The Healthy Futures Youth Coalition (HFYC) is a Boulder County Public Health program made up of young people ages 14–18 who want to make positive change in their community around substance use and mental health. HFYC meetings are led by paid youth staff called Youth Advisors, along with our Community Coalitions Specialist (adult staff member), and 1-2 interns. Together, we focus on building youth leadership, advocacy skills, and community change. Our goal is to help you grow the tools you need to make long?term improvements in Boulder County and to speak up about the issues you care about most. We know youth substance use and mental health challenges don’t happen for just one reason. They’re often connected to bigger issues in the community, also known as root causes. In HFYC, you’ll dig into those root causes, work with other youth and adults, and help create a healthier community for everyone.

We welcome youth with all kinds of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. Below are our values so you can decide if HFYC feels like the right fit for you:

We focus on community conditions and not individual people's behaviors. That means we look at the things around us like stress, access to resources, community norms, and systems that might make someone more or less likely to use substances. Our work follows harm reduction principles, a public health approach centered on dignity, respect, and meeting people where they’re at. It’s all about helping people stay safer and healthier, whether or not they use substances. We'll also learn more about respectful and inclusive language to discuss substance use in our first sessions.

Please note: all experiences with substance use are welcome in the space. HFYC does not provide direct support for youth who are recovering or are in recovery from a substance use or mental health disorder. If you’re looking for recovery support or peer resources, please let us know and we can help connect you!

Some things we explore in HFYC include:
• Identity and culture (e.g. who we are, our different traits and beliefs, and how that impacts our perspectives)
• How substance-related industries target youth and other groups
• Factors that increase or decrease the chances of youth substance use (also called risk and protective factors)
• Root causes behind substance use
• Storytelling and data gathering through art
• Civic education and advocacy

Eligibility Requirements
To join HFYC, you must:
• Complete the application on the next page
• Commit to participating in all meetings for the full school year (up to two absences allowed)
• Be between 14 and 18 years old*
• Live, work, play, or go to school in Boulder County (including: Boulder, Longmont, Lafayette, Louisville, Nederland, Lyons, Niwot, Gunbarrel, and Jamestown, as well as any unincorporated parts of the County -- if you're not sure, feel free to reach out!)
• Be open-minded about people, learning, and helping create community change

*Youth who turn 19 during the school year will still be considered HFYC. Anyone 19 and older may attend Healthy Futures Coalition meetings (youth and adults together).

The schedule and setup:
Meetings take place on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month from 6:00-8:00pm in central Longmont. Dinner is provided at all meetings. Youth who complete a full school year of HFYC attending all meetings (with up to two absences) will receive a $400 stipend at the end of the year for their participation. Support with transportation, interpretation, and childcare can be provided, if needed.

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