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Hello everyone, my name is Brecken, I live in Atoka, but 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 want 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 hone in on my skills, such as public speaking, networking, leadership, and more. The opportunities YAHL has given me are endless. For my college application for example, 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 that 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 for 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 use 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 everyday 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 be benefitted 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 not only can they improve themselves, they also uplift their community simultaneously.