Youth Advisory Council

Recent Changes to the YAC

In order to ensure that the direction of Youth MOVE MN activities and programming is determined by a Youth Advisory Council made up of informed and engaged individuals:

All local groups will appoint a representative to the council
All council members will sign a contract that outlines our expectations of them
Each council member will select a subcommittee to join
The council will meet twice per month, once as a full group, and once with their subcommittee
Youth MOVE MN will contract with three additional youth in specific roles. These individuals will also serve on the Youth Advisory Council. The roles are:
- Website and Social Media Manager
  - This person will help to build our social media presence via Instagram and Facebook and be responsible for the regular maintenance and updating of this website. *Compensation amount will be posted once budget is determined*
- Graphic Designer for YVOE
  - This person will design and finalize layout for the Youth Voices of Experience Magazine while keeping with limited brand guidelines as set forth by MACMH. All work will be completed using Canva. *Compensation amount will be shared once budget is determined*
- Speaker Series Support
  - This person will help to plan and execute our brand new Speaker Series beginning at the end of September and running throughout the year. They will be responsible for communicating with each speaker, and setting up meeting links, as well as setting up polls, and running slideshows during presentations. *Compensation amount will be shared once budget is determined*

What is the Youth Advisory Council?

A diverse group of Minnesota residents between the ages of 13 and 25, the Youth Advisory Council for Youth MOVE MN serves as the governing body for our state chapter of Youth MOVE National. As a collaborative, youth-led council, it determines matters of policy, budget, planning, and decision making.

Council meetings are held once a month at the Minnesota Association for Children's Mental Health in St. Paul and facilitated by adult advisors.

The Youth Advisory Council is also responsible for planning and hosting a kickoff event and three workshops for Youth MOVE MN members to strengthen connections within the Youth MOVE MN Network, build advocacy and leadership skills, and learn about issues impacting mental health, education, criminal justice, and child welfare services.

Compensation: $25 stipend per meeting, food provided at meetings and events, transportation support available, additional compensation for coordinating community events, additional professional opportunities.

Applications will open soon

Youth Advisory Council 2019-2020

Sophia Crowley

she/her/hers

Hello! I’m Sophia Crowley a senior at Southwest high school in Minneapolis. My hobbies include painting, cooking, traveling, and watching movies. I also enjoy working with kids and helping/ caring for others. Next year I plan on attending the University of Manitoba in Canada.

Tyana Delarosa

she/her/hers

Bio coming soon

Alex Cavazos-Wadena

he/him/his

Bio coming soon

Callista Grant

she/her/her

Boozhoo! My name is Callista Grant. I am 14 years old and a freshman at Harding High School. I am Anishinaabe, Navajo, Cherokee and Lakota. Learning my language and culture is very important to me. Giving back to community is a goal of mine. I enjoy working with children, cooking, photography and listening to music.

Sarah Gronert

she/her/hers

Hi, I'm Sarah Gronert. I'm a senior at Wayzata High School and I'm going to be attending Augsburg University next year. I'd like to work in children's mental health in the future and chose Augsburg because it has a great program and good disability services. My interests include musicals, sci-fi novels, and video games. In grade school I started dealing with anxiety and depression. I am also on the autism spectrum and have a physical disability called Ehlers-Danlos. It's important to me to help other people who experience these challenges now and hopefully as a career in the future.

Hamza Hassan

he/him/his

As-salamu alaykum (Peace be upon you), My name is Hamza Hassan. I graduated from Burnsville high school in 2016. Committed to play college football at Southwest MN State University. Now I play semi pro football for the St. Paul Pioneers. I work as a Behavior Specialist working with students who have many different mental health diagnoses and we work together to find coping skills so that our own challenges do not get in the way our success. I am also a PALS (Partners Achieving Learning Success) site lead at Marion W Savage Elementary. PALS is designed to help students who need additional academic support beyond the regular school day. Also I coach high school football at BHS. I love helping and working as a community.

Hussein Hassan

he/him/his

Ellie Pfeiffer

she/her/hers

Gabe VanDeWalker

he/him/his

My name is Gabe VanDeWalker I am 18 years old. I go to Southwest Highschool and plan to continue my education next year at the University of Minnesota. In my free time, I like to hang out with my friends and play with my dog Mylo. I also enjoy getting outside as much as I can and playing sports, my favorite sports include hockey, golf, and ultimate frisbee. I have been suffering from depression and anxiety for the past 5-6 years.

Nevaeh Williams

she/her/hers