#IChampionHealth
Overview
#IChampionHealth is a community-engaged initiative from the University of Kentucky College of Education that is dedicated to advancing mental health, preventing substance use and violence, and supporting financial capability for all youth and families across the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Rooted in community voice, local data, and strategic collaboration, #IChampionHealth focuses on primary prevention by enhancing protective factors and leveraging community strengths, values, and assets.
Our work centers around four main strategies:
- Educate youth, caregivers, and youth-serving professionals through evidence-informed social-emotional skills lessons, responsive resources, and relevant workshops and trainings
- Empower emerging leaders through the Community Health Champions program, which helps young people and community members use their voices creatively to influence health behaviors and policy
- Engage Community Collaborators, an intergenerational group of community members, partners, and stakeholders, in co-creating unique resources and solutions that reflect local strengths, needs, and priorities
- Evaluate the impact of our strategies using mixed methods to inform ongoing improvement and sustainability.
Through the #IChampionHealth Chats podcast, we also amplify the work and wisdom of health champions through powerful stories, useful tools, and fresh ways we can all show up for ourselves and others.
Impact
#IChampionHealth Chats Podcast
Our Partners
Funding
Current Funding
This project is supported by funds from the UK HealthCare Healthy Kentucky Initiative. The contents and outputs of this program are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of or endorsement by UK HealthCare or the Health Kentucky Initiative. ($49,994; July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026)
Previous Funding
This initiative was paid for with funds from the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission by and through the Office of the Attorney General. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this initiative are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission or the Office of the Attorney General. ($380,572; October 1, 2024 – December 31, 2025)
This project was supported by funds made available by the Kentucky Department for Public Health’s Office of Health Equity from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for STLT Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce, under RFA-OT21-2103. The contents and outputs of this program are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of or endorsement by the Kentucky Department for Public Health or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ($414,000; July 1, 2023 – May 31, 2024)