SUNY Potsdam Seeking Nominations for Public Health Youth Leader Award

SUNY Potsdam Community Health Students and Faculty Seek to Honor Local Youth Through New Award

Potsdam, NY (02/17/2023) — SUNY Potsdam's Department of Public Health and Human Performance is seeking nominations for its first Public Health Youth Leader Award. The award will be presented to an outstanding high school student from St. Lawrence or Franklin County who has demonstrated dedication to food justice and service to their community.

The award will be presented at the first annual Public Health Day event, which will be held on campus on Friday, May 5, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Organized by faculty and students in the College's undergraduate and graduate programs in community health, this year's event will be dedicated to the topic of food justice.

Public Health Day is designed to promote the discipline of public health and celebrate champions in our communities. Local high schools, partners at non-profit organizations and members of the community will all be invited to join.

"I like to tell students that when you choose public health as a career path, you are going to learn to be an effective activist, learn how to make real change in your community and learn how to measure whether and how what you're doing is effective," said Sarah Lister, the community health internship coordinator and organizer of the event. "This event will help raise awareness about the breadth of the field and all the opportunities that there are to make a difference."

To be considered for the Public Health Youth Leader Award, nominees must have demonstrated a commitment to food justice, by planning or implementing food drives, volunteering with a local food pantry, assisting with the administration of a food pantry, organizing teams or clubs to support food justice initiatives, serving as an advocate for food-insecure communities, or through other advocacy work. These activities can be school- or community-based initiatives.

Nominations can be made by teachers, school leaders or community members. The student's name should be provided, along with a paragraph describing their activities.

To send a nomination, fill out the online form here or email Lister at listersl@potsdam.edu. Please note when filling out the form that you can ignore questions about attendance at Public Health Day if you are not organizing a class trip.

SUNY Potsdam's Department of Public Health and Human Performance offers career-ready bachelor's degrees in community health and exercise science, plus its 100 percent online master's degree in community health. The department also has popular minors in wilderness education, therapeutic recreation and more. For more information, visit www.potsdam.edu/academics/SOEPS/department-public-health-and-human-performance.