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Hello! My name is Mary, and I’m from Haskell, Oklahoma. YAHL is a program that focuses on making Oklahoma healthier for everyone. Health is one of the most important things in our lives; however, not everyone has the same access to good health. I see people in my community struggle with poor nutrition and obesity. I live in a rural area with limited access to grocery stores. If you don’t have a car, you can only grocery shop at the dollar store, where most of the food is unhealthy and ultra-processed. My family usually has to drive at least 30 minutes to get groceries. This reduces the number of options we have and ultimately impacts our health. That’s why I’m passionate about YAHL. I want to make sure all youth have the opportunity to live a healthy life by ensuring they have access to nutritious food in school.

At our first YAHL event, I collected surveys at a basketball tournament. I was nervous to talk to adults, but it was great seeing people in the community who also care about these issues. I really enjoy working with YAHL because I feel supported by my community, and my work is recognized and impactful. Through YAHL, I’ve learned how to use my voice to push for change. I’ve become more involved in my community and learned about the power I have to make a difference. Companies have convinced us teens that vaping is trendy, but it’s harmful to our health. They’ve spent so much money manipulating us into thinking vaping is cool, and I want to fight back by making it harder for youth to access vapes.

YAHL helped me realize I can do something about these issues through advocacy. It has educated me on the problems we face and the importance of improving the laws that affect our health. I care about making good health accessible because I’m empathetic and hate seeing people struggle. I want to see people improve their lives and their health. YAHL has given me a platform to help my community reach those goals.

Hello! My name is Kaydence, and I’m from Lula, Oklahoma. YAHL (Youth Action for Health Leadership) is a program where we discuss how unhealthy foods and activities affect everyday life. In YAHL, we learn what’s unhealthy, how to avoid harmful habits and how they impact us in the long run. It’s an amazing program where you can encourage and help others overcome unhealthy habits. Sometimes, you might even need encouragement from peers, family or fellow YAHL members. One of the best parts of YAHL is how fun it is to learn new things that help us live healthier lives.

Two unhealthy trends I’ve noticed in my generation are smoking and vaping. These are major problems among teens in Oklahoma. Smoking leads to dangerous habits, false hope and lung cancer, which is fatal. Lung cancer, shortness of breath and even heart attacks are caused by smoking, and unfortunately, many teens suffer the consequences. Many young people don’t realize how serious it is until it’s too late.

Vaping is just as dangerous. When you vape, you inhale metal and harmful chemicals directly into your lungs. That’s metal in your lungs! Over time, vaping causes infections, lung disease and even cancer. Many teens start vaping because they’re anxious, overwhelmed or influenced by family and friends who do it.

YAHL members work together to help kids, teens and adults break free from unhealthy habits and make better choices. We do this by organizing stress-free activities that help people manage stress in healthier ways, offering words of encouragement to inspire positive change, and building trust through team exercises that create a strong support system. As a YAHL member, I truly believe this program can help you. Even if you don’t struggle with these issues yourself, you can still join to support others and be part of something bigger.

I’ve shared some of the biggest health challenges teens face today, and I hope to see these numbers go down. If we work together, we can help teens across Oklahoma and even in other states overcome these addictions and create a healthier future. YAHL members are coming together for this cause, and I encourage you to join us. Together, we can make a real difference and help those around us live healthier, happier lives.

Hello, my name is Lilly, and I am a sophomore at Chelsea High School in Oklahoma. During my first year in Youth Action for Health Leadership (YAHL), I thought it was just an excuse to get out of class for free food and to miss school. However, this program turned out to be an amazing experience. I realized that YAHL is more than just an extracurricular activity—it is an opportunity for people like me who want to make a difference and help others.

Honestly, I know a lot of people who vape and smoke. Yes, I have tried to tell them that it will affect them later in life, but I felt like I didn’t have the means to truly help my community fight this issue until I became a YAHL member. YAHL is committed to creating a healthier Oklahoma for everyone, regardless of age, gender, race or religion. There are two campaigns: Elevate Student Health and CounterAct Tobacco. I love collecting surveys and playing health-related games with people during campaign events because it gives me the chance to bond with others and help them better understand the dangers of a poor diet or using tobacco products.

