What would YAHL do? By Joven R.
Hello, my name is Joven and I am a junior in high school. This is my first year as a member of Youth Action for Health Leadership (YAHL), a program of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust. As someone who is always looking for opportunities to grow as a leader, I joined YAHL as soon as I learned about it through my Health and Science Club.
I have always believed that a student’s health is shaped by the environment around them. Positive influences, like access to nutritious food and clean drinking water, help students succeed. Negative influences, like tobacco use and vaping, can make it harder for youth to stay healthy and reach their full potential.
At my school, I have noticed areas where we can improve. Many school events do not offer healthy food options, and I would like to see more nutritious choices available for students. I have also noticed concerns about access to clean drinking water. Another challenge is that vaping has become so common that some students use vape products during class when they think no one is paying attention. Seeing these issues motivated me to become more involved and work toward creating a healthier school environment.
Through YAHL, I have learned about the CounterAct Tobacco campaign, which works to reduce youth access to tobacco products by supporting policies that protect communities and hold retailers accountable. I have also learned about the Elevate Student Health campaign, which encourages healthier school environments by promoting nutritious foods, physical activity and clean drinking water. These campaigns showed me that youth have the power to make a difference when they speak up and work together.
At first, I saw YAHL as just a great leadership opportunity. Then something happened that changed my perspective. One day, I saw a student using a vape product in my classroom. I was nervous about saying anything because I did not want to create conflict. After thinking about why I joined YAHL, I realized I could not ignore something that could harm another student’s health. I decided to tell my teacher. Even though I was nervous, I knew it was the right thing to do. This was when I fully realized and told myself that YAHL is the organization I want to be in.
That experience gave me confidence. It showed me that leadership is not always about standing in front of a crowd. Sometimes leadership means making a difficult decision because you know it is the right one. YAHL helped me find the confidence to use my voice and stand up for the health of my classmates.
Knowing that YAHL gave me this much confidence made me truly believe that I can fight for my school so much more and that I could fight for the betterment of it.
