VIRGINIA FOUNDATION FOR HEALTHY YOUTH
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ABOUT THE VIRGINIA FOUNDATION FOR HEALTHY YOUTH
Established in 1999 by the Virginia General Assembly, the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY) empowers Virginia’s youth to make healthy choices by reducing and preventing youth tobacco and nicotine use, substance use, and childhood obesity.
VFHY takes a comprehensive approach to prevention work, including reaching about 50,000 children each year through classroom-based prevention programs in public schools, after-school programs, community centers, daycares, and prevention programs across the state. VFHY’s award-winning marketing campaigns deliver prevention messaging to over 500,000 children annually. In addition, VFHY’s research program provides scientific insight into methods to reduce tobacco use effectively. Since 2002, VFHY has funded 40 large research projects at universities throughout Virginia.
number of organizations funded annually by VFHY
kids received classroom-based instruction annually
youth reached by public health marketing campaigns annually
Childhood Obesity Prevention
VFHY takes a comprehensive approach to preventing and reducing childhood obesity in a variety of ways, including funding and training Healthy Communities Action Teams.
Substance Use Prevention
The brains of young people don’t fully develop until age 25 and regular use of these products during the early years of brain development can lead to changes in the brain. Learn more about what we’re doing to prevent and reduce substance use.
Tobacco Use Prevention
The Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY) empowers Virginia’s youth to make healthy choices and takes a comprehensive approach to preventing and reducing youth tobacco use.
Youth Empowerment
Since 2004, more than 9,000 Virginia teens have been trained to engage their local communities with strategies for obesity prevention and by advocating for tobacco prevention policies. Learn more about VFHY’s nationally-recognized youth engagement model.
