Michigan's statewide youth advisory council on sexual health!
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What is MY Voice?
MY Voice is the youth advisory council that MOASH coordinates. MY Voice exists to inform the services, programs and materials created for youth by MOASH and other community partners. In addition, MY Voice members are involved in various youth advocacy efforts throughout the year and use their voices of experience to improve services for youth across the state. MY Voice members have the opportunity to be trained on a variety of sexual health topics, undergo leadership development, gain communication skills and work on advocacy efforts. Members are typically 16-21 but younger youth can be accepted on a case by case basis. The council meets monthly, often in Lansing but also occasionally in other areas of the state. |
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Meet our 2018-2019 MY Voice members:
xander bailey
maddi carpenter-crawford
Maddi is a curious person. Especially about people, their ideas, their uniqueness, their experiences. And wanting to learn about people, Maddi cannot help but get involved with people. On any given day, you'll find Maddi balancing her International Baccalaureate program at school, assistant directing in youth theatre, participating in civics through the Mayor's Youth Council and Arts Commission, chasing a perfect moment with her camera, facilitating social justice dialogues, or counseling at a camp, and whatever comes up in between. She wants to always explore, grow, and make the world better (don't we all) connection by connection. Through MyVoice, she hopes to get to know some great people, learn from them, and push for the implementation of more inclusive, practical sexual education in Michigan.
ESTELLA CLARK
hiran dewar
My name is Hiran Dewar (she/her/hers) and I am a senior at Huron High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I joined MY Voice to learn more about sexual health and how to help teens in my community combat problems that they face every day. I also joined to be a representative for my community and speak up against problems that teens deal with daily. One day, I hope to get a medical degree and then work in public policy/health. This stems from my passion for social justice and interest in medicine, so adolescent sexual health has been a core part of my interests throughout high school. Other sexual health spaces that I work in include Peer Education for Planned Parenthood (teaching health classes about topics such as contraception and LGBTQ+), and Ann Arbor Sexual Health Education Advisory Committee (working with educators around Ann Arbor to approve curriculum and impact change regarding sexual health education). I participate in a wide range of extracurriculars outside of sexual health, from Varsity Lacrosse to research at University of Michigan’s Cancer Center. I am incredibly excited for this opportunity to work on MY Voice with amazing youth to better my community. I can be contacted at hmdewar01@gmail.com.
darien mccowan
emily nyquist
My name is Emily Nyquist and I am a sophomore at Northview High School. In my freetime I enjoy reading, writing, acting, and watching anything Star Wars. I’m on my school’s student council board, as well as a part of the WAVE (welcoming, accepting, valuing, everyone) club there. I joined MY Voice this fall (2018) because I am involved in a similar organization, YLAV (Young Leaders Against Violence). I'm passionate about sexual health and education because I've seen the consequences of an non inclusive health program, and I believe that if we want anything to change, we must be the driving force of that change. I'm also passionate about other social justice issues such as gun violence and equal rights for all genders. My goal is to get into University of Michigan where I'd like to pursue a career as an attorney for sexual assault victims. I can be reached at enyquistgr2552@gmail.com
alexandria piette
I am Alexandria “Allie” Piette, a nineteen-year old student and activist from Grand Rapids, Michigan. I applied to MOASH’s MY Voice team to implement change regarding sexual health and its impact throughout communities across the state, which are two topics I feel strongly towards. When I am not finishing my diploma or working through MY Voice, I am typically found writing, reading, creating art, and devoting time to my family of (currently) eight. I am impassioned towards my involvement in the foster care system and with at-risk youth. I aim to become a social worker to improve the quality of lives of children throughout foster care, in juvenile detention, LGBTQ+ homeless youth, et cetera. I hope to make a change in sex education programs across the state, and to strengthen reproductive healthcare access in low-income communities. I can be contacted at alexandriapiette@gmail.com.
graceanne powel
lexi raymond
Lexi Raymond is a senior at Rockford High School in the Kent County area. She is a transgender activist with a focus on creating policy increasing and defining students rights. Lexi comes from a life of being discriminated by their transgender status. She refuses to be talked down to and responds to problems with actions. The more work she has to do the better. She has been educated in Spanish fluently from rogue wood elementary. She is additionally a student of Kent Innovation High, a excellent project-based learning school. She is a natural leader and is trained to work in groups in norms of collaboration. She plans to have a life in transgender activism or political running. On another note, Lexi is part of an eSports team called Team AKWA. She enjoys video games and the theatrical arts. She has written 3 plays and attends Michigan Thespian Festival. She performed at 20 Monroe Live with the show Zombie Prom. She loves to make paper airplanes. And she when she needs to relax she will go to the park and skip stones and fly kites while listening to podcasts. Lexi is excited to be the MY Trans Voice liaison to MY Voice. And looks forward to being involved with the groups work. You can find contact info on most social media platforms @DuarfS
shane shananaquet
julia sickrey
My name is Julia Sickrey, and I graduated from Rockford High School in 2018. I am currently a freshman at Grand Rapids Community College. In my free time I enjoy reading, drinking coffee, listening to music, and going for bike rides. I joined MY Voice in the fall of 2018, and joined because of another club I had been a part of called Young Leaders Against Violence(YLAV). YLAV deals with sexual assault and domestic violence, and I believe a change in sexual health could help with those issues. I am also passionate about social justice, and I am involved in political activism throughout my community. In the future, I plan on transferring to a four-year university and majoring in political science and minoring in women’s studies to help those without a voice. I can be contacted at juliasickrey@gmail.com.
ariana thornton
Ariana Thornton (She/They/He) is a Culinary Arts major at Grand Rapids Community College looking to get her degree and go on to work in the Catering or Medical industry. This is her second year on the MYVoice board, which she joined because of her passion for a better sexual education and support system for youth, especially younger LGBT+ people and people of color. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and crafting, and can be reached at thornton.ariana@gmail.com.
grace trombley
Grace Trombley (she/her) is a senior at Adrian High School. This is her first year being involved in MY Voice. She is passionate about many subjects, especially making contraceptives or healthcare in general available to everyone, no matter their age or income. Her hopes for the future is to major in Environmental Policy and Analysis at Bowling Green State University, in pursuit of a career in politics, public relations and conservation. Her hobbies include participating in her school’s marching band, choirs, Students Against Destructive Decisions club, Robotics team, Gay Straight Alliance, and much more. She can be contacted at graceetrombley@gmail.com.
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© 2018 MOASH (Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health)