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Statewide Youth Advisory Council

CALL FOR YOUTH LEADERS AGES 15-19:

APPLICATIONS FOR THE OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY PUBLIC HEALTH DIVISION YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL NOW OPEN!

Are you between the ages of 15 - 19 and interested in having a say in the future of public health in Oregon? 

Please apply to our OHA-PHD Youth Advisory Council! 

Applications for the 2026 - 2027 cohort open now and will close on June 21st, 2026.

Ver INVITACIÓN PARA SOLICITAR PARTICIPAR EN EL CONSEJO ASESOR JUVENIL DE LA OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY en español: Aquí.

Oregon Health Authority Public Health's (OHA-PH) Youth Advisory Council Charter

OHA's Commitment to Health Equity

OHA is committed to seeking participation on this council from youth from communities most impacted by health inequities, including youth of color, youth from tribal communities, youth with disabilities, youth experiencing housing instability, youth from immigrant communities, and youth who are LGTBQ2SIA+. OHA will provide the youth advisory council with the overarching goal to advance health equity through their work. OHA defines health equity as:

“Oregon will have established a health system that creates health equity when all people can reach their full health potential and well-being and are not disadvantaged by their race, ethnicity, language, disability, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, social class, intersections among these communities or identities, or other socially determined circumstances.

Achieving health equity requires the ongoing collaboration of all regions and sectors of the state, including tribal governments to address: The equitable distribution or redistribution of resources and power; andrecognizing, reconciling and rectifying historical and contemporary injustices."

Apply here!

Click here to be directed to the application!

Para solicitar en espanol, solicite aqui.


Questions regarding the application?

Register here to join a virtual Q&A on June 15th, 2026 from 3-4:30pm.

Other Questions/Preguntas? 
Contact:


YAC Logo Design.png 

YAC Logo created by 2025 - 2026 cohort members.

​A youth advisory council (YAC) is a youth-led decision-making and service body that collaborates with an organization to make decisions affecting youth. YACs can have different structures, compositions, and decision-making authority – but the goal is to empower youth to lead policy and program development. Here are a couple of short videos describing example YACs across the state and country:

-  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6HZvS61eJY  (Hillsboro, OR)
-  https://vimeo.com/226931555 (Muskegon County, MI)

-  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1x4aLalotQ&t=1s (More general explanation of government board and commissions, including youth advisory committee in Tigard, OR)


​ ​

​​Wh​o We Are

The OHA-PHD YAC is a diverse group of Oregon youth working on various advocacy, research and outreach projects related to health and wellness topics. Much of our work is done in subcommittees with focuses on specific topics, so YAC members have the ability to delve into topics they are passionate about.

The OHA-PHD YAC prides itself on creating a fun, welcoming and productive environment. To ensure that the YAC is operating under the principles of equity and justicie, past YAC members have created an equity statement. Our equity statement has become central to our work and drives all our major decision. See equity statement below:

As the Oregon Health Authority's Youth Advisory Council, we recognize and prioritize the challenges youth face, especially when it comes to youth well-being. We also acknowledge and emphasize the importance of inclusivity within communities and strive to make youth-informed decisions that values human life. We do this for the future of Oregon youth, and to promote diversity, safety, stability, quality of life, and the rights of every human being. Our goal is to improve communities' health across the entirety of Oregon by offering youth feedback on policy, distribution of funds, and more to reach the goals listed above. 

If you would like to get to know us better check out our instagram @ohayouthadvisorycouncil and this video we made about youth voice: 

OHA-PHD YAC Youth Engagement – How Adults Can Work Well with Youth

Past Projects

Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is looking for youth leaders to join a Youth Advisory Council (YAC) for the 2026-2027 school year. The YAC brings together youth form across Oregon to shape youth focused health programs.

Previous councils have:

  • ​Developed a grant to distribute COVID-19 Recovery Funds to community organizations. 
  • Developed a partnership with the Governor’s office.
  • Partnered with public health programs to offer youth insight and advice
  • Received additional funding to initiate a School Based Health Center Subcommittee to provide youth input and feedback on SBHC program policies and processes. 
  • Created a youth-facing consent and confidentiality document.
  • Participated in Title V Needs Assessment and Prioritization meetings with OHA Maternal and Child Health Programs with the goal of selecting the youth health priorities for the next five years.
  • Provided feedback on the OHA’s State Health Assessment and State Health Improvement Plan aimed at determining statewide priorities for health. 
  • Helped craft a statewide website campaign aimed at preventing youth overdose
  • Provided youth input on OHA’s Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention (HPCDP) Youth Vaping and Tobacco Use Cessation and Prevention Strategic Plan.

