Hello! My name is Álvaro Saldarriaga Arcila, and I am thrilled to introduce myself as one of the new co-chairs of the Youth Advisory Board (YAB) for HealthMpowers. As a senior in high school, I’ve been part of YAB for over a year now, and it’s truly an honor to step into this new role.
With the new school year approaching, I’m filled with excitement and hope. I believe this year will be full of prosperity and opportunities for all of us to achieve our goals. I hope we can work together to make this year a successful one, focusing on health and well-being for ourselves and our community.
As co-chair of the YAB, my vision is clear: I want to take proactive steps to make a deeper impact in our youth and community. This year, we plan to organize presentations, educate both youth and adults about the importance of physical activity, and advocate for changes that promote healthier lifestyles. Taking action is the primary way to achieve a change and make our plans into reality.
As the YAB for HealthMPowers, we’ll implement projects that encourage physical movement and improve the overall health mentality of our community. I’m also passionate about empowering youth to use their voices for positive change making sure they understand the importance of it, and ensuring that our efforts lead to a healthier future for them.
Hello! My name is Pratima Yellayi, and I am a rising junior attending South Forsyth High School in Cumming, GA. I have worked with HealthMPowers since I was in 6th grade, as I was part of the original GEM statewide leadership team. Later, I was introduced to the newly formed Youth Advisory Board, and now I have been promoted to the co-chair position for the 2025 year! I am very grateful for this role and hope to work with Álvaro to accomplish monumental things!
As we transition into the academic year, we will all work together to make big changes in our community by respecting each other’s dedicated time, personal battles, and schoolwork. I wish everyone the best for their courses and extra-curricular activities!
My visions for the future of our community look bright. As I worked with many different people over 5 years in nonprofit settings, I see that my peers are passionate about working on simple but complicated issues such as mental health. Many people see mental health as something that we can conquer by just…. being happy…?
I believe that although it is a simple concept, it comes with many complexities that people face today. Our objective is to tie nutrition, mental wellness, and physical fitness all together. With the insight and input from people from different backgrounds, lives, and places in Georgia, we better understand cultural competency. This will lead to the uprising of sustainable ideas.
