Transitions: Serving Youth of Color
Volume 15, No. 3, January 2004

This Transitions is also available in [PDF] format.

Youth of color in the United States are at disproportionate risk of negative sexual health outcomes, including HIV, other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and unintended pregnancy. These youth are at risk, in part, because of society's neglect, indifference, or outright hostility—factors that greatly compound the developmental issues all adolescents face.

Advocates for Youth is committed to shifting society's paradigm regarding youth, including youth of color, away from one that views them as "problems to be solved," and towards one that values them and that eagerly seeks their full participation in designing and running programs for young people. Advocates for Youth calls this paradigm shift the 3Rs—Rights. Respect. Responsibility.^®

• Adolescents have rights to balanced, accurate, and realistic sexuality education, confidential and affordable sexual health services, and a secure stake in the future.
• Youth deserve respect. Today, they are perceived only as part of the problem. Valuing young people means they are part of the solution and are included in the development of programs and policies that affect their well-being.
• Society has the responsibility to provide young people with the tools they need to safeguard their sexual health, and young people have the responsibility to protect themselves from too early childbearing and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

A values-based approach to serving youth asserts that every young person is of infinite value, regardless of race/ethnicity, gender, health status, socio-economic background, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity. Valuing youth provides an ethical imperative to acknowledge and serve youth of color positively and with respect, to promote their well-being, and to encourage their success.

Rights. Respect. Responsibility ^® applies to all youth. Nevertheless, because racism, disproportionate poverty, and barriers to opportunity in U.S. society may hamper the success and limit the aspirations of youth of color, it is especially critical that educators, youth-serving professionals, parents, communities of faith, and health care providers work to promote the 3Rs among and for youth of color. Many programs and approaches exist that specifically serve youth of color, helping them to value themselves and their communities, to combat racism, and to avoid or reduce sexual health risks. Some successful programs serve youth of a particular race/ethnicity; others offer services to youth from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. Their insights and successes can help other programs that do not focus solely—or at all—on youth of color to begin serving all youth sensitively and appropriately. Programs that respect young people's right to make responsible decisions about sex will also work to develop policies and environments that support all youth in this goal, irrespective of young people's race/ethnicity, language, gender, or sexual orientation.

This issue of Transitions compiles information about issues faced by youth of color, including HIV-positive youth and gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (GLBTQ) youth of color. It considers how concepts of masculinity contribute to young men's sexual risk behaviors and their problems in intimate relationships. It discusses the interplay of cultural competence and social justice and how to create culturally relevant programs. It discusses barriers to health care and arts programs that promote young people's sexual health. Stories by youth of color underscore the importance of the 3Rs paradigm, and a lesson plan provides opportunities for young people to improve communication skills related to sexual risk reduction. Finally, this issue provides links to national and online resources.

There are many taboos surrounding sexuality in my [South Asian] culture. Speaking of sexuality is not allowed. When a loved one is lost to HIV/AIDS, not being able to speak about it brings additional grief. And it hurts, especially, to know such a death could have been prevented with education. This has been my inspiration for becoming a youth activist. Young people are the future, and people under age 22 are the first generation to spend their entire lives worrying about or confronted with HIV/AIDS. Why would we want to risk our lives through ignorance?

Ritu, member, Young Women of Color Leadership Council, Advocates for Youth

Transitions (ISSN 1097-1254) © 2004, is a quarterly publication of Advocates for Youth—Helping young people make safe and responsible decisions about sex. For permission to reprint, contact Transitions' editor at 202.419.3420.

Editor: Sue Alford