Youth Advisory Board at New Hope

“Youth Advising” a key concept in what we do at New Hope.  Part of being an effective treatment provider is having the ability and skill to listen.  As part of the Building Bridges Initiative, the Youth Advisory Board (YAB) at New Hope serves as an effort to enhance “youth guided care.”  The YAB is comprised of resident representatives from each unit. Participation on the YAB is not incentive based – representatives are asked based on interest and sometimes clinical need.  It is an opportunity for residents to tell our leadership what life is like for them at New Hope; what they like, don’t like, what we can do better, and how they would like to influence New Hope for future residents.  It is a time for residents to report general concerns for the programs they each represent and make recommendations for program enhancements to organizational leaders.

YAB IN ACTION

• YAB meets once a month and attends Leadership meetings three times a month.
• YAB representatives meets quarterly with the Rights, Responsibilities, Ethics, and Multicultural Committee.
• During COVID19, YAB made suggestions to Leaders to increase phone calls home as visits have been temporarily frozen.
• Leadership respects the voice of our residents and ensures changes are made based on what the residents have to say.
• YAB lead the effort to have youth lead Child and Family Team Meetings (CFT), this successful initiative was launched several years ago.

Youth Advisory Board at New Hope…Our Care, Our Voice, Our Future