On January 18, VFHY and Y Street, our award-winning volunteer initiative for high school students, celebrated the 14th annual Healthy Youth Day. More than two dozen young leaders from across Virginia gathered in Richmond to meet with members of the General Assembly and educate legislators on what public health policies they advocate for within their districts.

But that’s not all: For the first time, we had too many events to fit in just 24 hours, so we declared last week to be Healthy Youth Week! Here are some of the highlights:

Youth-(Em)powered Webinar

We built momentum leading up to Healthy Youth Day with “Creating Youth-Centered Partnerships to Drive Positive Change,” a webinar hosted by members of the Y Street leadership team – VFHY’s first youth-led Empower Series webinar!

Three Y Street students, led by a peer moderator, shared their expertise advice for building productive and meaningful partnerships between youth and adults. They touched on topics including misconceptions about youth activism, strategies to get teens engaged in their communities, and how partnerships between youth and adults can lead to progress in public health.

Breakfast Kickoff

Healthy Youth Day began early the next day with breakfast in the new General Assembly Building. Legislators and their staff were invited to meet Y Street leaders over breakfast sandwiches and coffee for a relaxed introduction to Y Street’s work. More than two dozen offices stopped by!

Meetings with Lawmakers

The main event of Healthy Youth Day: Meetings with legislators, where Y Street leaders presented their mission and told lawmakers about their public health initiatives.

Students paired up to attend thirty-one meetings with state senators and delegates from every corner of the commonwealth. They came prepared with presentations, one-pagers, and plenty of information about their work making communities healthier.

Both chambers of the General Assembly commended the young leaders for empowering their peers and for their contributions to creating a healthier Virginia.

Congratulations to our Y Street team on another successful Healthy Youth Day!

Learn more about Y Street’s impactful work and get involved at ystreet.org.