HOSA-Future Health Professionals was honored to be recently recognized by the Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs (IWGYP). The partnership recognized HOSA’s 2020 VIrtual ILC Conference winners and highlighted several 2020 competitive event winners in Public Health, MRC Partnership, Community Awareness, Health Education, Medical Innovation, and Researched Persuasive Writing and Speaker. Video submissions from the event winners were included in a feature article on the youth.gov website and a blog post on Youth Engaged 4 Change (our website for a youth/young adult audience)

The Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs (IWGYP) is composed of representatives from 21 federal departments and agencies that support programs and services focusing on youth. The IWGYP seeks to promote the achievement of positive results for at-risk youth through the following activities:

• Promoting enhanced collaboration at the federal, state, and local levels, including with faith-based and other community organizations, as well as among families, schools, and communities, in order to leverage existing resources and improve outcomes;
• Disseminating information about critical resources, including evidence-based programs, to assist interested citizens and decision-makers, particularly at the community level, to plan, implement, and participate in effective strategies for at-risk youth;
• Developing an overarching strategic plan for federal youth policy, as well as recommendations for improving the coordination, effectiveness and efficiency of youth programs, using input from community stakeholders, including youth; and
• Producing a federal website to promote effective community-based efforts to reduce the factors that put youth at risk and to provide high-quality services to at-risk youth.

The IWGYP identifies and engages key government, private, and nonprofit organizations that play a role in improving the coordination and effectiveness of programs serving youth. These partnerships and collaborations provide mechanisms to obtain feedback on how federal initiatives are translated at the local level; keep organizations informed about federal funding opportunities; and provide the IWGYP with communication mechanisms to reach regional, state, and local programs.

HOSA looks forward to a continued partnership with IWGYP in promoting the career pipeline of future health professionals.