Youth Involvement: MY LIFE

Youth Involvement: MY LIFE

Youth Involvement: Magellan Youth Leaders Inspiring Future Empowerment (MY LIFE)

Magellan Health Services is dedicated to helping to improve the lives of youth in Louisiana.

• Information about our upcoming events in Baton Rouge
• Information about our upcoming events in Shreveport

My Fest Coming to Louisiana!

Magellan's youth program, MY LIFE, which started in Baton Rouge and Shreveport in July 2012, will host their signature event, MY Fest,

• Saturday, October 5th,
• from 12 to 5 p.m.,
• at North Boulevard Town Square (Downtown Baton Rouge)

My Fest is a youth festival featuring live music, entertainment, art, food, and information about resources and services from a variety of youth and family-based organizations.

MY LIFE youth have planned and produced nine MY Fest youth events nationally that have inspired and educated over 20,000 community members about mental health, substance abuse and foster care-related issues in order to share resources, create awareness and reduce stigma associated with these issues.

Click here for a Save-the-Date flyer for Louisian's MY Fest event!

What is MY LIFE?

Magellan Youth Leaders Inspiring Future Empowerment

Magellan Youth Leaders Inspiring Future Empowerment (MY LIFE) is made up of youth between the ages of 13 and 23 who have experience with one or more of the following issues:

• Mental health
• Substance abuse
• Juvenile justice
• Foster care

MY LIFE was founded by Magellan Health Services in Arizona in 2008 and focuses on important issues affecting youth through:

• Regular meetings
• Special events
• Presentations
• Performances

MY LIFE is helping to improve mental health, substance abuse, foster care and juvenile justice systems. It gives youth the chance to become leaders in their communities. Magellan Health Services is continuing to grow MY LIFE groups in Louisiana.

MY LIFE addresses three main issues:

1. The lack of youth voice in developing and informing systems, programs and services for youth and young adults.
2. The lack of opportunities for youth to develop leadership skills, social skills, talents and positive social supports.
3. The need for youth to share their experiences with mental health, substance abuse and/or foster care-related challenges. Sharing these experiences helps to reduce stigma. It also helps provide inspiration to youth, family and the community.

Who can join MY LIFE?

MY LIFE groups and activities are open to any youth who:

• Is between the ages of 13 and 23 years old.
• Has experience with mental health, substance abuse and/or foster care-related issues.

That experience can be based on the youth's own challenges, or on her or his experience with a family member or friend who has faced these challenges. No application is needed to join this group. Any youth who attends a meeting or an event is considered a MY LIFE member.

Why join MY LIFE?

MY LIFE is a group where youth can:

• Feel supported
• Make friends
• Have fun
• Show off their talants
• Learn about topics that are important to them

MY LIFE gives youth a chance to build:

• Confidence
• Positive social supports
• Leadership skills

MY LIFE helps youth use their experiences to help others. It gives the chance to help improve the programs and systems that serve young people.

Become a fan of MY LIFE on Facebook!

MY LIFE has a Facebook fan page (www.Facebook.com/MYLIFEyouth). The page helps to educate, inform, engage and build support for MY LIFE programs.

Become a fan and learn how MY LIFE youth are:

• Using their experiences, strengths, talents and voice to improve youth and young adult programs and services throughout the country.
• Getting rid of the stigma associated with being a young person living with a mental illness and/or substance abuse issue.

Visit the MY LIFE Facebook page and click the "like" button to become a fan of MY LIFE on Facebook. Thanks for your support!

Get involved

MY LIFE events are here!

• Upcoming events in Baton Rouge
• Upcoming events in Shreveport

Contact Marvin Alexander, MAlexander@MagellanHealth.com, or Greg Dicharry, GDDicharry@MagellanHealth.com, with questions. 

Check out the MY LIFE video: http://youtu.be/HpM1qVsSpYg.

Please call Magellan at 800-424-4399, TTY 800-424-4416, if you have any questions about your services. Please always call 911 in an emergency.