MOASH’s YAC Collective is a group of five different youth advisory councils, or YACs.
A YAC is a group of young people working together to advance adolescent sexual health in MI while building personal and professional knowledge and skills. YACs are youth-driven, with support from adult MOASH staff facilitators and youth co-facilitators. While each YAC has its own focus of work and individual projects, all work in tandem throughout the year to increase statewide impact, build youth relationships and cultures of support among youth and facilitators, optimize collective capacity, and provide a structured and consistent experience for youth development.
Purpose: The goal of the YAC Collective is to improve Sexual and Rreproductive Health and wellness (SRH) among Michigan youth, particularly among youth who experience systemic marginalization or discrimination. This includes promoting traditional health outcomes (reduced STIs, unintended pregnancies, and sexual violence) as well as positive youth development outcomes (increased SRH empowerment and sex positive culture).
YACs meet at least monthly and participate in the following activities throughout the year:
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Social bonding and community building with other youth
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Training on sexual health topics and leadership skills
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Giving feedback (through surveys, focus groups) on youth programs, policies, and resources from other organizations
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Planning and hosting their own YAC projects, presentations, and events
What's the YAC Collective?
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Each individual YAC meets monthly based on member availability for one grant cycle (typically one year from October through September). All groups that form the YAC Collective meet quarterly (four times a year) at one large meeting together. We expect members to be able to attend most of the meetings. While we will have a mix of in-person and virtual meetings next year, all meetings will have a virtual join option for member safety, comfort, and accessibility.
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Members are expected to consistently communicate both their availability and capacity in a timely manner to ensure effective collaboration
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Authenticity (show up as your whole self, whatever that looks like)
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It is also expected that members will complete some additional tasks between meetings, if necessary (like when we run out of time at meetings, have an urgent request for youth feedback or are engaging in a special project)
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We expect members to help to create a safe and affirming environment both for themselves, their advisors, and their peers
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Members should be passionate about youth advocacy work and inclusivity, regardless of previous experience (or the lack thereof)
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Permission from a parent or guardian is required for those ages 17 and under
Expectations
of Members
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Fair compensation for your time ($20/hr), expertise, and travel as well as meal support at meetings (in the form of gift cards for online meetings)
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Opportunities for leadership development
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Training on a variety of topics
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Participation in social media campaigns
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Opportunities to give feedback on curriculum, materials, and more
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Participation in panels and events
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Advocacy Opportunities
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Members have a lot of say over what happens throughout the year and we're always open to youth feedback. At all times, youth voice is the priority - feel free to offer ideas about how we can best make YACS work for youth.
of MOASH
Want to join a YAC?
*Note: Applications open around July of each year. YAC recruitment takes place on an annual, non-rolling basis.
