Adolescent Health Gateway
The Minnesota Partnership for Adolescent Health
Opportunities for Youth to Engage
Go to: Essential Themes and Priority Areas
Active youth involvement with people and programs is an essential part of health adolescent development. Activities at school, home, or in the community, such as school clubs, sports, music, visual and performing arts, or out of school time programs, volunteer, or paid jobs, and activities at places of worship all support key developmental tasks.
The Minnesota Partnership for Adolescent and Young Adult Health recognizes that young people grow and thrive best when actively engaged with their community and have meaningful leadership opportunities. Through these experiences, young people learn, have fun, challenge themselves and build relationships. Given a chance to lead, young people gain a stronger sense of self, develop life skills, and connect to the communities in which they grow. When youth voices are heard, policies are more effective, programs are more engaging, and the community is a better place.
Out of School Time
Improve the opportunities for young people to engage in activities that support healthy youth development.
All young people need opportunities to engage in activities that support positive and healthy development. To be effective, these opportunities must provide safe spaces and supportive relationships with adults and peers while being response to young people’s culture and identity. Out of school time programs support development when they focus on social skills, include meaningful community-based activities, and offer changes to healthy experimentation and decision making. The goal of this priority to ensure that quality opportunities are available and accessible. The action steps focus on growing and strengthening opportunities for recreation, community service, and civic engagement.
Action Steps
- Access and strengthen the quality of youth-focused out of school programs
- Create and support a wide variety of recreational activities for young people
- Ensure communities have accessible youth and recreation centers with transportation for those in need
- Build strong and sustainable programs
- Offer meaningful employment and internship opportunities
Minnesota Responses and Resources
Ignite Afterschool
Minnesota’s afterschool network that is working to support out of school time programming through policy, quality programs, and partnerships. Learn more at Ignite Afterschool
National Resources
Youth Leadership
Increase the opportunities for young people to actively influence the issues that affect their health and development.
It is important to increase opportunities for young people that allow them to actively influence issues that affect their health and development. The goal of this recommendation is to actively engage young people authentically as leaders to address critical issues in their communities. The action steps focus on strengthening and improving these leadership opportunities.
Action Steps
- Support a statewide youth health leadership council
- Engage young people to assess, plan, and evaluate programs
- Include youth engagement as part of any grant or funding opportunity
- Provide opportunities for young people to mentor others
- Train adults in how to effectively partner with young people
- Provide opportunities for youth and adult partnerships to learn from each other
Minnesota Responses and Resources
Northfield Youth First Youth on Boards Initiative
The Northfield Youth First initiative advocates that their community is stronger when young people have seats at decision-making tables. The Youth on Boards Initiative offers young people in Rice County a unique opportunity to get involved in local government, make change, and have their voices heard. Leadership opportunities exist on Northfield’s Mayor’s Youth Council, Northfield Public School’s School Board, City of Northfield’s Boards and Commissions, and local nonprofit boards. Learn more at Getting Started | Youth First
- Youthprise
- Minnesota Youth Council | Minnesota Alliance With Youth
- Our Youth Council – LiveMore ScreenLess
- OutFront Minnesota Youth Researchers | OutFront Minnesota