youthdevelopment@sbh4all.org 
By Mia Hunter, SBHA Youth Advisory Council member The following reflects Mia’s lived experiences, thoughts, and opinions. When surveying teens’ interaction with social media, my peer recorded that a majority of his surveyed group at my high school found the impact of stress imposed by social media to be paramount to the stress of their … Read more
By De’Mon Burse Wilburn, Youth Advisory Council Member at West High School SBHC The following reflects De’Mon’s lived experiences, thoughts, and opinions. De’Mon Burse Wilborn, a Youth Advisory Council (YAC) member at Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s West High School SBHC (Columbus City Schools), wrote the following poem calling attention to the importance of combatting food insecurity. … Read more
By Carolyn Camacho, Identity Inc. Program Director The following reflects Carolyn’s lived experiences, thoughts, and opinions. Identity’s non-clinical emotional support groups are empowering teens to help themselves and their friends manage difficult emotions. For Sandra, it was life-changing. Arriving from Honduras at the age of 17, Sandra was separated from her mother and younger sister … Read more
By Ketan Tamirisa, SBHA Youth Advisory Council member The following reflects Ketan’s lived experiences, thoughts, and opinions. Ben Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” During my time volunteering at a free-outpatient clinic in Dallas, I met a 15-year-old girl who was four weeks pregnant. She was complaining of … Read more
By Lauren Metcalf , SBHA Youth Advisory Council member The following reflects Lauren’s lived experiences, thoughts, and opinions. Nearly a third of youth struggled with mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This has only increased conversations about the youth mental health crisis. As a teen, hearing … Read more
The following is an article featured on NPR’s Health News. “Of all the things she could have done on her summer vacation, Bithaniya Fieseha, a senior at West Springfield High School in Fairfax County, Va., decided to study chronic disease, mental health and contact tracing. Some of her friends didn’t understand the appeal. ‘I feel … Read more
The following is featured on the Center for Health Care Strategies resource page. “Though children and adolescents are at the center of pediatrics as the recipients of care, their voices are often missing from conversations about how to transform the field to better meet their needs and support their lifelong health. Inviting youth to the … Read more
By Jordi Alftine , SBHA Youth Advisory Council member The following reflects Jordi’s lived experiences, thoughts, and opinions. Mental health is crucial to overall well-being, particularly for teenagers and young adults. Unfortunately, mental health issues are increasingly prevalent in this age group, affecting individuals across the globe. The teenage and young adult years are complicated … Read more
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
