OUR WHY
We have experienced firsthand how youth stories, experiences, and perspectives help spark productive conversations, initiate fresh thinking and create bold and lasting change for their generation and generations to come.
Evidence also shows that partnering with youth is a mutually beneficial way to improve adolescent health. Agencies and organizations often experience enhanced capacity, effectiveness, and relevancy by providing youth with a meaningful experience that also supports healthy growth and development.
But we also know meaningful and authentic engagement takes time, capacity, adaptability, and expertise.
Together, we can ensure youth voice is prioritized in important adolescent health conversations so that programs, policies, and practices are developed with young people not just for them. Leveraging each other’s strengths, resources, and expertise so that we can collectively be more relevant, effective, efficient, and sustainable.
PATCH strongly believes that young people have the ability to be incredible advocates for the health of their generation if given the space and tools to do so. Because of their extraordinary work with youth, they have been instrumental in reaching adolescent health improvement goals in Wisconsin.
- WI State Partner
I've really learned that… I can share my ideas and articulate them…and I do have valuable things to say, and it really helps my self-esteem and my confidence in all areas of my life.
- PATCH Youth
Providing new and innovative ways to prevention and public health work, PATCH has cultivated a space for youth from all walks of life to make their voices heard in the programs, policies, and decisions impacting them and their generation.
- WI State Partner
The PATCH Coordinators are very very skilled, in terms of really helping with a lot of the group dynamics of trying to bring in some voices that maybe were quieter, trying to make sure that voices were shared versus anyone really monopolizing the conversation…."
- Community Partner
