TAG in Action: Aqui Para Ti / Here for You

As part of its national call to action, Adolescent Health: Think, Act, Grow® (TAG), the Office 

of Adolescent Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has identified a 

number of successful strategies for improving adolescent health throughout the country.

The Goal Aqui Para Ti/Here for You is a clinic-based health youth development program in 

Minneapolis, Minnesota that provides medical care, coaching, health education, and referrals 

for Latino youth and their families.

The Game 

Plan 

Aqui Para Ti (APT) Here for You was founded in 2002 to address major inequities faced by 

Latino youth, including mental and sexual health outcomes and academic achievement. APT 

uses a parallel family care approach that simultaneously engages young people and their 

families. The APT model is built on the Latino community’s values of personalism, which 

celebrates personal connections, and familism, which stresses strong family connections and 

cohesion. Youth and their parents are supported by an APT multi-disciplinary team that 

includes a physician, community health workers, school/college connector and parent 

educator. The team uses trauma-informed practices to address chronic social and medical 

conditions facing the youth and family, while also providing holistic care in a one-stop clinic. 

APT has documented positive impacts on youth’s mental health and sexual health, and, in 

2014, the Society of Adolescent Health and Medicine designated APT as an innovative 

approach to adolescent health.

APT has found that a parallel family approach can still support confidentiality and 

reproductive health care delivery for teens. At the initial visit, the young person and their 

parent meet with a team member to go over the "Confidentiality Mantra.” The Mantra 

discusses confidentiality in the usual way, but reinforces that the provider is a significant, 

caring adult for the adolescent and also a partner for the parent. When surveyed about their 

experience, the vast majority of youth report that they trust program staff and that the staff 

is responsive to their needs. 

The 

Winning 

Plays 

Dr. Maria Veronica Svetaz, Director of Aqui Para Ti, shared, “We have proven that using a 

family-centered approach to serve Latino youth actually accelerates their positive outcomes 

without harming their confidential care needs. By building a relationship with the young 

person, we bring yet another positive connection into their life. But, importantly, we also 

work to preserve and enhance the existing relationship with their parent/significant adult. 

Culture must also be a priority. Our team represents, celebrates and appreciates the 

community they serve. We are always ‘reflecting back’ to our youth their strengths. Young 

people who come from a minority culture that isn’t always valued need to hear those 

messages of strength over and over.”

Learn 

More

Aqui Para Ti / Here for You Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, 

Minnesota

https://www.hcmc.org/services/apt

 

HHS Office of Adolescent Health | Website: http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/TAG Twitter: @TeenHealthGov Email: TAGTEAM@hhs.gov