My name is Idayziah and I am a senior at Hopewell High School. I am going into my second year being apart of Y-Street and my first year being a member on the Y Street Leadership Team (YSLT). This was my school’s first year participating in Y Street and having members go to the Y Street Leadership Team Summit. It was an amazing opportunity for the three members from my school to experience a week such as this one with many other youth advocates from across Virginia. We were able to talk about our successes with last year’s campaigns, Great Starts with Breakfast and 24/7, as well as receive an introduction on how to become an expert on our new campaigns, Rev Your Bev and Share the Air. It gave us a chance to connect with each other about different ways to promote a healthier Virginia, starting with our schools and communities. These were some of the most passionate and influential youth I have ever met!

We had many opportunities to help one another overcome public speaking, talking to the media, and answering questions in interviews. In one week we went from good Y Street members to exceptional Y Street leaders! Using our newly gained skills, we prepared ourselves for our annual YSLT networking lunch later that week. Most of us were nervous but, leave it up to our YFO’s, Lea and Mel, to help us get the jitters out with a shakedown countdown exercise to [literally] shake out those nerves! It was amazing to talk with professionals who were on the same mission as us.

Even though we had a lot of serious business, the week was filled with icebreakers, roommate activities, and not to mention free food. This week was more than learning about how to become a better leader, it was also about growing new and everlasting friendships. This event helped me make connections with people I would have never met without Y Street. The summit and the new YSLT members gave me a different outlook on how I can help my community. It gave me several ideas on how I can make a change but most importantly an effective change. Now I can start effectively influencing my peers and key decision makers in my community.

Overall this summit gave me a better understanding on how important the youth voices are when it comes to changing Virginia for the better. No organization other than Y Street has shown me how to become the voice of change in my school and community, along with the many other new YSLT members. I will take the skills I have learned from the summit and apply them in my everyday life and help promote a healthier Virginia with the help of the new 2019-2020 YSLT Members:

Brunswick High School
Desmyn Owens
Jarielle Seward

Central High School
Shannon Nicely

Charlottesville High School
Abigail Tackett
Ashlyn Cherix

George Wythe High School
Amaia Horton

Giles High School
David Johnson
Ruth Brown
Ruth Perkins

Granby High School
Carys Jenkins
Shawna Alston

Greensville County High School
Savion Taylor

Hopewell High School
Bianca Bonila
Idayziah Jones
Rossy Cruz

Manchester High School
Cali Minton
Hannah Houston
Sydney Smith

Potomac High School
Precious Donkor

Powhatan High School
Olivia Hoover
Sheyla Daniles

Tabb High School
Eviona Dang
Hannah Namkoomg
Sabrina Ngugen

JR Tucker high school
Jarrin Norton

I first joined Y-street at the beginning of my sophomore year, at that point in my life I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and had never taken on any serious role of responsibility or leadership. I knew nothing about health policy or working in a professional manner. Y Street changed all of that for me and helped me to not only grow as a student, but as an individual as well. Anyone can join Y Street but you can only get out of it what you put in, which is something I quickly learned. I learned so much because of Y Street and had the time of my life being a part of such an impactful and wonderful organization, and one of the best choices I ever made was getting super involved. Two of the most prominent Y Street memories that stick out for me as really helping me build leadership and professional skills are my first time at the Y Street Leadership Summit and when my county got our tobacco policy passed.

When I applied to participate in the Y Street Leadership Team, I had no idea what it would entail and had no idea how much I would learn from it. I truly credit the Kick-off Summit for providing me with the majority of my leadership and professional skills. I was able to learn about networking and how to present myself in a professional manner, while also having a ton of fun. I was able to build connections with others and getting to learn new skill sets with peers makes it all the more fun. Once I had the YSLT position I was able to use the skill set I learned at the summit and use it in my school environment to enact change and produce more student involvement. Without attending the Summit, I wouldn’t have the leadership skills I have today or be able to present myself in a professional manner and it was through these skills I was able to help get the tobacco policy changed at my school.

It’s fun to hear about the change other students are making, and it can be hard to believe that anyone can make a change if they get involved and put in work. When you commit to Y Street and put in the effort, nothing is more rewarding than seeing your hard work pay off and knowing you enacted a healthy change in your community. Helping to get my school’s tobacco policy changed helped me realize I was capable of making a difference. Even though we are students and it sometimes feels like we’re too young and our voices are to small, they’re not. It’s never too late or too early to make a change. And my time at Y Street taught me that by getting involved and committing you are not only able to make a change for your community but you can make a change in yourself. When you commit and put in the work for Y Street you will come out the other end as a leader with extensive knowledge of health policy and have the ability to conduct yourself in a professional atmosphere.

