Page 13 - HFA Dateline 2016 Q4 Winter

Millennials Get Busy

Advocacy for Young Adults

By Sarah Shinkman

earning how to advocate is an important life skill at any
Lage. Whether you are practicing personal, peer, or group Test Yourself
advocacy, you have the power to influence decisions that may
affect you and others. Being a strong advocate involves educating yourself
and sharing information with others. HFA partnered
HFA’s final Young Adult Hangout of 2016 featured two com- with Young Invincibles for our Advocacy Hangout to
munity advocates and a health insurance overview by Erin encourage greater awareness of health coverage, es-
Hamlin of Young Invincibles, a national organization focused pecially for community members transitioning from
on engaging young adults on issues including health care, adolescence to adulthood. Visit www.hemophiliafed.
higher education, and jobs. Here’s what our panelists shared org and search for “Young Adults” to find Erin’s pre-
about why they advocate and tips on how to get involved:
sentation. Watch it, and then test your knowledge by
defining these keys terms:
William, Tennessee
Deductible:
“I advocate for the bleeding disorders
community to provide help for our fami-
lies, education for people who do not know
about bleeding disorders, and for my son Co-insurance:
to have a better life while dealing with his
severe hemophilia type A.
Premium:
A tip on how to get involved in advocacy would be to contact
your local chapter to see what they offer. My advocacy ef-
fort was kick-started by HFA and my chapter, the Tennessee
Hemophilia and Bleeding Disorders Foundation. Another tip Co-payment:
is not to be scared or nervous to get involved in advocacy. Let
your voice and opinions be known on the issues that impact
you. Talking or writing to your elected officials is just like In-network vs. out-of-network:
talking to anyone else. Treat them with respect. Tell your
story and explain the importance for their constituents.”
HMO vs. PPO:
Eric, Virginia
Learn more by visiting the Young Invincibles website
“I advocate for the community and myself at www.younginvincibles.org. Be sure to view their
because I know with the ever-changing #healthyadulting toolkit.
world, being engaged and tuned-in is more
important than ever. The excellent thing
about getting involved as a young adult is
that it is incredibly easy to do in this community. DID YOU KNOW

Find a project or event (advocating on Capitol Hill, or writing a HFA has a podcast for Young Adults?
letter to your congressman) that interests you, take the plunge, This fall, we launched a three-part podcast series on

sign up, and go!” n n strength training, yoga, and healthy eating. Listen on
iTunes or Google Play.

Winter 2016 | Dateline Federation 13