Mississippi First is proud to announce the launch of the Mississippi Youth Council (MYCouncil). Members of MYCouncil take a grassroots approach to comprehensive sexuality education and other related sexual and reproductive health issues by mobilizing communities to speak out and get involved in an issue that is extremely important to young people today.Mississippi First, in partnership with Advocates for Youth, will prepare a diverse group of young people to help shape the advocacy work of MYCouncil and continue to expand the work of the Creating Healthy and Responsible Teens (CHART) Initiative.
“MYCouncil works to ensure that young people in Mississippi have a voice in the debate around their sexual and reproductive health, education, and rights. Council members empower other youth to advocate for their right to accurate and complete comprehensive sexuality education and youth-friendly health services that will provide young people with the tools they need to safeguard their health,” stated Josh McCawley, Mississippi First’s Teen Health Policy Coordinator.
Mississippi First is currently looking for 10 passionate youth activists from across Mississippi to support and promote high-quality comprehensive sexuality education and increased access to sexual and reproductive health services for all young people. Additionally, applicants must
- Be a high school or college student, age 15-24, with a passion for preventing teenage pregnancy and the transmission of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS;
- Have good leadership and verbal and written communication skills;
- Be proficient in the use of social networking services, such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube; and
- Have the ability to work respectfully with a wide range of groups and individuals, including LGBT (lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender) persons, people of different cultural, religious, racial, and political backgrounds, and people with disabilities.
If you have any questions about MYCouncil or about the application process, please contact the MYCouncil Coordinator Josh McCawley, at josh@mississippifirst.org or call 662.609.9732. Applicants can submit their application online. More information about MYCouncil can be found here.
Mississippi First is a 501c3 public policy non-profit specializing in education reform. Over the past year, MSF has been involved in developing Mississippi’s charter school and preK policies, informing the public about Common Core State Standards, and assisting with implementing evidence-based sex education.
For more information about Mississippi First, visit www.mississippifirst.org or contact Director of Communications MacKenzie Stroh at 662.743.4055. For more information about MYCouncil or CHART, contact Teen Health Policy Coordinator Josh McCawley at josh@mississippifirst.org or call 662.609.9732.