Each May, with the Office of Population Affairs spearheading the effort, we recognize National Adolescent Health Month (NAHM) as a time to raise awareness about important adolescent health topics and encourage meaningful engagement of partners in promoting the health of adolescents and young adults. It is critical to ensure that adolescents have access to resources that promote social and emotional well-being, lasting connections, education or employment, and safe, stable housing.
Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) Program grantees, under the jurisdiction of the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), provide street assistance, emergency shelter, transitional living, maternity group homes, and the recently added Prevention Demonstration Program. These community organizations provide short-term and long-term housing throughout the country to youth who are running away, homeless, or experiencing housing instability.
FYSB grantees aim to engage youth in meaningful ways by promoting leadership in partnership with youth and young people as a key component of positive youth development strategies. Meaningful youth engagement means viewing youth as equal partners with adults in the decision-making process, not just beneficiaries of programs. Involving youth as partners increases the likelihood that decisions will be accepted, adopted, and become part of youth’s daily lives. In line with our requirements, projects incorporate youth voices to promote LGBTQAI2S+ inclusivity in programs and create more youth-friendly environments where youth feel comfortable and safe and where the changing needs of youth are met. FYSB’s We Think Twice™, for example, is a comprehensive digital media campaign designed by youth for youth. One of the goals is to change perceptions and social norms and build youth knowledge and skills on important topics such as healthy relationships, goal setting, and healthy decision-making. The content offers resources on topics that concern young people, including leadership, mental health, employment, dating and relationships.
In support of NAHM, we would like to highlight some of the strategies and programs FYSB uses to address youth wellness through our RHY program. Through a youth-centered service model, our goal is to help young people reach their full potential. Our programs are youth-informed and involve inclusive, mutually respectful collaboration between young people and caring adults with youth development strategies focused on leadership, skill building, and community engagement.
For their long-term overall health, young people need access to information and resources to make informed, healthy choices. Youth Rising House, an RHY grantee in Jackson, Tennessee, equips young people with basic life skills and conflict resolution strategies, and provides peer support. Through available programs and community service providers, young people also have access to case management services that help them function independently, identify their needs, and find the support they need.
The Runaway & Homeless Youth Training and Development Center (RHYTTAC) began focusing on youth mental health following a call from the RHY Project identifying a significant increase in youth mental health needs. To address this critical need, RHYTTAC developed a trauma-informed resource (PDF) to support youth mental health through prevention, crisis intervention, and restorative practices.
FSYB’s Youth Pregnancy Prevention Program offers much more than its name suggests. We take a holistic approach to support state, tribal and local efforts for youth health and well-being, promoting positive youth development (PYD) and helping youth avoid risks associated with adolescent sexual activity, as well as supporting healthy transitions to adulthood through education on topics such as financial literacy, healthy relationships and life skills, enabling youth to achieve their goals for a successful future. One example is FYSB grant recipient Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council’s Personal Responsibility Education Program. The program teaches the Discovery Dating curriculum to youth ages 10-19 in five public schools and community centers. The program is a healthy relationship tool that helps youth explore and develop healthy relationship skills, helping to prevent domestic violence, adolescent pregnancy and sexual assault, and promoting healing. Research shows that the curriculum supports positive reproductive health outcomes in youth populations.
These are just a few examples of FYSB-funded programs that have served youth across the country. Our programs connect youth to care and services designed to address their overall health and well-being, laying the foundation for promoting healthy futures.
FYSB is committed to continuing collaboration with communities and all levels of government to ensure youth have access to appropriate health care and support services, and we appreciate the opportunity that NAHM provided to reflect on our current resources and consider ways to increase our capacity to meet the needs of all youth.
