Broward Youth Coalition (BYC) is part of a nonprofit organization that advocates for social change among Generation Z. It is a community-wide, district-wide club that encourages young leaders to advocate for substance abuse prevention and mental health promotion. The club has been part of Fort Lauderdale High School for at least seven years. 

It is also part of United Way of Broward County (UWBC), a nonprofit organization, for more than thirty-five years. UWBC tackles complex, critical challenges and creates long-lasting positive change. Their goal is to fight for health, education, and financial prosperity for every person in the community. 

Jenna Stein, the liaison for the community-wide Broward Youth Coalition, helps organize events for the FLHS BYC club.

“I think that you, as the students, are really already the leaders of today, and I just love giving you guys the tools to help you succeed,” said Stein. “And you each make a difference—I think—whether it is to one student, one parent, or hundreds.”  

BYC has three main school-based clubs located at Fort Lauderdale High School, Atlantic Technical High School (ATC), and Westglades Middle School. Its members are middle and high school students from all over Broward County.

“BYC is really a peer-to-peer student-led, adult-guided club,” said Stein. “They get public speaking skills as well as working on their self-confidence and the idea is to really be the leader of today in their community,” she remarked.   

The FLHS BYC club is sponsored by Mr. Evans and is run by Kai Lobban (11), the president, and Leila Jean-Charles, the vice president.  

“I first started at BYC in seventh grade through the district,” remarked Kai. “From there, I had an aspiration to public speaking as well as helping others.” 

There are two main events BYC members participate in Red Ribbon Week and Teen Talk. 

Red Ribbon Week is a campaign that spreads awareness about substance abuse prevention. 

Whereas, Teen Talk is an event that allows family members to listen and understand the concerns teens are facing today. It allows teenagers to express their feelings of anxiety, school stress, and depression. 

“I’ve learned that being a caring and considerate person takes you far,” said Kai. “It has taught me that cooperating with others teaches you a lot of life skills and that the club doesn’t really focus on drug abuse and promotion, it focuses on mental health awareness and how different people struggle in different ways and to help others through those times,” she remarked.  

For anyone who would like to join, meet Mr. Evans or Kai Lobban. The club is held on the second or third week of every month on Tuesdays.