By Madison Bohlman and Kamrun Nahar, The Vaccine Literacy Campaign, CUNY School of Public Health
Does your parent or guardian have mistrust in or have safety concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine? The COVID-19 vaccine is safe, effective and will help protect eligible youth ages 5 and up. The COVID-19 vaccine has been in development for years in the research community. However, COVID-19 vaccines are new to us, and it’s normal to have questions about them. The amount of information and misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines can be overwhelming and confusing to anyone.
The Vaccine Literacy Campaign has rounded up key resources for teens who want to talk to their parents about getting the COVID-19 vaccine. We hope these resources help you answer questions about COVID-19 vaccines, promote vaccine confidence, and assist in starting vaccine conversations with parents and caregivers.
The Spanish-translated resource list can be found here.
Resources for Teens Who Want to Talk to Their Parents About Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine:
Resources Created by Youth for Youth:
- TEENS FOR VACCINES
- Youth-founded org dedicated to educating and empowering teens to get vaccinated & be champions of public health.
- Resource page/blog entry for how teens can convince parents about the COVID-19 vaccine.
- Youth testimony on why they got vaccinated
- COVID Vaccine Ambassador Training: How to Talk to Parents
- Free two hour course on Coursera platform (requires sign up, free)
- Prepares parents of school-age children, PTAs, community members, and school staff to be Vaccine Ambassadors and promote vaccine acceptance in their communities.
- VAXTEEN
- Youth-founded org to help young people understand vaccines, vaccination rights/consent laws, and provide youth-oriented resources
- Resources for how to talk to parents about vaccination
- Video – What If Your Parents Don’t Want You to Get Vaccinated?
- How to Talk with Parents and Caregivers about COVID-19 Vaccination
- PLANNED PARENTHOOD: Brief & easy to understand tips for teens when talking to parents about vaccination
Resources Created by Families for Parents:
- VOICES FOR VACCINES
- Family-led org assisting families in making informed decisions about vaccination by helping them understand true risks of diseases & restoring faith in the science-based evidence of vaccine protection.
- Resources page includes toolkits, factsheets, podcast, family testimonies, FAQs
- VACCINATE YOUR FAMILY
- CDC Resources
How to Identify Credible Information:
- Tips on how to find credible information online
- VACCINATE YOUR FAMILY
- National org with a mission to protect people against vaccine-preventable diseases. Efforts include education/understanding of benefits of vaccination, building confidence in the safety of vaccines, ensuring access to lifesaving vaccines, & advocacy
- ANTI-VAX TO PRO-VAX
- Blog entries written by people who were once anti-vax
- VAXTEEN
Click to view our COVID-19 community resources.
About the New York Vaccine Literacy Campaign
Launched in May 2021, the Campaign was developed by CONVINCE USA and a team of faculty and staff at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy. Our mission is to lighten the load of community and direct service organizations by increasing community-level access to vaccine education. The NY VLC provides tools, training, and capacity building resources to community partners. This work is supported by the New York Community Trust, the Altman Foundation, and the New York State Health Foundation.
About CUNY SPH
The CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH) is committed to promoting and sustaining healthier populations in New York City and around the world through excellence in education, research, and service in public health and by advocating for sound policy and practice to advance social justice and improve health outcomes for all.
