How YAHL Empowers Me to Create Change by Jayson C.
Hello, my name is Jayson and I am 16 years old. I am a senior at Muskogee High School. I have been part of Youth Action for Health Leadership (YAHL) since my sophomore year, and this is my first year on the Leadership Team. YAHL is a youth-led organization that educates people in Oklahoma about unhealthy habits and the impact they can have on our lives. We also advocate for policies that make it easier to live a healthy life. When you join YAHL, you learn new things about your community, meet new people and make friends along the way. Health activism matters to me because I can positively affect the lives of people younger than me.
YAHL events have made me feel like I’ve actually made an impact on people’s lives. I participated in a Swap Up Day as part of the Elevate Student Health campaign at my school. Elevate Student Health helps Oklahoma schools improve youth health by increasing physical activity and offering better nutrition. During Swap Up Day, a couple of friends and I handed out healthy snacks and drinks to students after school. It brought so much joy to my classmates and drew attention to how the foods we eat affect our energy, learning, sports and extracurriculars.
Another event we held was on Halloween, where we shared information about the CounterAct Tobacco campaign. CounterAct Tobacco works to update retail licensing laws in Oklahoma to hold Big Tobacco accountable for targeting youth. At the event, we passed out candy while informing people about the dangerous effects of tobacco use. We also collected surveys so we could share community opinions with state lawmakers. This was one of the first YAHL events I participated in during high school. It was memorable and my favorite event because we got a lot of attention and people truly wanted to listen to what we had to say.
YAHL has empowered me and given me a voice to talk about these issues with those around me. More recently, I spoke to my city council about CounterAct Tobacco and what they can do to help us protect our community. I hope that by educating people in my community, I can play a role in making Oklahoma a healthier place.