We Activate Youth

We Activate Youth We Activate Youth! exists to equip youth with the skills, tools, and real-time applied learning to become our future healthcare workforce.

America's 250th anniversary invites us to reflect on our nation's past while also considering the future we're building ...
07/06/2026

America's 250th anniversary invites us to reflect on our nation's past while also considering the future we're building together.

We're incredibly proud that youth from We Activate Youth!'s inaugural Public Health Innovators, Researchers, and Educators (PHIRE™ ) Academy, along with our Not A Host™ Ambassadors, were invited to represent Durham at .

Bringing together youth representing communities across North Carolina, the experience challenged participants to learn from one another, engage in meaningful dialogue, and imagine the future they want to help build.

Our young people represented the with passion, curiosity, and authentic leadership in every room and every conversation. We couldn't be prouder of them—or of the young leaders from across our state whose voices, ideas, and leadership remind us that the future is already in capable hands.

A special thank you to Pillar Consulting and for making PHIRE™ Academy possible.

We can't wait to share the incredible work our PHIRE™ Academy Fellows and Not A Host™ Ambassadors are leading in youth mental health and va**ng prevention.

America's 250th anniversary invites reflection on both our shared history and the many experiences that have shaped it. ...
07/06/2026

America's 250th anniversary invites reflection on both our shared history and the many experiences that have shaped it. Youth 250 NC created an opportunity for youth representing communities across North Carolina to come together, learn from one another, and imagine the future they want to help build.

We were honored that youth from We Activate Youth!'s inaugural Public Health Innovators, Researchers and Educators (PHIRE™) Academy, along with Not A Host™ Ambassadors, were invited to represent Durham at this statewide experience in recognition of their leadership, commitment to public health, and civic engagement.

Hosted by North Carolina Department of Natural & Cultural Resources, America 250 NC, and NC Child, Youth 250 NC brought young leaders together for a day of learning, dialogue, civic engagement, and action planning centered on shaping North Carolina's future.

More than anything, the experience demonstrated the power of bringing together youth representing communities across North Carolina and equipping them to lead with courage, compassion, and a shared commitment to strengthening their communities.

We are incredibly proud of our Ambassadors and Fellows for representing We Activate Youth with thoughtfulness, curiosity, and leadership. And a special thank you to Dr. Bahby Banks and Dr. Erin Stephens of Pillar Consulting, and Durham County Department of Public Health for always saying "yes." From supporting PHIRE™ Academy and Ctrl+Health™, to chaperoning yet another youth adventure, thank you for continuing to pour into the next generation—and for coming along for the ride, both literally and figuratively.

Stay tuned for what's next as our Not A Host™ Ambassadors and PHIRE™ Academy Fellows continue putting their ideas into action through youth-led initiatives focused on and **ngprevention!

For several years, Not A Host™ has prepared youth ages 10–18 to serve as trusted health messengers in their communities....
03/11/2026

For several years, Not A Host™ has prepared youth ages 10–18 to serve as trusted health messengers in their communities.

Each year, as the final session concludes and certificates of completion are distributed, ambassadors always ask:

“Can we do this again?”
or
“What’s next?”

In many ways, our ambassadors were asking the same questions educators, public health leaders, and healthcare professionals have wrestled with for years. How do we move from informing youth about healthcare and public health careers to equipping them with the skills and real-world experience to contribute now—and lead the field in the future?

Today, I am excited to formally announce Public Health Innovators, Researchers, and Educators (PHIRE) Academy™, the next step in that pathway. Last month, we welcomed the inaugural cohort of high school students and began strengthening their capacity to lead prevention, research, and education within public health and healthcare systems.

PHIRE Academy™ advances Not A Host™ graduates from trusted messengers to active researchers, contributors, and educators within a structured prevention workforce pipeline.
Through PHIRE Academy™, participants:
• Conduct structured public health inquiry
• Develop research abstracts and applied projects
• Facilitate learning environments for emerging ambassadors
• Produce professional-grade deliverables aligned with public health prevention and healthcare workforce readiness

This progression equips young leaders with tangible credentials, applied research experience, and professional competencies before entering higher education or career pathways.

We are deeply grateful to the Durham County Department of Public Health and Pillar Consulting for their sustained support. Their partnership reflects a shared commitment to building a prevention workforce pipeline rooted in youth leadership and research.

If preparedness requires capability across the whole community, youth must be cultivated as part of that capability.
PHIRE Academy™ represents one strategy within a broader youth prevention and workforce development pathway designed to cultivate the next generation of public health leaders through structure, rigor, and real-world application.

For partners, funders, and institutions committed to long-term community preparedness, PHIRE Academy™ offers a model grounded in innovation, leadership development, and applied experience.

This is advancement.
This is preparation.
This is the WAY (pun intended We Activate Youth!).







Preparedness begins long before a crisis reaches the headlines.- Measles is resurging.- Emerging infections continue to ...
02/26/2026

Preparedness begins long before a crisis reaches the headlines.

- Measles is resurging.
- Emerging infections continue to test public health systems.
- Opioid use is impacting our most vulnerable.
- Misinformation is spreading with speed and scale that challenge institutional response.
- Mental health and wellness have emerged as defining public health priorities of this era.

Young people are already at the center of these realities. We exist to equip them with the skills, judgment, and applied learning required to lead with credibility and competence.

For more than two decades, our work has focused on developing a structured youth leadership pathway grounded in prevention science and applied practice — moving young people from awareness to communication, from communication to inquiry, and from inquiry to workforce readiness.

Our initiatives address HIV prevention, mental health and su***de prevention, alcohol misuse, cardiovascular health, and health literacy — each grounded in applied learning and measurable competency development.

This ecosystem includes:
NextGen Ambassadors for Health™
— developing youth as credible communicators and translators of complex information

PHIRE Academy™
— advancing youth into applied research, facilitation, and prevention leadership

CTRL+Health™
— integrating mental health and early intervention competencies

PULLup™
— strengthening professional development and upstream leadership preparation

Together, these initiatives form a comprehensive youth prevention and leadership framework designed to strengthen community readiness through sustained development. Collectively, this work has engaged more than one million people and has been sustained through partnerships with universities, public health departments, philanthropic foundations, national organizations, and community institutions.
Today, we formally introduce the new home for this ecosystem: We Activate Youth! (WAY!). As a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, WAY! serves as the dedicated home for this ecosystem and expands opportunities for tax-deductible investment, long-term partnership, and sustainable growth. As public health systems confront emerging infections, behavioral health challenges, and rising community mistrust, integrated youth preparation becomes a critical investment in future leadership.

If YOU believe in equipping young people with the skills, judgment, and leadership capacity required for the future of public health, we invite you to invest in this work. This is the WAY (pun intended)!
The future is NOW.
Learn more: https://shorturl.at/jUQwJ






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Charlotte, NC

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