National Adolescent Health Month and Mental Health Awareness Month |
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May is National Adolescent Health Month (NAHM) and emphasizes the importance of building on young people’s strengths and potential, encouraging meaningful youth engagement in adolescent health activities.
Weekly Themes
Each week, NAHM will promote different themes that explore the many factors that contribute to adolescent health:
- Week 1: Expand sexual health information and services
- Week 2: Promote self-care to support mental health
- Week 3: Celebrate ways that communities support youth
- Week 4: Equip adults to support adolescent health
In observance of the NAHM weekly themes, the May HNY issue spotlights HNY website resources, mental health awareness tools, and our upcoming “Media Literacy is Power!” Community of Practice.
Enjoy this month’s issue and don’t forget to spread the word about HNY!
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Week 1: Expand sexual health information and services
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Healthy Native Youth Implementation Toolbox |
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Best Kept Secret!
Many American Indian and Alaska Native youth experience disparities in sexual health and insufficient access to comprehensive sexual health education.
The Healthy Native Youth Implementation Toolbox is an online decision support system designed to facilitate the adoption and implementation of evidence-based sexual health interventions in Native communities. Developed with input from Native practitioners, the Toolbox provides tools, templates, and guidance to choose, implement and grow a culturally-relevant adolescent health program within community.
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HIV Treatment and Prevention |
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HIV is more preventable than ever before. A healthy and fulfilling life is possible – no matter your status. Unfortunately, almost half of young people (aged 13-24) with HIV do not know they have the virus.
Let’s talk about some of the best HIV prevention and treatment options that are available to youth, including open communication, PrEP, PEP and Undetectable (U=U).
For anyone who has HIV, taking HIV medicine as prescribed can make the amount of HIV in the blood (or viral load) so low that a test can’t detect it (or undetectable viral load). An undetectable HIV viral load also means HIV is not transmissible, or cannot be passed to others. It all starts with testing!
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Week 2: Promote mental health self-care
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Text Message Campaign:
CARING Message (Youth & College)
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Adolescents and young adults can get down and feel like no one understands what they’re going through. Sometimes all it takes is a thoughtful text to brighten their day and shift their perspective. The Caring Text Messaging Campaign is comprised of messages from Native people who care, and can help young adults during hard times.
Simply text: “CARING’’ to 65664 (youth 13-24) or “COLLEGE” to 65664 (for college students) to receive two texts per week with messages designed to improve their mood and to remind them how awesome they are.
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Activities to support mental health self-care |
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These suggested HNY stand-alone lessons and activities are considered ‘enhancement activities’ to broaden existing programming, based on your community’s needs to support mental health. Visit the HNY stand-alone lessons website page to gather more ideas!
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Week 3: Celebrate ways that communities support youth
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Don’t forget to have fun and celebrate with your youth along the way! Everyone deserves recognition for their work. Build moments of celebration into your lesson plans – such as daily shout outs for doing something awesome. Hold a graduation ceremony at the end of the program.
HNY has resources in the Implementation Toolbox to help with celebrations.
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2023 THRIVE CONFERENCE
Registration is officially open!
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The 2023 THRIVE Youth Conference is happening in June! Register up to six youth and two chaperones for FREE! The conference will take place in Portland, OR from June 26-30, 2023. The registration deadline is June 12. However, registration is first-come, first-served, so we recommend Pacific Northwest Tribes (OR, WA, ID) register early.
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Week 4: Equip adults to support adolescent health
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Curriculum Spotlight: Bounce Back for Classrooms
Mental Health, Other Healthy Life-Skills for Grades 2-5
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Bounce Back for Classrooms is a curriculum that supports students in better understanding the normal effects of stress and trauma and helps them build skills and healthy coping strategies that promote healing and resilience.
Students learn about: the body’s danger response, signs of stress and trauma, connections between thoughts/feelings/behaviors, feelings, regulating feelings, identifying helpful and unhelpful thoughts, generating helpful thoughts, social problem-solving, and identifying resources of support.
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Implementation Tool Highlight
GROW Phase - Reflect on Program Implementation
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Reflecting on your program’s successes and challenges will open up new ideas for adaptation. Expanding your circle of support and collaborating with others will boost your capacity and resources. Take some time to think about how you will grow with your program. Use this template to guide the process. |
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Need Social Media Posts?
Here is a WYSH Project Tip
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Did you know, May is also National Masturbation Month? Well we got you - share We R Native's social media channels with your students. We can help break the ice.
It’s Monday so as we get ourselves hyped for the week, don’t forget to incorporate some self-care into your schedule! Masturbation is a healthy way to take care of yourself and self-love is always deadly 🖤 #SexEdForAll #MasturbationMay
Check out the HNY website for information and resources:
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Share the Healthy Native Youth Movement!
Like, Follow, Subscribe to our Resources
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1. Share this email with your colleagues.
2. Sign up for HNY updates by texting HEALTHY to 94449.
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