Hi, my name is Carys and I’m a sophomore at Granby High School. This is my second year in Y Street and my first year on the Y Street Leadership Team. In the beginning of this year, other Y Street members and myself had the opportunity to present a new bill to Virginia delegates and Senators that could make ALL schools in the state of Virginia 100% comprehensive. The Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY) empowers Virginia’s youth to make healthy choices by promoting active, nutritious and tobacco-free living. Healthy Youth Day gave us the opportunity to promote the importance of making a tobacco-free environment.

The 24/7 campaign is an initiative to help all schools in Virginia understand, adopt, implement, and enforce comprehensive tobacco-free policies. With this campaign, we’ve collected surveys, perform events and held many school board meetings. In this campaign, we have discovered the upcoming of electronic smoking devices and have found a way to implement the new language in the school-based tobacco policies. With these bills, we asked to implement comprehensive tobacco policies banning all forms of tobacco products and e-cigarettes on school property, school buses or at school-sponsored events. Being at General Assembly and addressing this issue was a wonderful experience. Not only for myself but, to know that we, as active youth leaders, made a change for ourselves and the generations to come.

The 24/7 campaign is one of my favorites, mainly because I’ve witnessed smokers and have seen the impact on them and their bodies. SB 1295 & HB 2384 has now changed the policy for smoking of any kind at any school or school-sponsored event. Now that these bills have passed, I’ve seen the impact for youth activism. Youth activism is working towards something changes people’s lives for the better. I see why every principal meeting we held was so important and how collecting data from our peers helped us even more! I am now learning to use my voice for the generations after me. I am happy to say that Virginia schools are now 100% tobacco & e-cigarette free!! Let’s make Virginia healthier for everyone!

My name is Ruthie, and I am a sophomore at Giles High School. This is my second year in Y Street and my first year on the Leadership Team. Y Street has allowed me to participate in many opportunities. One of these opportunities was to travel to the 2019 Weight of the State Conference this month to share how Giles High School is working with Y Street to combat childhood obesity.

The Weight of the State Conference is a gathering of teachers, nurses, coaches, school board members, government officials, and healthy Virginia advocates, like myself. The sessions and presentations create an atmosphere to share ideas and success stories about how to fight childhood obesity in Virginia. A few topics that were discussed include the following: gym classes, research findings, cultural effects on eating and exercising in healthy ways, and how school breakfast can help combat this issue.

On Sunday evening, I drove to Short Pump, Virginia and met up with the Y Street team and three other YSLT from across the commonwealth. That evening, we practiced our presentations on stage and we met our fellow presenters. It was a really fun and exciting experience especially as an amateur public speaker.
The next morning, we had breakfast in a large ballroom and I prepared to give my seven minute “Ted Talk” in front of 300 people. I was very nervous but excited at the same time. As I walked up on stage, the crowd was welcoming and attentive. I spoke about my childhood, high school, and the work I am doing in Y Street. One of Y Street’s campaigns is Great Starts with Breakfast which promotes schools breakfast participation and helps kids choose healthier breakfast items which helps combat childhood obesity. In my presentation, I discussed the barriers that prevent students in my county from eating a nutritious, balanced breakfast. I also discussed ways that we get students involved in our campaigns in a fun and inclusive way. With events, giveaways, and fun attractions, it is an easier and more exciting way of encouraging healthier lifestyles for my peers. I also networked with so many people that are all working for a healthier Virginia.
I even learned a few things that I took back to my high school and shared with my team members. I attended a few sessions that gave me new ideas about new breakfast models, running clubs, and more fun ways to get kids excited about healthy living. It was a great experience, and one that I will not forget.

Hi! My Name is Savion a sophomore at Greensville Co High School and this is what we for National School Breakfast Week. Y Street Members at Greensville Co. High School recently went to Greensville Elementary School to host a Breakfast with a Buddy. National School Breakfast Week was March 4-8th this year, this is a week where the nation celebrate eating school breakfast and the importance of eating breakfast. As Y Street members, we wanted to plan an event at Greensville Elementary School. We thought it would be fun to plan a Breakfast with a Buddy Event where we go and eat with elementary students.

