We Activate Youth

03/11/2026

For several years, Not A Host™ has prepared youth ages 10–18 to serve as trusted health messengers in their communities.

Each year, as the final session concludes and certificates of completion are distributed, ambassadors always ask:

“Can we do this again?”
or
“What’s next?”

In many ways, our ambassadors were asking the same questions educators, public health leaders, and healthcare professionals have wrestled with for years. How do we move from informing youth about healthcare and public health careers to equipping them with the skills and real-world experience to contribute now—and lead the field in the future?

Today, I am excited to formally announce Public Health Innovators, Researchers, and Educators (PHIRE) Academy™, the next step in that pathway. Last month, we welcomed the inaugural cohort of high school students and began strengthening their capacity to lead prevention, research, and education within public health and healthcare systems.

PHIRE Academy™ advances Not A Host™ graduates from trusted messengers to active researchers, contributors, and educators within a structured prevention workforce pipeline.
Through PHIRE Academy™, participants:
• Conduct structured public health inquiry
• Develop research abstracts and applied projects
• Facilitate learning environments for emerging ambassadors
• Produce professional-grade deliverables aligned with public health prevention and healthcare workforce readiness

This progression equips young leaders with tangible credentials, applied research experience, and professional competencies before entering higher education or career pathways.

We are deeply grateful to the Durham County Department of Public Health and Pillar Consulting for their sustained support. Their partnership reflects a shared commitment to building a prevention workforce pipeline rooted in youth leadership and research.

If preparedness requires capability across the whole community, youth must be cultivated as part of that capability.
PHIRE Academy™ represents one strategy within a broader youth prevention and workforce development pathway designed to cultivate the next generation of public health leaders through structure, rigor, and real-world application.

For partners, funders, and institutions committed to long-term community preparedness, PHIRE Academy™ offers a model grounded in innovation, leadership development, and applied experience.

This is advancement.
This is preparation.
This is the WAY (pun intended We Activate Youth!).

02/26/2026

Preparedness begins long before a crisis reaches the headlines.

- Measles is resurging.
- Emerging infections continue to test public health systems.
- Opioid use is impacting our most vulnerable.
- Misinformation is spreading with speed and scale that challenge institutional response.
- Mental health and wellness have emerged as defining public health priorities of this era.

Young people are already at the center of these realities. We exist to equip them with the skills, judgment, and applied learning required to lead with credibility and competence.

For more than two decades, our work has focused on developing a structured youth leadership pathway grounded in prevention science and applied practice — moving young people from awareness to communication, from communication to inquiry, and from inquiry to workforce readiness.

Our initiatives address HIV prevention, mental health and su***de prevention, alcohol misuse, cardiovascular health, and health literacy — each grounded in applied learning and measurable competency development.

This ecosystem includes:
NextGen Ambassadors for Health™
— developing youth as credible communicators and translators of complex information

PHIRE Academy™
— advancing youth into applied research, facilitation, and prevention leadership

CTRL+Health™
— integrating mental health and early intervention competencies

PULLup™
— strengthening professional development and upstream leadership preparation

Together, these initiatives form a comprehensive youth prevention and leadership framework designed to strengthen community readiness through sustained development. Collectively, this work has engaged more than one million people and has been sustained through partnerships with universities, public health departments, philanthropic foundations, national organizations, and community institutions.
Today, we formally introduce the new home for this ecosystem: We Activate Youth! (WAY!). As a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, WAY! serves as the dedicated home for this ecosystem and expands opportunities for tax-deductible investment, long-term partnership, and sustainable growth. As public health systems confront emerging infections, behavioral health challenges, and rising community mistrust, integrated youth preparation becomes a critical investment in future leadership.

If YOU believe in equipping young people with the skills, judgment, and leadership capacity required for the future of public health, we invite you to invest in this work. This is the WAY (pun intended)!
The future is NOW.
Learn more: https://shorturl.at/jUQwJ

04/07/2025

Our fearless leader dropping gems!