If we make it harder for kids to access vapes and cigarettes, they are less likely to become addicted as youth and less likely to use them as adults. Others in the YAHL community may learn new things and overcome their own unhealthy habits by helping those in need. People in my community can come together to support one another and combat unhealthy habits that affect their everyday lives.

I care about helping reduce obesity because I want all of Oklahoma’s youth to live active, healthy lives. I want to see our schools support this goal by offering more nutritious food options and increasing exercise standards. We can achieve these goals by talking to our school board members and principals and explaining the importance of learning healthy habits.

Hello! My name is Madelyn, and I’m a student at Vanoss High School in Vanoss, Oklahoma. I’m excited to be a part of YAHL (Youth Action for Health Leadership). YAHL is a program that focuses on raising awareness and trying to help pass policies about healthy habits and how they affect our lives, from physical health to mental well-being. Through this program, I hope to learn more about how I can make a difference in my community, connect with others and help raise awareness about the importance of healthy living.

Health activism matters to me because I’ve seen how unhealthy habits can impact people’s lives, especially in my own family and community. Whether it’s unhealthy eating, addiction, or a lack of physical activity, I’ve seen the challenges that come with these problems. As a YAHL member, I want to help others overcome these issues, improve their lives, and share knowledge to make a positive difference. I believe that everyone deserves the chance to live a healthier, happier life, and I want to be part of that change.

Many people in my community–across Oklahoma–face struggles related to health, no matter their age or background. YAHL brings together young people who care about making a difference and who are ready to take action. Through our campaigns and activities, we can support those who need help and provide them with the tools to make healthier choices. Together, we can show that health activism isn’t just about making big changes, but about making small, meaningful steps that can improve lives.

One of the ways I plan to accomplish my goals as a YAHL member is by participating in campaign events and collecting surveys from people in my school and community. This will give me the chance to connect with other people in the program and share our experiences. Additionally, I’m excited about doing the Healthy Youth Day games again this year. These games help build trust and allow us to work together while learning and teaching about health issues. The discussions we have will give us the opportunity to talk openly about the problems we face, and through exercises, I’ll be able to encourage others to take action for their own health. These activities will help me build relationships and understand the needs of my community.

I believe that my work as a YAHL member can have a positive impact on my community, whether it’s in my family, school or the larger city and state. By raising awareness and helping others improve their health, I hope to inspire people to make better choices. This can lead to healthier habits in the future–not only for those around me but also for the next generation. The more we educate ourselves and others about the importance of health, the more positive change we can create.

The work we do in YAHL can help others in my community by providing them with the knowledge and resources to overcome unhealthy habits. If we support one another, we can build a stronger, healthier community. I encourage anyone in my community to get involved and join us in making a difference. Together, we can be a powerful force for change and help others live healthier, happier lives.

My name is Tessa, and I am a junior at Marlow High School. I have been in Youth Action for Health Leadership (YAHL) for three years. It’s been an amazing journey, and I’ve even had the chance to serve on the leadership team for two of those years. Thinking back to when I first attended training three years ago, I was excited to get out of class and have some fun. Now, I see how much that day has changed, impacted, and affected me.

YAHL is a youth-led health organization focused on changing policies to improve schools and communities. When I first heard that, I thought it sounded cool but also a little intimidating. One of my first opportunities was hosting an Elevate Student Health event at my school’s homecoming. To be honest, I was nervous. I had to set up a table, collect surveys and talk to classmates about wellness policies—policies most people don’t even think about! However, I spent time educating my classmates about comprehensive school wellness policies. At events, we collect surveys to bring to key decision-makers to show what the people in our community want. Once I started explaining how our school’s wellness policy wasn’t really comprehensive–my classmates got interested.

