Supporting and Equipping Youth and Their Communities for National Adolescent Health Month

In addition to May being Sex Ed for All Month, it is also National Adolescent Health Month. This year, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Population Affairs (OPA) has outlined four themes:

  • Expand sexual and reproductive health information and services.
  • Promote self-care to support mental health.
  • Celebrate ways that communities support youth.
  • Equip adults to support adolescent health.

Here’s how Teen Health Mississippi (THMS) can help your organization with these themes for every month of the year.

While We Wait for Better Sex Ed, We Work

May is Sex Ed for All Month. In Mississippi, however, not all youth are provided with the sex education they need and deserve. Mississippi needs more comprehensive sex education. In 2011, the Mississippi Legislature passed House Bill 999, which requires public schools to adopt and implement an abstinence-based sex ed policy and curriculum. Twelve years later, this law has not changed. We are still waiting for Mississippi to move toward comprehensive sex education. And while we wait, we work. We invite you to do the work with us.