Many adolescents in the United States encounter obstacles in accessing the healthcare and services necessary to flourish, maintain good health, and fulfill their complete potential.

Take Action for Adolescents ‒ A Call to Action for Adolescent Health and Well-Being, commonly referred to as Take Action for Adolescents, is a concerted effort to ensure that every adolescent in the United States has access to safety, support, and resources, fostering their well-being and providing an equitable opportunity to realize their full potential.

This initiative is the outcome of extensive collaboration and input from various stakeholders, including federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, experts, and the adolescents themselves. It serves as a comprehensive guide, offering actionable recommendations to enhance and build upon the strengths, talents, and potential of the 64 million young people in the United States. The Office of Population Affairs (OPA) recently conducted a webinar on October 31, 2023, providing an in-depth discussion of the Call to Action. You can watch the recorded session to delve further into the details and gain insights from policymakers, researchers, and youth panelists.

The Call to Action delineates eight goals and corresponding initial action steps, aiming to establish coordinated systems, services, and support structures essential for the thriving development of young individuals:

Take Action for Adolescents serves as a rallying cry for adults, encompassing policymakers, healthcare, and human service providers and organizations, youth-serving professionals and organizations, researchers, parents, legal representatives, and caregivers. The call is for collaborative efforts to instigate positive changes that benefit young individuals. It provides a set of initial action steps that can be tailored to advance each outlined goal. The accompanying Take Action Toolkit, along with the Call to Action, offers examples of federal programs and resources supporting adolescent health and well-being.

The goals and action steps articulated in Take Action for Adolescents are strategically crafted to inspire both individuals and organizations. The aim is to foster innovative approaches that break down silos, enhance systems affecting young people, and pinpoint policies and programs that promote their well-being, enabling them to thrive. Such investments in adolescent health and well-being are envisioned to yield a "triple dividend," benefiting the health of adolescents in the present, ensuring a healthy adult life, and contributing to improved health for the succeeding generation.

Read more about this initiative here.