Oregon School-Based Health Alliance

Youth voices for youth health youth engagement and leadership are central to osbha's mission, ensuring that young people play a vital role in shaping health advocacy efforts. During this year, 15 youth involved in the student health advocates were representative of four different counties and are a cohort composed of a diverse range of youth from all backgrounds and identities, portraying the current student body of oregon. Additionally, osbha supported a group of youth interns, through youth corps, who received training in advocacy and public health issues, gaining experience in amplifying student voices and understanding health policy. Our youth corps cohort grew by 50% this year. To further elevate youth leadership, osbha organized an annual advocacy event where students engaged with policymakers to discuss school health needs. This year's event hosted 104 attendees from portland metro, milwaukie, forest grove, beaverton, hillsboro, tigard, eugene, and independence. Beyond statewide initiatives, osbha worked directly with youth-led groups at sbhcs, helping students lead projects focused on creating welcoming school environments, promoting mental health awareness, and supporting access to essential health services. Youth led mental health awareness campaigns, and sexual health education. Participants received training in facilitation, affective language, and youth engagement strategies to enhance their leadership skills. Additionally, osbha continued its efforts to develop future youth health advocates and healthcare providers through leadership programs that equip students with public health knowledge and advocacy skills. This year, osbha deepened its commitment to black youth sexual health through a growing partnership with black and beyond the binary collective (b3c). Osbha worked on initiatives such as peer education on confidentiality rights (minor consent laws, hipaa, ferpa, and mandatory reporting), education on navigating discrimination in healthcare, and joint advocacy for youth sexual and reproductive health equity. Osbha also supported a grant program designed to help schools implement youth-led initiatives focused on healthy relationships, inclusion, and community-based education on nonviolence. Furthermore, osbha supported school-based health programming by partnering with educators and health professionals to expand peer education on preventative health topics, such as hpv vaccine awareness and adolescent health. Additionally, recognizing the importance of youth-friendly communication, osbha engaged in a process of developing communications materials informed by youth perspectives to promote school-based health services.

Advocacy through its policy and advocacy work, osbha continued to drive systemic change by equipping young people with the skills and knowledge needed to engage in decision-making spaces. Policy and advocacy training sessions focused on public speaking, legislative engagement, and effective storytelling to empower young people to advocate for their needs. Legislative and strategic partnerships remained a core focus, ensuring that youth had a seat at the table in conversations shaping school-based health care policies. Training efforts emphasized developing advocacy skills, with youth learning how to share their personal experiences, navigate policy discussions, and influence decision-making. In addition to supporting direct policy engagement, osbha strengthened partnerships with local health departments to expand youth-led educational initiatives. These partnerships promoted access to critical health resources, sexual health education, and mental health awareness programs. As part of these efforts, osbha collaborated with school-based youth councils and educators to integrate comprehensive health education into school curricula. Health centers worked alongside student leaders to provide peer-led discussions on consent, healthy relationships, and adolescent health topics, further ensuring that students had access to accurate and inclusive health information. These collective efforts contributed to creating safer and more informed school communities, reinforcing osbha's role as a leader in advancing youth health equity across oregon.