Our Healthy Futures of Texas Youth Advocates made a powerful impact at the Texas Capitol last month for our 2025 Advocacy Day. These dedicated high school students came prepared with research, advocacy papers, and personal narratives to effectively communicate with lawmakers about issues affecting Texas youth.

In meetings with legislative staffers, our youth champions advocated for quality and accessible health education, menstrual products in schools, and youth representation on School Health Advisory Councils (SHACs). Representative Plesa and Senator West's Legislative Director, Vince Leibowitz, generously offered their time and support for our SHAC representation bill.

One Youth Advocate shared: "Because of the way I learned about sexual education, I developed a negative image of sexual education and my own body, and I don't want that to happen to anyone else. This is why I advocate today, to empower youth and remove learning barriers."

This testimony highlights why youth voices are essential in shaping health education policies. At Healthy Futures, we believe that empowering young people to advocate for themselves creates lasting change that extends beyond the Capitol and builds healthier communities across Texas. Watch our video recap to see our advocates in action.

San Antonio College (SAC), serving approximately 20,000 students annually, has been a vital Healthy Futures of Texas partner since 2016. As one of the first higher education institutions to collaborate with us, SAC has pioneered providing sexual health and healthy relationship education to community college students.

Working alongside our Talk About it Texas Campus Conversations team, SAC offers tailored programming through in-person, virtual, and self-paced formats. They were also the first in our statewide partnership to extend programming to parenting students through Key Conversations and Families Talking Together, which help parents navigate discussions about relationships and sexual health with their adolescent children.

Through our collaboration with the Office of Student Life and Student Advocacy Center, we continue providing essential programs that support student well-being and academic success. We're grateful for SAC's ongoing commitment and look forward to exploring new ways to serve their campus community.

We’re looking for passionate individuals to join our team in the following roles:

• Health Education Program Coordinator – Rio Grande Valley (Bilingual)
• Health Educator II, Community Health Education – San Antonio
• Health Educator II, Community Health Education – San Antonio (Bilingual)

If you or someone you know is interested, please reach out to us at [email protected]. We appreciate your help in spreading the word!