2009 Youth Steering Committee
The Young Women's Health Leadership Summit (YWHLS) is unique because it is designed by and for young women. A Youth Steering Committee (YSC)—a diverse group of young women, age 16-18, from San Francisco high schools—are the leaders in planning the conference.
The YSC is a year-long leadership program based on the positive youth development philosophy of the UCSF National Center of Excellence in Women's Health. This approach emphasizes the strengths and assets of young women and encourages them to see themselves as leaders among their peers, within their schools, and throughout their community. For many of the girls, this is the first time they have participated in an activity with other girls from different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. The usual factors that separate young women—ethnicity, class, school, and neighborhood—are the same factors that bring these girls together in the YSC.
The YSC is designed to be a safe place where young women can come together to share their thoughts and ideas, develop self-confidence, and build leadership skills. The young women get the opportunity to learn about their health and life options from women leaders and guest speakers; receive mentoring and career guidance; and work as a team to develop the YWHLS.
The YSC:
- Works as a team with other girls their age from all over the city
- Decides upon the YWHLS theme
- Nominates the keynote speakers
- Recommends local organizations to present at the conference
- Identifies the most important issues to be addressed during the workshop sessions
Members of the YSC have the opportunity to:
- Be "spokesteens" for the local media about the conference.
- Contribute their art, stories, poetry to the final YWHLS program book and other program materials.
- Deliver the opening address at the conference and introduce the keynote speakers.
- Intern at the UCSF Women's Health Center
See photos of our previous Youth Steering Committees
Some testimonials from previous Youth Steering Committee members
