The Youth
Partnership for Health (YPH) youth advisory council is excited to announce
openings for 2012-2013!
We are
seeking young people ages 13-19, with diverse
life and/or geographic experiences,
to participate as consultants on a statewide advisory council. This council
is open for ANYONE and EVERYONE to apply.
If you answer yes to
any of these then this council is for you!
·Are
you interested in standing up for the health and well-being of ALL young
people in Colorado? APPLY
·--Do
you want to learn how to effectively get your voice heard? APPLY
·--Are
you a teen parent? APPLY
·--Do
you live far away from Denver? APPLY
·--Have
you had experiences with substance use, diversion or detention? APPLY
·--Have
you lived in group homes or foster care? APPLY
·--Do
you have any special health concerns? APPLY
·--Do
you identify as LGBTQ? APPLY
·--Have
you and/or your peers ever experienced oppression or marginalization? APPLY
This
council was started in 2000 and continues to be supported by the Colorado
Department of Public Health and Environment. Youth consultants on this
council, provide feedback and recommendations to state, and community
partners who are working to positively impacting the lives of Colorado's
youth. (i.e., YOU!)
Participation in this council will provide opportunities foryou to
develop leadership skills, increase your knowledge of various health topics
and engage in meaningful ways to have your unique voices heard.
Membership Facts:
·YOU
GET TO BE THE EXPERT!
·A
place where your opinions and ideas are listened to
·Consultants
are paid $10/hour + reimbursement for transportation to meetings
·The
council meets one Saturday per month for 5 hours (most likely in Denver)
·Provides
opportunities to meet other youth from around the state
·Offers
creative ways to learn about youth health and the factors that can
effect it
If
interested, or if you know other young people whose voices need to be heard,
please fill out the the application (Click
here for PDF
Click here for Word Document ) (There is only ONE question and you
get to answer it in any CREATIVE way you see fit!) and send it to
Audra Bishop (contact info below…fax, scan/email, or go “old school” and
send through the mail). Please contact me with any questions at
303-691-4936.
More
about YPH
Ideas and input from youth are vital to the success of any program targeting youth. When programs targeting youth do not involve them in the development and decision-making process, they risk developing strategies that don’t work and waste valuable resources. Youth play important roles in all aspects of program development and implementation from program design to evaluation of effectiveness. In fact, the roles that young people play are as varied as the roles of adults. They are limited only by the willingness of participants to engage young voices in important issues. Research supports the value of youth involvement, not just for the youth, but for adults and organizations too. The success of youth involvement efforts is widely recognized, so widely that there are worldwide efforts to engage youth as leaders in policy and program design and delivery.
Colorado’s Youth Partnership for Health (YPH) is a diverse group of 14-18 year olds from across Colorado, recruited from a variety of schools, local health agencies and community programs such as Rainbow Alley and Project PAVE. They are selected to participate based on their age, geographic location and unique experiences.
The youth work directly with adults to help make decisions affecting all youth in Colorado. Every month, the YPH convenes to discuss such issues as teen driving safety and substance use prevention. They then provide open and honest feedback to programs, agencies and organizations developing programs and policies for youth.
YPH is looking for young people who represent different backgrounds, experiences and areas of Colorado. If you are aged 14-18 and are interested in shaping Colorado’s future, contact
Audra Bishop.
