Join our Louisiana Youth for Health Justice (LYHJ) Council!
*Image of a previous IWES youth council that was taken before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Are you passionate about youth advocacy? If so, we invite you to join our brand new Louisiana Youth for Health Justice (LYHJ) Council where you’ll learn how to advocate for reproductive, social, and racial justice. Our goal is to make sure that young people have a say in the debate around what they can and should learn and have access to regarding their sexual health. So we’re choosing ten passionate activists from across Louisiana to work closely with our Adolescent Health Justice and Wellness team to receive training that will help them mobilize other young people to speak up about issues that affect their lives. Thanks to funding from the Packard Foundation, members will serve on the LYHJ Council for ten months throughout the 2021-2022 school year and will be eligible for a $100 stipend each month ($1,000 total) for participation. This experience is open to high school juniors and seniors, and college freshmen and sophomores living in Louisiana. Read on for more information about the council. and then follow this link to apply, or scan the QR code in the flyer below.
background
The state of Louisiana continues to have some of the highest and most disproportionate rates of HIV, STIs and unanticipated teen pregnancy, due to many factors such as a lack of youth-friendly resources, limited access to information, and a myriad of other social, structural and political challenges. IWES has recently received funding from the Packard Foundation to deepen and build upon past and existing efforts to create an environment favorable to comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) and continue to expand the number of youth in Louisiana who have access to medically accurate, age and developmentally appropriate, gender-transformative, and trauma-responsive sexuality education and resources that promote reproductive justice. One of the main strategies to achieve this goal will be to utilize a statewide, inter-generational framework for youth activists and parents to serve as advocates for reproductive justice that demands access to CSE, through a lens of racial equity and social justice.
Who can apply?
The Louisiana Youth for Health Justice (LYHJ) Council is seeking 10 passionate activists from across Louisiana that want to become advocates for reproductive, social, and racial justice. This experience is open to high school Juniors and Seniors and college Freshmen and Sophomores living in Louisiana.
To qualify, you should:
Be a high school junior or senior, or a college freshman or sophomore
Be able to commit for 10 months for approximately 5-8 hours per month during the 2021-2022 academic year for virtual meetings and/or trainings
Be passionate about sexual health advocacy, including STI/HIV prevention, LGBTQ+ health and rights, and other reproductive and social justice issues
Have good leadership skills, and be able to work well in a group
Have strong verbal and written communication skills
Have experience using social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube
Be able to respectfully work with a wide range of groups and individuals, including LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) people; people of different cultural, religious, racial and political backgrounds; and people with disabilities.
What can you expect?
To be eligible to receive a stipend of $100 per month for 10 months between September 2021 - May 2022 (up to $1,000 total) for participating
To meet, work with, & learn from amazing young leaders from across the city, state and country
To gain information and skills that you can utilize throughout your school and work careers
To collaborate and make connections with staff from IWES, Teen Health Mississippi (a community-based organization advocating for youth reproductive health in Mississippi) and Advocates for Youth (a national non-profit fighting for sexual health, rights, and justice) who care about these issues as much as you do
To share your unique experience and perspective
To work hard and have a lot of fun...all while making a difference!
For additional information contact Brandi Johnson: bjohnson@iwesnola.org
