Youth Advisory Council
Youth Advisory Council
What we do & why we do it
What is the Youth Advisory Council? We are so glad you asked! Pine Rest is developing a youth-led council, including collaborating with the youth coordinator and executive leaders, co-facilitating council meetings, and assisting in developing and fostering relationships with community partners.
The goal of Pine Rest’s YAC is to provide feedback on behavioral health to inform clinical programming, brainstorm effective solutions to improve behavioral health access, participate in quality improvement projects that impact patient outcomes, and provide education to members of the community, including their peers.
The YAC members will determine the best leadership structure, and if appropriate, hold elections to fill leadership roles. During the implementation phase of the YAC, members will create a council charter, a mission statement, develop ground rules, determine the council’s goals based on the needs of the youth in the community, and identify specific projects to achieve those goals.
How to participate
We want you! We are looking for students with a wide range of experience, perspective and drive who want to work with us to fight the stigma of mental health and assist Pine Rest to be an even better place filled with the youth’s perspective and voice!
This position is paid and requires a 4-hour commitment every month for meetings and projects, like a youth-led community event to provide education and help fight stigma. We would like the members of the YAC to drive projects based on what is interesting to the council members and in collaboration with feedback obtained in focus groups, and with organizational focus areas, such as improving access to care, improving health equity, and improving community education efforts.
Some project examples may include presenting to other students at schools, participating in research projects, and meeting with Pine Rest clinical leaders.
Council Leadership
Bell MacKenzie, Chair, Pine Rest Youth Advisory Council
My name is Bell MacKenzie, and I feel absolutely honored to serve as Chair of the Youth Advisory Council at Pine Rest. I am currently a Junior at GVSU pursuing a major in Nonprofit Management.
Partnering with Pine Rest made sense because I feel so passionately that there should never be a stigma associated with seeking support for a behavioral health issue. It’s not easy to be a young person, and I believe we should feel encouraged to embrace whatever resources can help us flourish.
At Grand Valley I am involved in making others feel welcome and excited about joining community. I am thankful to be able to give a little back through a leadership position this year.
In my free time, I love being outside, being artistically creative, spending time in and on the water, and creating memories with family and friends.