YSters, Bacon & Egg (who are YSters in costumes), and Greensville High School’s CNA Students went to Greensville Elementary School on March 13, 2019 to host a variety of events for the day! Y-Sters and CNA students ate breakfast with the elementary school students, while Bacon & Egg was going to classrooms discussing breakfast and its benefits. The topics of these classroom discussions ranged from “Build Your Own Smoothie”, to “What is A Healthy Breakfast”, to “What Breakfast Items Do You Like”. Each Student got a Great Starts with Breakfast bracelet and sticker. We even gave the teachers pens and a stress ball.

Greensville’s Breakfast with A Buddy Event was a great success. Students learned what a healthy breakfast looks like and why breakfast is important. Students also had the chance to tell us about reasons they believe eating breakfast is important. I really enjoyed this great event and can’t wait for a chance to do it again.

My name is Unoma and I am currently a Junior at King George High school. I have been involved in Y Street for 2 years and this is my first year on the Y Street Leadership Team. One of my greatest achievements as a student at King George was witnessing our school’s tobacco policy becoming comprehensive with the help of the 24/7 Campaign. The 24/7 Campaign aims to prevent any tobacco use within school activities. This policy is strictly enforced to everyone, anywhere on school campus, or at off-campus school sponsored events. Having a tobacco-free school policy allows all school environments to stay safe and well respected. Overtime I have seen a prolific amount of environmental changes that not only benefits the school, but the students. A few months ago my school principal announced that the overall academic level has increased dramatically. Students were passing their SOLs, participating in clubs, school activities, and representing the KGHS life as one big family. Seeing all these modifications in our school helped me to be a proud representative of Y Street.

Schools in divisions with 100% comprehensive tobacco policies have the opportunity to celebrate Tobacco-Free Spirit Day. Tobacco-Free Spirit Day is a fun, informational day held for students, staff, and visitors.This day allowed everyone to get involved and gain a better understanding of what it meant to be a tobacco-free school. I was able to interact with students and inform them of what it meant to be 100% comprehensive at our school. A question that was frequently asked regarded how are school was impacted from being 100% comprehensive. I responded by saying , “Maintaining a healthy environment provides the best for students at our school.” Tobacco-Free Spirit Day was truly a memorable day for me,I witnessed a huge change in our community.

If someone were to ask me, “Why is it important for your school and community to be tobacco free?” my response would be relentless. Having a tobacco-free school and community guarantees safety for everyone, it offers the best academic increase for students, and allows them to focus in class. Students deserve every aspect of building their academic achievement. Being apart of Y Street allowed me to share my thoughts on maintaining a safer community and impacting lives for the public. Say NO to tobacco products and say YES to enriching lives in our community!

Hi, my name is Alex and I’m a senior at Christiansburg High School in Virginia. This my third year in Y Street and my first year on the Y Street Leadership Team. A week ago, a few other Y Street members and I drove to Richmond to talk with Delegates and Senators about a new bill that could make ALL schools in Virginia 100% tobacco and e-cigarette free. The 24/7 Campaign is one that I have always loved being a part of, mainly because of my best friend who has severe asthma. This new bill could make it so that she doesn’t have to worry about secondhand smoke at school events like football games, which is really exciting!

On on this day, the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth hosted a breakfast for delegates and senators where myself and 14 other Y-Sters had the chance to talk about the work we do in Y Street. Starting at around 8:30 in the morning, some members began leaving for meetings with legislators in the General Assembly Building. We talked to about 20 legislators about the bill and how we would love if they would support it. We had some really successful meetings. Delegate Hurst even signed on as a co-patron for the bill! That same day SB 1295 was passed out of the Senate Education Committee and sent to the Floor.

Going out and talking about the issues that the 24/7 Campaign is all about was a really great chance not just for us, but for the legislators that we talked to as well. We were able to actively go out and tell our representatives what goes on in our hometowns and what we do as Y Street to try and make a healthier Virginia. After this amazing opportunity, I can see just how important youth activism is and how effective it can be. It doesn’t matter if it is going to a principal meeting to discuss signage and a toolkit or going to Richmond to meet with legislators; youth activism is about being an active member of something that could change people’s lives for the better. As of now, the bill has been passed through the Senate and is on its way through the House of Delegates! Hopefully, HB 2384 will soon be passed into law and we will all be one giant step closer to a healthier Virginia.

My name is Jarielle, I am a junior at Brunswick High School and I have been a member of Y-Street for 2 years now. As a member of Y-Street, my school focuses on two major campaigns. One of our campaigns is called 24/7. As an activist for this campaign, I have worked with my campaign manager to influence my school district into updating the Tobacco Policies. So far, my school has been very successful, and our school board has been very positive towards implementing the new materials to make our school district tobacco free. This campaign is very important to me because I live in an area where tobacco is a popular crop. Students at my school chew and smoke tobacco products. I believe in this campaign because I want my peers to live happy and healthier lives without the negative influences of society.

