High school students from Ypsilanti Community Schools (YCS) and two other southeast Michigan school districts will be trained as peer health educators, teaching others about traumatic brain injury (TBI), through a new program called Way Forward@EMU. The program is administered by Eastern Michigan University's (EMU) engagement office, Engage@EMU, and funded by a $1 million grant from Toyota's Way Forward Fund.

The program lasts about 90 minutes once a week over eight weeks. EMU's goal is to certify at least 75 students from YCS, along with Wayne-Westland Community Schools and Romulus School District, as community health educators by December 2025. Program administrators hope to reach 800 or more individuals with education about TBI.

Participants will earn digital credentials through EMU’s Office of Professional Programs and Training. Once trained, the students will deliver health education in schools and other places in their communities, based on a curriculum co-developed with Ypsilanti-based nonprofit Corner Health Center. Additional mentorship through EMU’s Pre-Service Health Center provides structured college readiness support and a direct pipeline to postsecondary success.

Toyota’s Way Forward Fund, established in 2023, invests in strengthening recovery support for individuals affected by traumatic injuries. The EMU initiative not only addresses that mission but encourages young people to pursue careers in health care-related fields, says Sondrea Singleton, director of Way Forward@EMU.

"The idea is addressing not just gaps in funding, but gaps in access to experiential learning opportunities," Singleton says.

Students will learn about the medical aspect of TBI, as well as related career fields like physical therapy or social work. They'll also explore neurobiology through a partnership with EMU's Robert Thomson Center for the Advancement of Neurobehavioral Health. Program staff are also looking to partner with EMU's College of Health and Human Services to "expose [students] to major career fields that directly or indirectly deal with traumatic brain injury," Singleton says. 

While the program will start in just three school districts, Singleton says the goal is to spread it throughout southeast Michigan.