The Center relies on input from young community members to ensure that they have a voice in guiding our efforts. With members between the ages of 13 and 21, the Youth Advisory Committee—or YAC—is an equal decision-making partner that meets twice a month at the Center to discuss current issues and projects. To learn more about YAC activities and how to become a member, contact Katrina Brooks at 443-287-3006 or klbrooks@jhsph.edu.
The YAC meets every Wednesday from 4:30-6:00 p.m. at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health building at 615 N. Wolfe St.
YAC students are nurtured in the Center environment through consistent authentic communication with Center staff and Community Advisory Board (CAB) members. In the past year, students have received training and support in public speaking, career and college awareness, job readiness for summer employment, HIV/AIDS prevention, special network responsibility workshops, social change workshops, and acting/dancing training.
YAC students recently launched a call of action to Baltimore City for 40 Days of Non-Violence as a social change project. YAC students have led community outreach projects in creating a food and clothing pantry for their peers in Baltimore City and raising the city’s consciousness around recently proposed funding cuts for afterschool programming and City Schools. The Center counts the outreach partnership with YAC students as a win-win for all involved. Students truly enhance the Center’s impact in providing meaningful research data and information about adolescent health in a way that Baltimore citizens can understand and help them make informed decisions about their interactions with adolescents. The Center has created a model of community outreach and partnership that is driven by positive regard, sustained commitment and a passion for the work.
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