On July 24th and 25th, 2025, our UC San Diego Center for Community Health’s Refugee and Immigrant Health (RIH) Unit Youth Advancement Collective (YAC) Program, formerly known as the Youth Advisory Council, proudly launched the first UC San Diego Public Health Investigators Camp. Hosted on UC San Diego’s School of Medicine Campus, this two-day immersive experience brought together 28 youth from across the Southern California region to explore real-world health challenges, deepen their understanding of public and global health, and build meaningful connections with peers and professionals alike.
The YAC Program, which supports youth ages 14 to 19 years in developing the skills, resources, and networks needed to thrive academically, professionally, and civically, created the camp to nurture a dynamic space for learning, leadership, and growth. Participants took part in interactive workshops on disease outbreak investigations, research methods, and health careers, while strengthening their communication, collaboration, and critical thinking skills. To deliver these sessions, YAC partnered with speakers and panelists from the San Diego County Department of Public Health as well as UC San Diego departments of Public Health, Global Health, Sociology, Anthropology, and Education. These experts shared valuable insights across their diverse fields, which allowed the youth to not only explore various career options but also network.
The camp aimed to give youth the opportunity to explore public health topics and build practical knowledge and skills to foster leadership and change making abilities in the field.
Camp Impact
The youth participants left the camp with not only new knowledge and skills, but also a renewed sense of confidence, connection, and purpose. All participants and guest speakers/panelists (100%) reported a positive overall experience, with many sharing that they felt more empowered and inspired to pursue a career in public health. Additionally, over 70% of youth expressed interest in joining YAC and staying connected with the program. Below are quotes that highlight their reflections and experiences during the camp:
“One thing I learned was the different aspects of public health. When I came to this event I knew about what it consisted of but I didn’t know much about the perspectives and its connection to global health.” – Youth Participant
“I definitely feel more interested in a public health career or something similar, having access to so many professors and actually getting to listen and speak to them one on one makes me feel more inspired and confident to do a career in public health.” – Youth Participant
“I enjoyed learning about health equity because it was interesting to see how various systems and socioeconomic factors impact health, and how complex public health is as a result.” – Youth Participant
We have also created a short Camp Recap video: CLICK HERE TO VIEW
Looking Ahead: Collective Vision and Continued Partnership
Our YAC team is excited and looking ahead to what is next. We aim to continue to invest in youth leadership, co-create learning opportunities with community partners, and expand the impact of this work by reaching more youth.
We are deeply grateful to all the youth, facilitators, speakers, and community partners who made this inaugural camp a success. With this strong foundation, we are excited to continue inspiring youth to explore the many career paths in public health and to support the next generation of passionate and confident change makers.
The YAC team is also currently finalizing a report on the Public Health Investigators Camp. Please contact us if you’d like to read the full report.
To learn more about our work within RIH and YAC, please visit our website page انقر هنا.