About Us
The Youth Council is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to providing educational events for youth and families in Apache County. Our team is comprised of passionate individuals who are committed to making a positive impact in the community.
Meet The Team
Shannon Latham
Shannon Latham is the Program Director for Apache County Youth Council. She has worked in various capacities at Youth Council for over 10 years. Shannon graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Business and Marketing from Utah Valley University. Shannon is an active member of SACLAZ, a statewide prevention coalition, has received the District Service Award from Round Valley Unified School District and is a certified trainer in ACEs, LifeSkills, Too Good for Drugs, Keep a Clear Mind and many other courses. Shannon loves the work she does and hopes to make the lives of the children and youth in our communities better, healthier, and safer. It’s the genuine relationships that mean the most to her. When she is not focused on work, Shannon loves spending time outdoors, having fun with family and friends and traveling to new places.
Amber Baca
Amber Baca has been working with the Youth Council Since August of 2019, with her main focus being drug prevention and mentoring with middle school age youth. She is a certified trainer in many programs that are valued in the schools in Apache County such as, ACE’s, Too Good for Drugs, LifeSkills and Keep a Clear Mind. Amber’s passion is working with the youth in Apache County and currently has Legacy Leadership Clubs in both the Round Valley Middle School and Vernon Elementary School. Helping teens to recognize their worth and influence is the driving force behind her work. Amber received the Service Award from the Round Valley School District for the 2022-2023 school year for her involvement in the schools. Outside of work Amber loves hiking, home improvement projects, traveling whenever possible and spending time with her daughters and husband.
Jessica Hamblin
Jessica Hamblin has been a member of the Youth Council since January 2023. She spent several years before that at home with her young children. Raising kids in today’s world, volunteering at schools and in many local organizations gave her a passion for strong community and the notion that it “takes a village to raise a child.” She strives to be a positive part of that village by helping parents and students feel better educated and prepared to take on the challenges our kids face today surrounding substance use and mental health. Within the Youth Council her roles include Round Valley High School Legacy Leadership Club Sponsor where she gets to help the youth plan and execute activities and fundraisers. The goal of the club is to build strong youth who want to put good into their communities. When she isn’t working with Youth Council, she is a group fitness instructor and enjoys being outdoors, traveling, good food, calligraphy and being with her family.
Danielle Whitaker
Danielle Whitaker has been a member of the Youth Council since January of 2023. She graduated from Brigham Young University-Idaho in December 2022 with a degree in University Studies and a minor in Public Health. Her studies led to a desire to work with youth and their health, including physical, mental and emotional health. Her passion for addiction and substance use prevention came from the direct impact of losing her older brother to a heroin/fentanyl overdose in 2016, at the age of 35 and not wanting her own children or any youth to experience the pain of addiction in their own lives. She believes that helping youth find their individual spark, their reason for living, along with teaching them effective resilience and coping skills, are vital in steering them away from harmful life decisions that could jeopardize their future dreams. She also has a great love for the outdoors, athletics, cooking, creating, reading a good book and following her four children around in their activities.
Raelene Raban
Raelene Raban has worked for the Youth Council for 3 years. Raelene is an active member of a statewide prevention coalition known as SACLAZ, where she works on building content on several subcommittees, focused on the direct correlation of poor mental health and social media. She is a certified trainer for ACES, Life Skills, Too Good for Drugs, and Keep a Clear Mind to name a few. Raelene runs a leadership program at the high school in St. Johns and the elementary school in Concho. She also partners with St. John's high school lessening suspension time of teens that have been caught with drugs or alcohol. Raelene loves teaching classes to these youth and setting goals and seeing them achieve them. Raelene loves what she does! Her favorite thing is seeing past or present students/club members/suspended youth in the community light up and come talk to her about their life and how they are doing. It’s the lifelong relationships forged in this line of work that means the most. When Raelene is not working, her love is spending time with her husband and kids. Every weekend her house is full of teenagers from the community, and she wouldn’t have it any other way!
Shayla Udall
Shayla Udall has been working for the Youth Council since September 2023. She received her Bachelors of Health Education with a Coaching minor from Brigham Young University in 2008. She works at both the middle school and high school in St. Johns, AZ mentoring students on how to be community leaders and deal with stress in appropriate ways. Shayla has a real interest in the harms of youth marijuana usage since living in 2 states that were the first to legalize it and seeing the dangers firsthand. She loves working with the youth in her community and seeing the impact of the different drug prevention programs on the students. Her hobbies include gardening, soccer, eating chocolate, and spending time with her husband and 7 children.
Partners
Our Partners are an integral part of our organization. We are grateful for their support and dedication to our cause.
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