My first event went great. I’ve hosted many others since then, and each one has shown me something new about myself and my community. Through these events, I’ve found something I’m truly passionate about: advocating for healthier schools and making sure students’ voices are heard. It’s not just about policies—it’s about making real changes that can impact lives, including mine and my friends’.

One of the best parts of YAHL has been the connections I’ve made. Through YAHL, I met one of my best friends, Kaylee Davis, while we hosted events together. Over the past two years, I’ve met so many incredible people who share the same drive to make a difference. Being around other teens who are just as passionate about health advocacy is inspiring. It reminds me that we’re not alone in this—we’re part of something much bigger.

My biggest achievement through YAHL is awakening a need to make a difference and be the change that needs to happen. I would not be the person I am today if I had not joined YAHL. I am so grateful for YAHL and TSET for funding it.

Hello everyone, my name is Brecken. I live in Atoka, but I go to school in Coalgate, and I am 16. I work with a student-led organization called YAHL. YAHL stands for Youth Action for Health Leadership. I joined for two reasons. First, I wanted to have a bit of fun, and second, I wanted to help my school and community for the future. I attended a summit for the YAHL Leadership Team, and while at the Leadership Team summit, I’ve had opportunities to learn more about how I can help my school and community. 

While at the Leadership Team Summit, I have been able to grow as a person. YAHL has helped me to focus on my skills, such as public speaking, networking, leadership and more. The opportunities YAHL has given me are endless. For my college application, I can use that I’ve been on the Leadership Team for YAHL, along with the amount of community service hours volunteering with YAHL has provided. The experience YAHL has given me will help me be the best and do the best I can do. The main reason why I joined YAHL was to help regulate tobacco usage among youth and have better health options for my school, Coalgate High School. Many Coalgate High School students have been addicted to or still are addicted to drugs and alcohol, and there are people in our community who have gotten cancer from the local water source. 

If I can help save my school, the future students can live a better life than the youth before them. They will have better and safer water, their physical activity will be better and they will have healthier options in the cafeteria as well. I want to bring awareness to the people of Oklahoma so they can make a difference in their lives too.

Hello, my name is Carina Chen. I am fourteen years old, I am from Oklahoma and last, but definitely not least, I am a member of the leadership team at YAHL. YAHL stands for Youth Action for Health and Leadership, and they are a health activist group working towards two campaigns: CounterAct Tobacco and Elevate Student Health. These campaigns collect surveys and communicate with lawmakers and school administration to change policies to help restrict tobacco usage in youth and encourage them to make healthy decisions. I originally decided to join YAHL so I could be more present in my community and participate in another extracurricular activity. However, now that I have become a leadership team member, I have gained that and so much more such as confidence, social skills, friends and connections. Plus, the health activism threat YAHL works on is important in the case that a large percentage of Oklahoma youth is unhealthy and uses tobacco products. In future years, I hope I can use the tools that YAHL has given me to really make an impact and better my community and its health.

I want to see change within my community because every day I see many of my peers making bad choices with their life, and I am sad to think of how many opportunities are going down the drain due to the lack of knowledge and encouragement. YAHL has helped me accomplish many of my goals. For example, after collecting surveys and talking to people about this campaign, I have gained confidence in public speaking and talking to strangers. To make a bigger impact on my community, I would like to go on to give a partner presentation to my district’s school board and talk to some of the state’s legislatures.

While my personal goals benefit me and give me motivation, they also help to uplift my community. For example, when I gained experience talking to strangers it helped me to collect more surveys, thus getting more data to convince lawmakers and the people in charge. The others in my community also benefit by being restricted from inhaling toxic chemicals that come from tobacco products and being provided with healthy options that they can fine-tune to habits and routines when they become adults. They can also benefit by gaining social skills and confidence if they join this program. They can join if their high school already offers it, or they can request it as well! I would definitely recommend this program to anyone as they can not only improve themselves, but they can also uplift their community simultaneously.