WAUSEON — More Fulton County teens will have an opportunity to share their ideas, build leadership skills, and make a difference in their communities thanks to a $40,000 grant from the OneOhio Recovery Foundation. The Fulton County Health Department will use the funding to expand its Youth Advisory Council (YAC) through the Youth Led Community Connection Initiative over the next two years.
Since 2010, YAC has brought high school students together to help make Fulton County a healthier place for young people. Members work together to identify concerns facing their peers and turn their ideas into prevention projects, community events and awareness campaigns. The group currently includes 20 young people representing four of Fulton County’s seven school districts.
“Young people bring valuable ideas and firsthand insight into what would make our community better for teens. YAC gives them a place to be heard, work together, and put those ideas into action,” said Robin Willson, YAC Adult Ally.
The funding will help YAC welcome students from additional school districts, create more opportunities for current members, and engage YAC alumni as mentors, skill builders and adult allies. It will also support partnerships with local employers to connect the skills students build through YAC with skills they can use in future jobs.
This work builds on the community partnerships of Healthy Choices Caring Communities (HC3), Fulton County’s substance-use prevention coalition, which formed in 2007. Recruitment through schools will begin in early 2027, followed by work with local employers in the spring and outreach to YAC alumni in the summer.
HC3 and YAC are thankful for the opportunity to use this funding to build protective factors in young people against substance use and help to connect them to local area employers for future engagement.
The award was part of the OneOhio Recovery Foundation’s Regional Grant Cycle 2, which provided $585,229 to six projects across Region 16. The Foundation distributes Ohio’s opioid settlement funds to support prevention, treatment and recovery efforts. A full list of awards is available at OneOhioFoundation.com/GrantAwards.
Interested in helping Fulton County teens make a difference? The Health Department would like to hear from students who want to join, YAC alumni interested in reconnecting, and local employers who would like to partner with YAC. Contact Beth Thomas at 419-337-0915 or HC3Partnership@gmail.com to learn more.
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