Youth Health Summits: April 2026
PHIMC’s Youth Health Summits aim to engage young people and their champions on the West and South Sides of Chicago in strategy conversations around health-related topics including, but not limited to, substance use, mental health, LGBTQIA+ health, housing insecurities, violence prevention, and justice involvement.
Overview
PHIMC recognizes young people’s voices as central to shaping strategies, practices, and policies that will impact their lives, as demonstrated during the 2025 Youth Health Conference: My Health, My Voice, Authentically Me.
In 2026, PHIMC’s Next Generation Wellness Network (NextGen) will host two in person full day Youth Health Summits designed to inform, inspire, and mobilize young people and individuals passionate about promoting health equity and expanding access to care for young people in Chicago.
The target audience of each Youth Health Summit includes Chicago-based youth, community-based organizations, healthcare providers, youth development organizations, schools, city agencies involved in health programs, and public health practitioners. These unique summits will center the voices of young people by offering peer-led learning experiences and engaging activities for young people, while recognizing that healthcare does not only take place in the doctor’s office.
DETAILS!
2026 Youth Heath Summit – West Side
Saturday, April 11, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
Held at UCAN, 3605 West Fillmore, Chicago
Registration Deadline for YHS West: Monday, April 6, 2026
2026 Youth Health Summit – Southside
Saturday, April 25, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
Location: TBD
Registration Deadline for YHS South: Monday, April 20, 2026
Are you interested in having a table as part of the Resource Fair?
Click here to express your interest.
Are you interested in Presenting a Workshop?
Click here to learn more and apply.
Community Centered & Equity Focused
The Youth Health Summits will be held on Chicago’s West and South Sides to uplift and center the services, organizations, and resources that already exist in these communities. By hosting the summit within these neighborhoods, we help create easier access for youth and highlight the strengths, expertise, and supports rooted on each respective side of the city.
Purpose: The purpose of the Youth Health Summits is to center youth voices in conversations about health, wellness, and equity by creating a space for learning, connection, and action. The summits will bring together young people and adult allies to explore critical health topics, elevate lived experiences, and strengthen youth leadership in shaping solutions that impact their communities.
Goals:
Develop community, empower youth, and shift perspectives to support holistic care for young people.- Uplift services and providers located on the South and West Sides of Chicago.
- Unite young people and their adult allies—including public health and social work professionals, organizers, community advocates, and healthcare providers—to address issues impacting the health and well-being of youth.
- Highlight innovative, youth-focused programming led by community-based organizations and agencies.
We had the great fortune to convene a Youth Health Conference in Spring 2025, which you will see reflected across this page. We hope you will join us for the Summits in Spring 2026! For more information, please reach out to James Lones. 
Funded in whole or in part by the Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery and Healing Illinois, an initiative between Illinois Department of Human Services and The Field Foundation of Illinois.
2025 Youth Health Conference Photos by Bakari Kamal Productions
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PHIMC’s Next Generation Wellness Network (NextGen) builds organizational capacity to support youth in Chicago. In collaboration with community-based organizations, institutions, and youth service providers, NextGen serves as the Chicago hub for a statewide program of Regional Substance Use Prevention Integration Centers (RSUPIC), integrating new and existing substance use prevention strategies through collaboration, training, and support to improve the overall health and well-being of youth. Learn more about NextGen here.
