An official website of the United States government
Published May 2024
Ensure and expand access to health care, human services, and safe and supportive environments
Each May, the Office of Population Affairs (OPA) celebrates National Adolescent Health Month™ (NAHM™). 
This annual observance emphasizes the importance of building on young people’s strengths and potential, encouraging meaningful youth engagement in adolescent health activities, and highlighting key topics in adolescent health.
This year, OPA is kicking this annual observance off by highlighting the need for health care, human services, and safe and supportive environments for adolescents.
All young people need and deserve to have safe and supportive spaces where they can feel physically, mentally, and emotionally safe. Environments like homes, schools, neighborhoods, community groups, peer groups, and family greatly impact young people’s health and well-being. Safe and supportive health care settings can provide young people with accessible and culturally relevant sexual and reproductive health care they need to make informed decisions about their health and well-being. Adolescents can feel the positive effects of safe and supportive environments now and into adulthood.
By making community resources available to adolescents, we can improve their access to health care and human services. Taking this step is an essential part of helping them grow into healthy adults. Expanding access to services requires collaboration across all levels of government—federal, state, tribal, local, and territorial—and youth-serving professionals.
Parents and caregivers, teachers, health care providers, social workers, and other professionals are among those who see adolescents most often. These adults can help build safety and support by organizing youth-friendly spaces and interacting with adolescents. Youth-serving professionals and health care providers can connect young people with sexual and reproductive health services and give young people accurate and culturally relevant health information. Parents and caregivers can help young people navigate the health care system and form healthy habits.
Explore resources to help ensure access to safe and supportive environments
Explore resources to help expand access to health care and human services
OPA Has New Ways You Can Participate in NAHM
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OPA has launched two new games to showcase efforts around Take Action for Adolescents. You can complete the activities on the Take Action Bingo card to show how you are championing young people and prioritizing their health and well-being. You can collect a downloadable Bingo Superstar badge for getting three in a row or a Bingo Champion badge for filling out the whole card. Once you complete your Bingo card, download the badge and share it on social media along with the completed card! |
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The Take Action Q&A is a weekly opportunity for participants to spark discussion by responding to a question posed on the OPA LinkedIn page. Questions will be posted on the four Wednesdays in May, starting on May 8, 2024. These questions will be related to the NAHM theme for that week. We are inviting you to share your knowledge, ideas, and lived experiences with us! If you respond to each of the four prompts can collect a downloadable badge at the end of May. Share the badge on social media and highlight your efforts to #TakeActionForAdolescents!
You're Invited to A Youth Dialogue on Imagining Youth-Centered Communities
On Thursday, May 23, 2024, 5:30-6:30 p.m. ET, OPA will host a virtual youth dialogue on imagining youth-centered communities. This dialogue will feature young people’s perspectives on how to build communities that will help them be healthy and thrive now and into the future.
Register to attend the youth dialogue
Share messages about National Adolescent Health Month
Please join us in celebrating NAHM by sharing our social media and newsletter messages during May. Don't forget to tag OPA on LinkedIn (HHS Office of Population Affairs) and X/Twitter (@HHSPopAffairs) and use the NAHM hashtags in your posts:#NationalAdolescentHealthMonth and #HealthyYouthNAHM.
Please read this trademarking guidance before using the NAHM logo, name, or acronym. For assistance, please contact: opa@hhs.gov.
X/Twitter/Threads:
- May is #NationalAdolescentHealthMonth! Join @HHSPopAffairs in celebrating young people’s strengths and potential and learn more about how to help young people flourish. #HealthyYouthNAHM https://opa.hhs.gov/nahm#week-one
- Young people need supportive spaces where they feel physically, mentally, and emotionally safe. @HHSPopAffairs has info to help ensure and expand adolescents’ access to youth-friendly spaces and services. #NationalAdolescentHealthMonth #HealthyYouthNAHM https://opa.hhs.gov/nahm#week-one https://opa.hhs.gov/nahm
- Access to health care is essential to young people's growth into healthy adults. Adults can connect young people with health services and help them navigate the health care system. @HHSPopAffairs #NationalAdolescentHealthMonth #HealthyYouthNAHM https://opa.hhs.gov/nahm#week-one
LinkedIn/Facebook:
- National Adolescent Health Month™ (NAHM™) emphasizes the importance of building on young people’s strengths and potential, encouraging meaningful youth engagement in adolescent health activities, and highlighting key topics in adolescent health. This year, the HHS Office of Population Affairs (OPA) is kicking off this annual observance by focusing on the need for health care, human services (including services like health education, counseling, social work, and more), and safe and supportive environments for adolescents. Safe and supportive health care settings can provide young people with accessible and culturally relevant sexual and reproductive health care they need to make informed decisions about their health and well-being. https://opa.hhs.gov/nahm#week-one
- The HHS Office of Population Affairs (OPA) is highlighting a different aspect of adolescent health each week during National Adolescent Health Month™ (NAHM™). This week focuses on how to ensure and expand access to health care, human services, and safe and supportive environments for adolescents. By making community resources available to adolescents, we can improve their access to health care and human services. Together, we can help young people grow into healthy adults. https://opa.hhs.gov/nahm#week-one
Newsletter:
Ensure access to safe, supportive care, spaces, & services for adolescents during NAHM
All young people need and deserve access to health care, services, and spaces where they can feel safe and supported. Safe and supportive health care settings can provide young people with accessible and culturally relevant sexual and reproductive health care they need to make informed decisions about their health and well-being. In recognition of National Adolescent Health Month™ (NAHM™), the HHS Office of Population Affairs is highlighting ways adults can ensure and expand access to youth-friendly spaces, health care, and human services in their communities.
Sharable NAHM Graphics:
National Adolescent Health Month™, NAHM™, and the NAHM logo are trademarks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Use of these marks without prior approval by HHS is strictly prohibited.