12/19/2024

As the world winds down and folks are wrapping up the last of their holiday gifts, there’s one opportunity that just can’t wait until 2025: We're officially accepting applications for the Not A Host™ Junior Ambassador STEM and Media Engagement Training in Durham County!

This FREE five-month program kicks off on January 29th and we're excited to invite you to apply! (Please note: Applications MUST be completed by a parent or legal guardian.)

Youth are eligible to participate in the program if they meet the following criteria:
- Enrolled in Durham County middle school or high school (includes public, charter, or home-based school)
- English-speaking
- Represent historically marginalized communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 (Black, Latinx, First People/Native American)
- Access to a mobile device to engage in the program activities.**
- Access to wifi/internet (hotspots are available for free at any Durham County Library)

Additional program requirements by scanning the QR code above. APPLY TODAY!
Deadline to apply is January 10, 2025.

10/22/2024

We are EXCITED to share the work of our brilliant STEAM & Media Engagement Junior Ambassadors in Durham County! This video production was made possible through their hard work AND the support of members of our community. We are deeply grateful for the contributions, passion, and unwavering support of our team and equally important, the very people who took time out of their busy schedules to make this production possible--parents, youth, volunteers, and our (very silly) cast! Lots of laughing and learning for all involved... :) ENJOY!

Many thanks to Durham County Department of Health, BCBSNC Foundation and West End Community Foundation for making this program possible in the Bull City! Let's continue to put the WORK in our future WORKforce. The future looks very bright!!
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Legal Disclaimer: This video is the exclusive property of Pillar Consulting. It is strictly prohibited to edit, reproduce, distribute, or modify this content in any form or by any means, including but not limited to electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written consent of Pillar Consulting. Unauthorized use, distribution, or reproduction is subject to legal action.

08/30/2024

Thanks K 97.5 Hip-Hop and R&B!!!

Taking care of our mental health is more important than ever, especially as our youth get ! Take a listen to a timely (and brilliant) message from Wake County Not A Host™( ) A…

08/30/2024

Taking care of our is more important than ever, especially as our youth get ! Take a listen to a timely (and brilliant) message from Wake County Not A Host™( ) Ambassadors as they share COVID-19 prevention recommendations and messages of hope, healing and wellness. “Check In. Check Out.” highlights the brilliance, creativity and innovation that emerges when we equip students to tell their story, their way.

Many thanks to our partners at Wake County Government's Health & Human Services) for making this program possible for Wake County youth. The future looks very bright!!

Learn more about Pillar Consulting’s Not A Host™ STEAM and Media Engagement Training at: http://notahost.com/checkincheckout.

Let's spread the word and support our future STEM & public health workforce!

https://youtu.be/hlilTmob7g0

Wake County Ambassadors share a message of hope, healing and wellness with “Check In. Check Out.” For the past six months, these young folks have serv...

05/07/2024

The Pillar Consulting team is honored to offer our Ambassador Program in Wake County! Huge thanks to HealthLit4Wake for their support in making this collaboration possible.

02/12/2024

Happy Monday, Facebook family!

We're thrilled to announce that applications for Cohort FIVE are now LIVE! Pillar Consulting's Not A Host team is excited to support our largest cohort yet of 's young and brilliant minds! FIFTY(50) middle school AND high school students will have the opportunity to enroll in the and Media Engagement Training.

If you know youth in Durham County who:
- Are aged 11-18
- Have an interest in STEM
- Are ready to use their voice to make a difference in their community
..please encourage them to apply! Many thanks to our partners at Durham County Department of Public Health Blue Cross NC Foundation, and West End Community Foundation, Inc. for making this possible.

Why should youth participate?
They'll learn. They'll have fun. They'll change their community.

Ambassadors in the NAH training will receive:
- Six-month training in STEM & health education!
- Mentorship
- Networking opportunities
- Swag bag (all the goodies)!
- $500 stipend!

Please share with your networks! Link to apply: https://form.jotform.com/240186687060156!

01/31/2024