Youth Awareness Week

Youth Awareness Week

We need to remind ourselves to view young people as valued participants in our community, thereby making it a healthier place for them to live, rather than seeing them as risk or a problem for our society.

That's one of the key things we all should be doing as part of Youth awareness Week says Pat Tuohy, Acting Deputy Director-General, Clinical Services Directorate.

Youth Awareness Week is a time for us to remember how important young people are to our society.

The Ministry of Health's Youth Health Action Plan has several key messages to improve young people's health.

These include addressing the health problems of young people who are already socially and economically disadvantaged and another is recognising the positive impact the connection with whänau, schools, peers and employers has on well-being.

It is important for the future that young people have the opportunity now to participate, engage and help develop health policy and service development.

There are lots of exciting initiatives already underway in the health sector, for example, health services targeted specifically at young people so that they are really youth friendly.

Another example is bringing health services into schools where most young people spend much of their time.

Hospitals are also encouraged to look at how specialist services can be more youth focused and DHBs can actually involve young people in discussions about what works for them.

ENDS

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