One of the perks that comes with the 24/7 campaign is a major event called the Fall Day of Action. This was the first year my school has participated in the campaign and we used our school’s cafeteria during lunch shifts to increase student participation. Our student body was very supportive of the movement and we collected over 50 surveys. My peers enjoyed hanging the Thanks Giving themed cards on the close line to show their spirit and participation. As YSLT members, a fellow YSLT (Desmyn Owens) and myself, recruited 5 other members to walk around the cafeteria and get students attention. The students love to see a Y-Street table at lunch and are always excited to ask questions. One of my peers even said that she supports the campaign because her father never smoked a day in his life but died of lung cancer. He was a construction worker who had developed cancer from second hand smoke. Her story touched my heart because it shows that even people in society who don’t use tobacco products are affected by them every day.

As a teen in high school, I realize that this is one of the most critical areas in our lives. I believe that peer pressure can also have a positive side. As a youth activist, I know what can persuade people my age and know that advice coming from your friends is easier to take than advice of a parent or other adult. Seeing the participation at the Fall Day of Action Event allowed me to see that I am not alone. There are many people my age who want to change society for the better and just need a voice to do so. Y-Street is that voice. Working with adults who want to create a better life for teens is a true blessing. Soon, I plan to continue working with my school board to make our division 100% tobacco free.

My name is Elana W. I attend Charlottesville High school, and I am in the eleventh
Grade. This is my first year in Y Street. I was introduced to Y Street through my school. Every morning I receive announcements from my school. There are many times when I do not come across something that applies to me or catches my eye. I came across the Y Street training announcement and it asked me if I wanted to learn leadership skills and I was immediately sold! I was also very excited to learn how to enhance my social interaction with others, as I did not know what the audience for this opportunity would look like.

When everyone arrived, Jonathan and Gabby did a few activities to help us get to know each other and to feel more like a community. All of us students took a pre-training survey about the issues that would be covered. I honestly felt really happy to take the survey because it made me feel like my opinion mattered. We did a few more activities to help us have a better understanding of the issues and campaigns. For me, the activities helped me better understand what was being explained. Later on in the training, we were given the assignment to go survey our peers during lunch time on the campaigns learned in the training. When I first received the packet of surveys my heart skipped a beat, as I was nervous. However, passing out surveys turned out to be my favorite part! It allowed me to see how interested and excited others were to know that their voice matters.

Y Street was an unexpected experiment. From this experience I learned that I can use my voice. It benefited me and my fellow Y-Sters by challenging us to learn something new. Society creates boxes and it is easy to think you should not be different. If Y Street is new to you and you are interested, it is for you! Coming into this training you can expect to feel more confident about those thoughts ringing in your mind that you never address. Your voice deserves to be heard and you should join Y Street to learn how to do so!

Hi! My name is Evie and I go to Fauquier High School. This is my 2nd year in Y-Street and my 1st year on the Y-Street Leadership Team. When I joined Y-street I hoped to make a difference within my school community. Within the past year my fellow Y-sters have made lots of progress with one including passing the comprehensive policy. I love being able to be involved in a big way and the opportunities Y-street has offered me.

This past month I was invited to attend the Food and Drug Administration’s new launch of “The Real Cost” campaign. I was there to help them relaunch this campaign after their first launch which was held in 2014. This campaign targets the young middle and high school kids that are using traditional and electronic tobacco and nicotine products. The FDA is launching this campaign to get the word to these kids about the different effects these products will do and to try get these targeted kids to stop using them as they do not realize these products can be very addictive. Their strategies to get the campaign known are by putting it on websites and apps that teens use on a daily basis we are also planning on placing signs in school bathrooms. They want these AD’s to be seen by the most amount of teens as possible and putting them on certain sites and apps such as Spotify and others like it will make this possible.

This campaign is so important to our generation. As we see within our schools and in our community the e-cig use is increasing everyday and there needs to be actions taken to stop it. Being able to share my experiences and knowledge with many of the very important people in the industry of healthy youth will forever be memorable. These many different adults that were there will forever listen to the youth that are around and witnessing what is happening everyday. I gained so much from this experience by just being there. Being able to hear what information they have on e-cigs and being able to be a part of this new launch has made me super excited to continue the great work we are doing. This opportunity can be offered to anyone through the work we are all doing through y-street!