Healthy Teens’ programs – and overall work – are grounded in science, data, and current and accurate best practices in youth education and engagement. Our programming and curriculum fill a profound gap, historically and currently, in health education/services in our local community.
While we continue to offer medically accurate sexual health and pregnancy prevention education - which was the initial focus of programs when we launched 10 years ago, due to the disproportionately high teen birth rate in Manatee County – we have expanded our scope of health education in direct response to youth and community feedback, as well as data trends.
We are proud to actively engage the young people we serve in improving and evolving our programs and services over time. We understand that having a meaningful impact on improving youth health outcomes requires a holistic approach to the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of health.
Additionally, we understand that it takes a village to have that meaningful impact among our youth, which is why we formed as a community coalition. Under this framework, it’s also critical to our success that Healthy Teens engages other youth-serving organizations and that we undertake advocacy efforts to raise youth health visibility and youth access to information and services.
Health Education for Youth
We partner with local, state, and national organizations serving youth to provide engaging and interactive content for students on topics critical for youth health and well-being.
Health Advocacy for Youth
We lead and partner with efforts at the national, state, and local level to advocate for youth health with elected officials, policymakers, and leaders.
Education About Youth Health for Professionals
We hold regularly scheduled professional development and community health education presentations on the latest information and initiatives to improve local youth health and well-being.
