Project VOICE – Building Leaders for Change in Michigan Communities

RAHS Youth Advisory Councils from Scarlett Middle, Willow Run High, and Ypsilanti High participated in SCHA-MI’s 4th annual Project Voice: A Dynamic Approach to Youth Empowerment conference on Friday, May 10th held at the University of Michigan, Flint. The kids took full advantage of the youth-led workshops featuring topics on sexual health, preventing dating violence, youth leadership, and the dangers of sexting.

All of the YAC members were instantly engaged in the conference when Raise It Up, a youth poetry group from Flint, MI began to lay down their artful prose. Many YAC members gave a standing ovation on a piece about soul food and how food is such an important part culture, but what can be done to help culture realize that food cooked in saturated fats and over seasoned with salt is a killer. The piece inspired youth to use what they know about health and inject it into their lives to create a culture of health –not death.

Scarlett YAC attended Transformers: Youth Leaders as System Reformers, a workshop about how to youth can insert themselves in program implementation. 2 of the 3 breakout sessions were led by Scarlett YAC members that volunteered to speak for their groups. We were so proud of their leadership and comfort in speaking in front of a large group!

Willow Run and Ypsi High School YACS attended The Truth About Sexting: Empowering Youth with Knowledge and Skills! The high school YACS commented on how creative the presenters were in using an apple, orange, and a banana as characters. They talked about how the personification of fruits allowed them to feel comfortable about the inappropriate messages being sent in texts. Our youth considered how important it is to deliver a message about adolescent health in an engaging and understandable way.

Once again it was an amazing experience watching our youth BE leaders. There are so many other details that need mention like, filling Project Voice bags with S.W.A.G. , super-delicious breakfast and lunch, big smiles, laughter, and overall great camaraderie. We look forward to a strong RAHS YAC representation next year!

Here are some photos from the event posted by SCHA-MI on their Facebook page.

Below are links to some of the posts by SCHA-MI about the event:

Project Voice Wows Youth for 4th Year in a Row!

Olympic Gold Medalist Claressa Shields Rocks Best Project Voice Yet