The L.A. Trust updates Youth Advisor program with student input

The youth advisors and guests providing useful insights with The L.A. Trust advocacy team.

The L.A. Trust’s Youth Advisor Program was started last year as a component of the School-Based Health Policy Roundtable. Incorporating youth ideas and voices into advocacy work is critical. This Program provides students with a platform and a pathway to impact healthy policy decisions for their communities and beyond. 

This year has seen a deepening of the Program under the guidance of Nekhoe Hogan, who joined The L.A. Trust a year ago as part of our state community schools grant. Students wanted more input on how health policies are implemented on the ground, and The L.A. Trust took action. Earlier this year Nekhoe recruited three young people with an array of youth leadership experience to act as consultants in redesigning key aspects of the Youth Advisor Program. This collaboration led to changes in the approach to leadership development, the addition of an adult mentorship element, and clarification of the ways in which young people participate in the collaborative. This resulted in a new model for the program that allows student participants to tackle meaningful projects while absorbing foundational advocacy skills and a deeper understanding of school-based health.    

A new cohort of five Youth Advisors entered the program this fall and are learning about school-based health to ground their own advocacy work in this sector. Youth Advisors are learning about new provider positions, including Wellness Coaches and Peer Support Specialists, aimed at improving youth mental health by expanding the type of care young people can receive. They will explore how schools are taking advantage of these emerging roles in school-based health and their initial impact on student well-being. 

Recognizing that the well-being of students is paramount to achieving success, young people are uniquely positioned to provide insight into how traditionally adult spaces can be inclusive of youth voice and participation. The L.A. Trust is excited about the Youth Advisor Program and looks forward to working with young people in shaping policies that positively impact the future.