The health, social, and educational support adolescents need requires consistent, long-term investments. Political will to make these investments and to prioritize the needs of youth is often lacking. Controversy over adolescent behaviors, especially early sexual activity and substance use, makes it difficult to reach a consensus on how to approach some of these issues. As a result, it is challenging to develop a strong, unified public position in support of youth.

In recent years, California’s social policy has often focused on punitive strategies oriented toward controlling youth to eliminate undesirable behaviors, while neglecting strategies to support positive behaviors. For example, between 1985 and 1995, California’s rate of youth incarceration increased from 176 to 250 per 100,000 and is now 47% higher than the national average.8,29 According to the Family Resource Coalition, “...by the year 2002, 18% of California’s budget will be spent on corrections and a mere 1% on higher education.”30 At the local level, Coleman Advocates for Youth reports that San Francisco’s juvenile probation budget is five times higher than the recreation budget for teenagers.31

• This office would work within and across departments to promote policies that support adolescent health and youth development.

• Encourage legislators and agency heads to meet with youth in their own communities and in policy settings.
• Conduct regular polling of youth to provide an accurate picture of their attitudes and opinions, and to assess the extent to which youth across the state have the supports and opportunities they need.
• Provide ongoing information to legislators, local policymakers and private funders about youth issues and promising practices for improving adolescent health.

• Work at the community level (e.g., through faith-based organizations, businesses, and organizations of older adults) to bridge the gap between youth and older generations.
• Educate community members about the needs of youth, the contributions they can make to the community, and ways that communities can better support teens.

• Encourage media outlets to form youth advisory councils to review and advise on stories related to youth.
• Create awards and/or report cards for media outlets based on their coverage of youth issues and their presentation of youth.
• Raise awareness among media outlets of how their programming creates negative images of youth and how they can create more positive social environments for youth (e.g., highlighting the accomplishments of youth in the community; publicizing the availability, or lack of resources; having a regular “youth” or “family” section).
• Implement a statewide media campaign to foster public and political will to invest state resources in providing youth with support and opportunities, rather than in punishing negative behaviors.
• Modify existing media campaigns that present images of family/community so that they include adolescents, and not simply adults and young children. Raise awareness among private funders, state agencies, and communications professionals of the importance of including teens in portraits of the family.