Youth Advisors are young adults on the Adolescent Health Team at the Virginia Department of Health. They work to provide input and feedback on current VDH initiatives to ensure that existing projects cater to youth. Additionally, they are working to engage adolescents in public health through Virginia's Youth Advisory Council.
The Youth Advisory Council is a VDH initiative to get adolescents more involved in decisions regarding their community's well-being. We are seeking youth in Virginia aged 14-21 that are passionate about public health and want to see change in their community.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email: youthadvisors@vdh.virginia.gov
Follow us on Instagram at @VDHYouthAdvisors or click this link to access our Instagram page.
Alana H.
Alana Harris is a VCU alumna starting her first year of graduate school in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Alana is passionate about youth development and advocacy and plans to incorporate these topics into her future practice as a licensed professional counselor.
“I applied to this position because I am passionate about issues facing youth today and want to actively participate and engage youth in statewide initiatives or projects. I am most passionate about equitable access for marginalized communities and decreasing stigma in mental health. I look forward to working with the VDH and youth across Virginia to address the complexities of these topics.”
Olivia W.
Olivia Washington is an undergraduate student at VCU earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Psychology and Sociology. Olivia is passionate about policy reform and social determinants of health and hopes to attend graduate school to better learn how to incorporate social science into effective policy change.
“I applied to this position to give youth a way to turn passion into action. To make a real, lasting difference in their communities and to amplify the issues they are most passionate about fixing. The thing I’m looking forward to the most through this position is getting to engage with local non-profits, community organizations, and departments all across the VDH.”