Take a Break from Straining Your Eyes

By Fathima Lye, Youth Advisory Council member & intern  Fathima Lye is a college junior in NYC. She is an advocate for school-based health centers and works to spread awareness on youth-centric issues and doing what she can to help. She hopes to engage with health professionals and youth across the country and impact lives for the better.   … Read more

Reflections on my YAC Experience

By Baila Salifou, George Washington University student and former SBHA Youth Advisory Council member I was in my AP Biology class when my principal came into class and personally handed me a package from the School-Based Health Alliance. He placed it on my desk and told me there was an opportunity that he thought I … Read more

Teaching Self-Advocacy through Mentorship: How to Amplify the Voices of Youth

Chris Oshana is a sophomore at the University of Michigan studying Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience. He hopes to inspire other youth to advocate for themselves in all aspects of their lives. As an adolescent, I never really knew how to advocate for myself in a health care setting. Growing up, my parents—who emigrated from Iraq to … Read more

Back to School, COVID-19 Edition: My Experience as a College Student During the Pandemic

Chris Oshana is a sophomore at the University of Michigan studying Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience. He hopes to inspire other youth to advocate for themselves in all aspects of their lives. The following reflects Chris’ lived experiences, thoughts, and opinions on the coronavirus. As a college freshman, moving back home to live with my family after … Read more

School-Based Health Centers Enhance Self Esteem

Date: September 16, 2020  By Andre Armour, Youth Advisory Council member Andre is a young advocate seeking peace and proper justice for his community. He believes that his purpose in life is to serve others in whatever capacity is needed. Imagine yourself at your lowest state in your life. What was the situation? Where were you? What did … Read more

What Life is Like in NY, the U.S. Epicenter of the Pandemic

Date: May 28, 2020  By Fathima Lye, Youth Advisory Council member Fathima Lye is a college junior in NYC. She is an advocate for school-based health centers and works to spread awareness on youth-centric issues and doing what she can to help. She hopes to engage with health professionals and youth across the country and impact lives for the better.  … Read more

Exploring Careers in School-Based Health Centers 

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

The Honest Truth Behind E-Cigarettes: A Teen’s Perspective

By Brooklyn  Waller, Youth Advisory Council member  Brooklyn Waller is a high school senior in Arkansas. She advocates for those without access to health care and for students to take advantage of their local school-based health centers.  You see them everywhere: a commercial, the local grocery store, in people’s hands. The popularity of E-Cigarettes has reached a high in … Read more

Redirecting the War on Drugs: How Youth Today Play a Pivotal Role

By Baila Salifou, Youth Advisory Council member on April 9, 2020 Baila is a high school senior at South Hagerstown High School. She is focused on tackling mental health stigmas and healthcare discrepancies associated with youth in America, as well as youth across the globe.  In science class every child learns the importance of the right conditions necessary to nourish a … Read more

Menstrual Products should be Free Periodt

By Christina Vo, Youth Advisory Council member Christina Vo is a 16-year old youth advocate from San Jose, California who is full of curiosity and passion for social justice through amplifying voices, speaking out, and creating change.  School bathrooms stock products, such as toilet paper, soap, and paper towels, but don’t provide another basic necessity: menstrual products. One … Read more