Youth Advisory Board (YAB)

The Youth Advisory Board (YAB) Program is a year-round, Brookview House program staffed by five (5) YAB Members – young people who reside in Brookview housing or who live in the neighborhood. YAB launched in 2022 after Brookview House was awarded a Community Innovation Grant from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH).

YAB’s mission is to educate the community on substance use/misuse prevention and intervention responses and is informed and led by youth who are guided by best practice strategies who advises public health entities and other stakeholders on the youth perspective relative to preventing substance use and abuse in teens.

YAB Teen Leaders and the adult staff who partner with them hope to make a difference by:

● Addressing substance use stigma in youth

● Strengthening motivation and commitment to change among community youth

● Improving caregiver emotional functioning

● Educating the community about substance use/misuse

● Influencing policy change by advocating for better substance use/misuse services for youth

● Providing peer support

● Developing their own leadership skills

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