NASBHC's Youth Track Visits Uplift Community High School

The Youth Track at this year's Convention toured the school-based health center at Uplift Community High School to learn about the services offered to students of Uplift and the community. Check out these photos from their visit:

Meet the Youth Track: Nidia L. Escobar

My name is Nidia L. Escobar and I am from Los Angeles, CA. I am currently attending Pasadena City College and my intended major is Health Education. I first got involved with SBHC’s back in 2005 when I was a sophomore in high school. The reason why I was so drawn to volunteer for my high school's health center was because I thought they were addressing an important issue. Most people in my community do not really talk about certain issues, like teen pregnancy or nutrition or physical activity, so I felt it was very important for the health center to do so. What kept me involved for the following three years was the hard dedication of the health centers staff, and how much love they put into their work. Their enthusiasm in their work rubbed off on me. I then started to feel that it was so important for youth, like myself, to be involved in educating my peers and people living in my community. From that period in my life I knew what kind of career I wanted. I want to motivate young people to get involved in whatever issues might be important because a lot of issues effecting youth are made by adults without any youth input.

Meet the Youth Track: Nzugu Kitenge

My name is Nzugu Kitenge and I am from Oakland California. I largely grew up in the Bay Area, but at one point my family and I moved to the Central Valley. The schools that I attended there did not have health centers or clinics. It wasn’t until I moved back to the Bay Area during my first year in high school that I found out what a school-based health center was. I was really amazed that a resource of this caliber was offered to high school students. I eventually became involved by joining a youth led research team that was supported by Alameda Family Services and USF, and through that was able to learn more of the services that were offered, as well as some of the issues that my fellow peers were going through. I truly learned about the impact a school-based health center has on a student body by being lucky enough to participate in this youth led research team. Utilizing and becoming a part of my school-based health center taught me that everyone should have the opportunity to take advantage of a health center in their school. School-Based health centers should be readily available to all youth across the state, and I will continue to advocate for them so that this mission can become a reality.

Meet the Youth Track: Elizabeth Guzman Arroyo

This is the first in a series of posts that will run before the Convention introducing members of the Youth Track.

A dedicated leader and youth activist, Elizabeth Guzman Arroyo took it upon herself to fund the first statewide Youth Advisory Council for school-based health care in Oregon. Elizabeth is a strong advocate for school-based health care, beginning during her high school career with the development of the Forest Grove School-Based Health Center. As a youth leader, Elizabeth believes youth involvement in school-based health care is of the upmost importance. She states that, "school-based health care is for students. It is our responsibility and privilege as youth to advocate for resources that impact our lives." A current student at Linfield College, Elizabeth plans on majoring in General Business with a double concentration in Marketing and Management, a degree that will aid Elizabeth in pursuing her dream of developing a national youth leadership/development organization.

Welcome to NASBHC's 2011 Annual Convention Blog

Hello and welcome to NASBHC's 2011 Annual Convention Blog. We can't wait to see everyone in Chicago this June - at the Convention and online.

There are a lot of exciting things happening at the Convention this year that you won't want to miss (click here to check out our preliminary program).

We'll be streaming all three of the plenary sessions live again this year along with two workshops to allow those who are unable to attend keep up with what's happening in Chicago.

Similar to last year, we'll show a live Twitter feed in the Convention hall. This allows everyone, including those who aren't present, to participate and interact with each other.

We are fortunate enough to have five social media fellows attending the Convention this year. They'll have distinct badges that will make them easy to spot. Throughout the Convention you will find them at NASBHC's booth and attending workshops. They will be happy to answer quesitons about Twitter and Facebook.

NASBHC is proud to have 16 Youth Ambassadors at the Convention this year participating in our Youth Track. These college and high school students will be travelling to the Convention from five different states and will work on projects related to their interests in media, advocacy, or leadership.

Keep checking this blog for updates, blogs about the different workshops and plenaries, and introductions to our staff, social media fellows, and youth ambassadors! And if you haven't registered yet, be sure to visit www.nasbhc.org/convention now. Keep in mind the early bird cut-off for registration is May 20th. Don't miss the discounted rate!

Watch NASBHC's 2011 Convention video:

By Kyle Taylor
Outreach and Engagement Intern