teen girl smiles at camera
Spark: Being Youth-Friendly

This spark introduces your team to elements of an adolescent-centered environment and outlines key staff and provider behaviors that are essential to providing youth-friendly care. By the end of this Spark, participants will be able to identify characteristics of youth-friendly organizations and youth-friendly behaviors. There are three versions of this Spark – for health centers, non-clinical youth-serving organizations, and behavioral health providers.
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Looking for customized support to make your health center or organization more adolescent-centered? We offer technical assistance to providers and youth-serving professionals across the United States.

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FOR MEDICAL HEALTH CENTERS
Presentation Slides

Let's look at ways we can best meet the needs of the youth we serve. This Spark is on Being Youth-Friendly.
Script

This Spark introduces your team to elements of an adolescent-centered environment and outlines key staff and provider behaviors that are essential to providing youth-friendly care.

Activity Handout

Accurately discusses and applies confidentiality laws with all adolescent patients

Sparklers

One study showed that 58% of high school students have health concerns they want to keep private from their parents.

FOR YOUTH SERVING ORGANIZATIONS
Presentation Slides

The purpose of this activity is to help us think back to our own experiences as young people, and to remind ourselves that it might take special effort for us to meet their needs as we strive to be more youth-centered.

Script

This Spark introduces your team to elements of an adolescent-centered environment and outlines key staff behaviors that are essential to providing youth-friendly treatment.

Activity Handout

Provides and/or supports fair treatment and equal opportunity for ALL youth.

Sparklers

Patiently helps youth navigate referrals and any other systems that may be challenging.

FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CENTERS
Presentation Slides

Let's look at ways we can best meet the needs of the youth we serve. This Spark is on Being Youth-Friendly.

Script

This Spark introduces your team to elements of an adolescent-centered environment and outlines key staff and provider behaviors that are essential to providing youth-friendly care.

Activity Handout

Accommodates needs of individual adolescent patients (tardiness, bringing a friend along, etc.)

Sparklers

Uses sensitivity and maintains neutral language and body language with adolescents, withholding judgment
related to sensitive subjects.