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Youth Voices Leading the Charge: Insights from Substance Use Prevention Focus Groups

Last fall, Kentucky Youth Advocates (KYA), through the Bloom Kentucky initiative, conducted six focus groups across the Commonwealth to elevate youth perspectives in shaping the Attorney General’s youth substance use prevention campaign, “Better Without It”. With participation from 70 middle and high school students, we engaged young people from Mayfield, Springfield, Louisville, Hazard, and Covington, while a virtual focus group connected youth from Shelby, Warren, Taylor, and Boyle Counties. These conversations—held both in-person and virtually—provided [...]

By |2025-03-13T16:03:10-04:00March 13th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Education, Health|
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Youth Voice: “Our voices matter today and every day.”

By Zach Crouch, member for the Health Youth Ambassadors Zach shared the following speech as the opening of the 2025 Rally for Kentucky Kids in the Rotunda at the annual Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol.  Welcome to our 2025 Children’s Advocacy Day! My name is Zachary Crouch. Words can not describe how it makes me feel to see this Rotunda packed full of youth advocates and many elected officials joining today. Thank you, Governor [...]

By |2025-03-21T11:10:08-04:00March 6th, 2025|Blog, Education, Health|
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Governor Beshear, House and Senate Leadership Join Hundreds of Youth and Advocates for Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol 2025

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org FRANKFORT, KY – Hundreds of child advocates are convening this week for Children’s Advocacy Week, urging elected leaders to support the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children, a unified policy agenda focused on creating brighter futures for all Kentucky kids and families. Today is Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol, where community organizations, professionals who work with kids and families, and young people from across the Commonwealth gather in Frankfort to meet with their legislators, attend committee [...]

By |2025-03-04T20:33:42-05:00March 5th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, News Room, Youth Justice|
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Phoenix’s Story: The Impacts of Eviction in Childhood

By Phoenix Berry, member of the 2025 Housing Policy Ambassadors cohort The feeling of loss is something we all experience, whether that's losing an item, ourselves, or another. I first remember losing my housing when I was in elementary school. My family was evicted from our home due to a public nuisance violation after the police were called because my mother was attempting to flee her abusive partner. We lost everything from baby photos to [...]

By |2025-02-27T15:01:43-05:00February 27th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Race Equity|
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Youth Voice on Enforcing T-21: “Every loophole in legislation lets addiction thrive.”

The following testimony was shared on February 18, 2025 at the Senate Licensing & Occupations Committee on Senate Bill 100, sponsored by Senator Jimmy Higdon.  Testimony by Delanie, a freshman at Boyd County High School in Ashland and a Youth Advisory Board Member at #iCANendthetrend: My name is Delanie, and I’m here not just as a youth advocate, but as a representative of a generation that is being targeted and exploited by an industry that profits [...]

By |2025-02-19T10:47:00-05:00February 19th, 2025|Blog, Education, Health|
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Children’s Advocacy Week 2025 — All You Need to Know!

With the 2025 state legislative session well underway in Frankfort, it’s time to provide updates on Children’s Advocacy Week 2025! This significant week will take place from March 3rd to 7th, and our goal is to equip you with the schedule and reminders to effectively advocate for the children of Kentucky. This year, we will offer both in-person and virtual events. Below, you’ll find a schedule of events along with their registration links. Please note [...]

By |2025-02-06T15:37:37-05:00February 6th, 2025|Blog|
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“It is too easy for kids to buy these products”: Making the Case for Youth Vaping Prevention

Kentucky kids need healthy environments to learn, play, and grow, free from the harmful effects of nicotine products like e-cigarettes and vapes. Unfortunately, Kentucky kids continue to get their hands on addictive nicotine products – with many buying them directly from a gas station, convenience store, or other retailer. Earlier this month, Kentucky young people and a Kentucky pediatrician joined state Senator Jimmy Higdon to make the case to the Interim Joint Committee on Licensing, Occupations, [...]

By |2024-11-26T16:19:37-05:00November 26th, 2024|Blog, Health|
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Messages from Kentucky’s Young People: Positive Experiences in Action

If we want to make Kentucky the best place to be young, we need to create a Kentucky where kids have an abundance of Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs). In the 2024 Kentucky KIDS COUNT Data Book, Kentucky Youth Advocates not only shares the latest statewide and county-level data on child well-being, we also dive into the disproportionate impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on Kentucky kids, progress on efforts to mitigate those impacts, and the power [...]

By |2024-11-20T14:48:53-05:00November 20th, 2024|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education, Health|
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2024 Kentucky KIDS COUNT Data Book: A Look at Child Well-Being Data Trends and Mitigating Adverse Childhood Experiences

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org 2024 Kentucky KIDS COUNT Data Book: A Look at Child Well-Being Data Trends and Mitigating Adverse Childhood Experiences Featuring the latest county-level data for key measures of child health, education, economic security, and family and community Louisville, KY – The 2024 Kentucky KIDS COUNT Data Book, released today by Kentucky Youth Advocates, features the latest data on 16 measures of child well-being, showing whether outcomes for children across the Commonwealth have improved, worsened, [...]

By |2024-11-20T08:26:32-05:00November 20th, 2024|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Kids Count, News Room, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Housing Policy Ambassadors: Speaking Up for Safe, Stable Housing

In October, we had the privilege of hosting an informative retreat for the Housing Policy Ambassador Cohort in Frankfort, Kentucky. This gathering brought together five young adults passionate about housing policy and advocacy. About the Housing Policy Ambassador Cohort The Housing Policy Ambassador Cohort is designed for young leaders across Kentucky who are ready to share their experiences to make effective changes related to housing instability. Running from October 2024 to December 2025, this [...]

By |2024-10-30T14:06:41-04:00October 30th, 2024|Blog, Economic Security, Health, Race Equity|
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