Indiana Youth Advisory Board (IYAB)

Overview

The Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) and the Division of Mental Health and Addiction (DMHA) established the Indiana Youth Advisory Board (IYAB) to assess and promote youth-targeted public health, mental health and suicide prevention initiatives. The IYAB is made up of enthusiastic young leaders between the ages of 14 to 21. The inaugural board was launched in July 2022 and the second consecutive board was inducted in July 2024.

Learn More

If you are considering working with youth or creating a youth advisory board, this toolkit is for you. The toolkit includes everything we have learned working alongside youth over the past few years and hope this can be beneficial to anyone looking to engage more youth voices.

View Toolkit

Interested in Joining IYAB?

Are you interested in making a difference in public health for youth in Indiana? IYAB might be a great way for you to do that! We are accepting applications for the 2026-2028 Cohort beginning on March 1^st. If you want to learn more about public health, and work to make a difference in your community, apply for the Indiana Advisory Board!

Learn more about the position here.

Applications open: March 1^st

Applications Close: March 31^st

Apply here

Conference Presentations

IYAB members speak at conferences to educate about youth experiences, needs, and challenges. So far this term, IYAB has spoken at the Preventing Youth Suicide Initiative Kickoff, Northeast Mental Health Summit, and NAMI Indiana Conference.

Public Health Day at the Statehouse

IYAB member and Butler student, Lucia, joined a panel of public health experts at Public Health Day to speak about the importance of youth voice in public health work. This was one of the highest-attended events held at the Indiana Statehouse in recent years.

IYAB member on panel at Public Health Day

All Member In-Person Meeting

In the beginning of August of 2025, IYAB welcomed 10 new interim members to serve on the board from August 2025 to May of 2026. Both returning members and our new interim members gathered at the Abe Martin Lodge in Brown County State Park to welcome the new members and plan for the upcoming year with their subcommittees. The members were incredibly productive during their in-person subcommittees, and all are excited to work on the promising projects they plan to work on in the coming months!