Applicants can view a more comprehensive list of past projects here​​.

​This list is not comprehensive, we aim to have members propose project initiatives that are youth-led and youth-designed. Various projects proposals from the Public Health Division arise throughout the year and are accepted based on cohort interest and capacity

At a minimum, the 2026 - 2027 YAC will:
  • Work with the public health division to develop program and policy recommendations that impact youth all over Oregon. The policy recommendations will be youth-led and driven.
  • ​Feature three ongoing subcommittees: 
    • Youth Data Subcommittee: The Data Subcommittee, previously known as the Youth Data Council, strengthens the Student Health Survey (SHS), a statewide survey for students, by helping shape the questions, review the data, and share how the results are used. Members work on projects that build data skills, including using Excel and Google Sheets. This work helps make the SHS a stronger tool for supporting student well‑being across Oregon.
    • Policy Subcommittee: The Policy Subcommittee is a new opportunity. The goal is to introduce members to the Oregon Legislative session and the policy making process. In collaboration with OHA’s Government Relations team, members will have an opportunity to learn more about the Oregon State Legislature through the 2027 long session and provide input and perspective on Public Health policy and implementation.  
    • Access to Clinical Preventive Services: The Access to Clinical and Preventive Services Subcommittee works across the Public Health Division to broaden access to youth services and strengthen youth-facing resources. Members can expect to work with OHA programs such as the State Program Office for School Based Health Centers, Injury and Violence Prevention, Reproductive Health, and more.
    • Community Outreach and Media (COM): Different from the subcommittees above, members accepted to the YAC will have the opportunity to apply and interview to be selected to serve in the role as a COM Lead. We will recruit for 2 (two) members once the 2026 - 2027 cohort is formed. COM Leads will partner to run our social media account (instagram), collaborate with other youth councils, perform and plan projects to partake in community outreach and involvement, bringing further awareness to the OHA-PHD YAC, and plan internal celebrations and engagement opportunities. 


OHA will appoint up to 16 youth to serve on the YAC from August 2026 to July 2027. Once appointed, each YAC member is eligible to serve up to two years. YAC members will be expected to commit up to 8 hours per month to the following:
  • ​Attending and engaging in one 2-hour YAC meeting per month. 
    • All meetings will be virtual, held on Wednesday/Thursday afternoons from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm (subject to change). 
    • We encourage members to facilitate a minimum of one meeting a year
  • Spending 3 to 6 additional hours a month on other council activities, such as attending a subcommittee on a topic that you are passionate about or previewing materials for the next meeting.
    • Subcommittees are groups within the YAC that work on specific projects or initiatives. The 2026-2027 subcommittee offerings are detailed in the section above. We strongly encourage each member to participate in at least one subcommittee, but it is not required.     
  • Attending two full-day (10:00 am - 4:00 pm) in person retreats. 
    • Typically held in Winter and Spring, dates determined by cohort availability. OHA can assist with travel expenses.

  • Youth ages 15-19 at time of application, AND
  • Lives in Oregon  ​

​Youth who serve on the Youth Advisory Council will receive:

  • $45/hr stipend for all time spent on council activities. Members are paid via our contracted partner, REAP INC. Youth over the age of 18 will have a choice of direct deposit to a bank account or a paper check. Youth under the age of 18 will receive a mailed paper check. Please note that OHA/REAP Inc. will require tax forms.
    • ​Community service hours – youth may receive community service hours in place of funding/compensation if they prefer, and/or if they are unable to receive funding/compensation for participation.
  • Mentorship from state public health officials and adult community partners.
  • Training on youth-adult partnership and health equity.
  • Learning opportunities and professional development related to public health, education, and community support.
  • The chance to make a positive difference in the lives of Oregon youth.
  • Connection with youth from across the state who have a passion for public health.
  • The opportunity to engage in specific issues in depth in subcommittees/workgroups (Communications and Outreach, School Based Health Centers, State Policy, Youth Data, etc) 

​Dates are subject to change

June 1st: Applications Open

June 21st: Applications Close

June 22nd - July 8th: Application Review

July 20th - July 30th: New Applicant Conferences Scheduled

August 10th: Appointment Notices 

August 27th (date subject to change): First meeting of the Oregon Health Authority Youth Advisory Council 

New Applicant Conferences Disclaimer

The new applicant conference portion of the recruitment process is designed to be a friendly “get to know you” conversation. Current YAC members will be present at the new member applicant conferences. Questions for this portion will be sent to applicants who are invited to this round of recruitment 2 weeks in advance in order to allow time to prepare. ​