By: Chris Oshana, former Youth Advisory Council Member Chris Oshana is a senior at the University of Michigan studying Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience, with a minor in Social Class and Inequality Studies. He hopes to inspire other youth to advocate for themselves in all aspects of their lives. For the past three and a half years of … Read more
By Chris Oshana, former Youth Advisory Council Member When I reflect on my time with the School-Based Health Alliance Youth Advisory Council, I think of my immense growth as a person, advocate, and life-long learner. I joined the council at the beginning of my first year of college. I had to navigate a whole new … Read more
By Audrey Gabriel, SBHA Youth Advisory Council member Since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s proven difficult for most people to keep up with their annual appointments. Whether it’s making it into your primary care physician’s office for a yearly check-up or scheduling an appointment with a specialist, finding a time to be seen … Read more
By Lauren Metcalf, SBHA Youth Advisory Council member For nearly 50 years, Title IX has protected against sex-based discrimination in public education and other federally funded programs.1 Title IX works to prevent sex-based discrimination by protecting people from dating violence, sexual harassment, sexual assault, sex-based discrimination in athletics, and, lastly, pregnancy and parenting discrimination.1 Although … Read more
by Lane Shaffer, Youth Organizer, Multnomah Youth Commission My name is Lane Shaffer and I’m a youth organizer from Portland, OR. I’m super invested in equitable transit access and ensuring people have the means to self-advocate through things like testimony and political organizing. I recently presented at the ‘Be The Change’ Youth Training Program and … Read more
By Audrey Gabriel, SBHA Youth Advisory Council Member The concept of picking out your career path at the ripe old age of 17 is incredibly daunting, I know it was for me. Maybe you are the first in your family to go to college, maybe you haven’t really been exposed to different career paths, or … Read more
Compilation by Chris Oshana As current and previous members of the School-Based Health Alliance (SBHA) Youth Advisory Council (YAC), we’ve all gained so much from being a part of this amazing team. The following blog post will focus on highlighting our current and former YAC members, their lived experiences as a part of the YAC, … Read more
By Chris Oshana, Youth Advisory Council Member The following reflects Chris’ lived experiences, thoughts, and opinions. $45,000,000,000. Forty-five billion dollars. According to the CDC, that’s how much money is lost in productivity each year in the US due to untreated oral disease.1 As someone who hopes to enter the dental profession in the coming years, this … Read more
During the months of October and November, members of the Teens & Vaccines Podcast group worked hard on a workshop presentation for the California School-Based Health Alliance 2021 School Health Conference: Building Bridges to Healthy & Resilient Communities. They met weekly to outline content, create their presentation, and design interactive components for their workshop, “Teens & Vaccines … Read more
By G. Fathima Lye, Former SBHA YAC member and Youth Development Intern “What if my thoughts didn’t have to go so far? What if I could’ve managed my emotions better? What if I had someone to share my experiences with? What if I had accessible resources to get help?” These are a few questions that … Read more
