fort Smith Public School’s School-Based Health Center, has provided comprehensive education to Darby Middle School Physical Education classes. In partnership with the SBHC, they created several informative presentations with voice-overs that focus on “Responsible Personal … Read more
By Mia Hunter, SBHA Youth Advisory Council member The following reflects Mia’s lived experiences, thoughts, and opinions. When surveying teens’ interaction with social media, my peer recorded that a majority of his surveyed group at my high school found the impact of stress imposed by social media to be paramount to the stress of their … Read more
By De’Mon Burse Wilburn, Youth Advisory Council Member at West High School SBHC The following reflects De’Mon’s lived experiences, thoughts, and opinions. De’Mon Burse Wilborn, a Youth Advisory Council (YAC) member at Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s West High School SBHC (Columbus City Schools), wrote the following poem calling attention to the importance of combatting food insecurity. … Read more
By Carolyn Camacho, Identity Inc. Program Director The following reflects Carolyn’s lived experiences, thoughts, and opinions. Identity’s non-clinical emotional support groups are empowering teens to help themselves and their friends manage difficult emotions. For Sandra, it was life-changing. Arriving from Honduras at the age of 17, Sandra was separated from her mother and younger sister … Read more
By Ketan Tamirisa, SBHA Youth Advisory Council member The following reflects Ketan’s lived experiences, thoughts, and opinions. Ben Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” During my time volunteering at a free-outpatient clinic in Dallas, I met a 15-year-old girl who was four weeks pregnant. She was complaining of … Read more
By Lauren Metcalf , SBHA Youth Advisory Council member The following reflects Lauren’s lived experiences, thoughts, and opinions. Nearly a third of youth struggled with mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This has only increased conversations about the youth mental health crisis. As a teen, hearing … Read more
The following is an article featured on NPR’s Health News. “Of all the things she could have done on her summer vacation, Bithaniya Fieseha, a senior at West Springfield High School in Fairfax County, Va., decided to study chronic disease, mental health and contact tracing. Some of her friends didn’t understand the appeal. ‘I feel … Read more
