Mission

Advocates for Youth partners with young people and their adult allies to champion youth rights to bodily autonomy and build power to transform policies, programs and systems to secure sexual health and equity for all youth.

Vision

Advocates for Youth envisions a society in which all young people are valued, respected and treated with dignity; sexuality is accepted as a healthy part of being human; and youth sexual development is normalized  and embraced.  In such a world, all youth and young adults are celebrated for who they are and afforded honest, affirming, inclusive sex education; access to confidential, universal sexual health services; and the economic, educational, and social power to exercise their bodily autonomy and make informed decisions regarding their health and well-being.

Values

Advocates’ Rights, Respect, Responsibility philosophy underpins all of the organization’s work:

Rights: Youth have the inalienable right to honest, inclusive sex education; confidential, universal sexual health services; and the economic, political and social power that supports their agency, bodily autonomy,  and self-determination.

Respect: Youth are due respect. They are leading the fight for equity and justice. Young people must be meaningfully involved in the design, implementation and evaluation of systems, policies and programs that affect their health and well-being.

Responsibility: Society has the responsibility to examine and dismantle systems of oppression that drive sexual health disparities and other inequities and to instead champion community initiatives, programs, policies, and systems that  ensure equity and justice for all young people, their families and communities.

Advocates for Youth EIN#  is 52-1173590.