Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health

EHJ Advocates Youth Council

CCCEH Youth Advisory Council

The Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health (CCCEH) has established an Advisory Council in partnership with youth residing in Northern Manhattan and the Bronx. The goal is to learn from youth so that we may integrate youth voices and perspectives into our community engagement efforts and provide research findings that utilize existing expertise, resources, and assets in the community.

The Environmental Health and Justice (EHJ) Advocates are a group of young leaders committed to reducing disparities and promoting the health of their communities.

EHJ Advocates will design their own tools for a messaging campaign and incorporate some of the Center’s latest and cutting-edge research into their messaging and projects.

The EHJ Advocates' Mission

It is our hope that participation in this youth-led council will foster interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields.

We strive to provide opportunities to further knowledge and involvement in public health.

The council is committed to involving the community in environmental health and justice efforts and reducing disparities through community-informed outreach, educational resources, research, and policy development.

Our Activities

The Harlem and Washington Heights neighborhoods in Northern Manhattan and the communities of the South Bronx, are located in close proximity to sources of environmental air pollution and are disproportionately exposed to many environmental hazards. The EHJ Advocates are interested in identifying issues of importance to these communities and engaging in partnerships with communities and researchers to lead collaborative efforts to address these challenges.

Current areas of interest:
  • Climate Change and Air Pollution
  • Plastics Reduction
  • Food Justice, Access, and Nutrition Education
  • Beauty Justice
  • Lead Poisoning Prevention and Awareness
  • Integrated Pest Management and Pesticide Safety
  • Reducing Hazardous Health Effects of Toxic Environmental Exposures 
  • STEM Education access and emerging youth leadership in science
Recent activities: 
  • Peer mentoring and youth-led education and workshops
  • Gardening in local community gardens (MS 331 - LIB Garden)
  • Community and park clean-ups
  • Participation in national conferences/workshops on topics of interest
  • College and workforce training programs
Key Partners:
  • Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health
  • Leave it Better Foundation and MS. 331 Bronx Middle School
  • WE ACT for Environmental Justice
  • Fresh Youth Initiatives / Gregorio Luperon High School