New 21-year-olds letter aligns with the NTS's online youth approach

Starting this month, the government will send a reminder letter around their 21st birthday to young people registered in the Donor Register with 'no objection to organ donation'. This letter invites them to pause and reconsider their registration and check whether it still aligns with their personal wishes. This new contact moment fits in well with the NTS's online youth approach.

NTS youth approach

Reaching young people at the right moment with reliable information about organ and tissue donation requires a different approach than with adults. Therefore, the Dutch Transplantation Foundation (NTS) developed an online youth approach, in which young people are approached at different ages with information that connects to their experiences and life stage.

Informing young people step by step

Research and practical experience show that young people up to about the age of 21 are often not yet very concerned with organ and tissue donation. The subject still feels far away for many of them.

Therefore, in this phase, the NTS focuses primarily on increasing knowledge and making them familiar with the subject. Via online channels such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, young people receive information that suits their age, questions, and information needs.

As young people grow older, there is more room to consciously pause and reflect on their registration in the Donor Register. The communication then shifts from informing to activating: young people are encouraged to review their registration and assess whether it still matches their personal wishes.

Alignment with natural contact moments

The online youth approach aligns with the moments when young people receive information about the Donor Register from the government. Around their 18th birthday, they receive a letter requesting them to record a choice. Anyone who does not fill in a choice is registered with 'no objection to organ donation'.

Starting July 2026, young people who are registered in the Donor Register with this status will receive a reminder letter around their 21st birthday. This letter invites them to reconsider their registration and thus aligns with the NTS communication strategy to support young people at relevant moments in making a conscious choice.

Conscious choice is central

Whatever registration someone has or ultimately chooses, one principle is central to the NTS: everyone must be able to make a choice that suits their own wishes, based on reliable and understandable information.