Every other year, high school students all across NH complete the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), which asks students about their wellness behaviors in several different areas such as physical activity/dietary behaviors, interpersonal relationships, bullying, substance use, and vehicle safety. The Getting to ‘Y’ program is an action research program that creates an opportunity for young people to take part in a thoughtful and informed analysis of why (‘Y’) young people are making either wise or unwise choices, identifying possible root causes, coming up with possible solutions, and taking action in an effort to improve youth health and wellness. Getting to ‘Y’ is an evidence-based practice that increases youth health literacy, self-efficacy, community engagement, knowledge, and protective factors. Heather Nelson and Carrie Fair are the advisors for the GTY program at MA.
Pictured: Leadership for Getting to the “Y”
Thirty MA high school students participated in the Getting to ‘Y’ (GTY) Data 
Analysis Retreat on Thursday, February 3rd at the Moultonborough Public Safety Building. This Data Analysis Retreat was led by the GTY student leaders: Grace Burton, Owen Natusch, Andrew Stokke, Ethan Larson, Kat Gleeson, Abby Bryant, Claire Neely, and Leah Haskins. They engaged their peers in a variety of activities including recognizing the various assets within their community, analyzing data sets from the YRBS, identifying strengths and concerns in the data, discussing root causes, and brainstorming possible solutions. The student participants offered valuable insight and ideas that will help the student leaders formulate their action plans.
The next step for the GTY student leaders is to host a VIRTUAL Community Dialogue Event to share the findings from the Data Analysis Retreat with their local community and lead meaningful multi-generational discussions to further guide action steps. Stay tuned for information about this upcoming event!
