Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of young people by empowering them through education, advocacy and leadership opportunities.
Bay Area youth are faced with a multitude of decisions every day that affect their health — decisions about sex, substance use and relationships are just a few. There are many options for these youth, ranging from those that involve extreme risk to no risk at all. So how do they make those decisions? Well, according to young people, their top three sources of information are their friends, the media and good old-fashioned experimentation.
This is where HIFY comes in. We strive to reduce the risks by helping young people understand safer options and adopt healthy behaviors. We treat youth as individuals, with the right and the power to make informed choices and lead healthy lives. Only young people know their personal life experiences and health needs, and HIFY coaches them to become their own health advocates. At the same time, we teach other organizations and communities to listen to young people and support them as they seek to live healthy lives.
HIFY believes...
...youth have the right to ask difficult questions and expect real answers.
...youth have the right to have good friends, get a great education, feel safe, and be healthy.
...youth have the right to expect the most from friends, teachers, doctors, coaches, counselors, and parents!
HIFY creates publications and resource materials and facilitates workshops and trainings for youth and the providers that work with them on a variety of youth and health topics, such as body image, sexuality, STDs and HIV, substance use, self-esteem and mental health, relationships, and violence.
The core of our work is with youth. HIFY believes youth are their own best advocates. Therefore, they need clear and complete information. We provide this information through workshops, survival guides, and our Peer Education Team.
HIFY believes that youth and adults in partnership create opportunity and community. The adults in this partnership need on-going support and training. Therefore, we provide them with trainings, inservices and provider's guides.
HIFY believes that communities must work together to change the system and improve lives. We provide leadership within the community to create collaborations, assess youth needs and concerns, and facilitate discussions and information-sharing throughout the community. To this end, we sit on several community boards and councils.
