What don’t adults understand about youth in Muskoka? What are their concerns for the future? Where do they go when they need help? aims to gather the answers to these questions and more to better serve the needs of youth in our community.
The Muskoka Youth Survey was created by the Muskoka Youth Advisory Group, which has representatives from Big Brothers Big Sisters Muskoka, Community Living, the Canadian Mental Health Association Muskoka-Parry Sound branch, the District of Muskoka, The Door Youth Centre, the Métis Nation, Muskoka Pride, Muskoka Family Network, Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board, Simcoe Muskoka Family Connexion, Town of Bracebridge, Trillium Lakelands District School Board, Waypoint Centre, YMCA of Simcoe Muskoka, and YWCA Muskoka.
The group came together several years ago following a youth symposium that identified a lack of collaboration among local youth organizations. It created the survey in consultation with local youth to ensure it was collecting information that would help to strengthen youth services, remove barriers to those services, and fill in the gaps. Ultimately, the group is working toward hosting a summit to engage youth and provide information on topics important to them.
The survey – which closes at the end of July – has gathered more than 200 responses so far but more are needed from across Muskoka to ensure youth in all communities are represented.
“The focus of the survey is to inform the Youth Summit,” said the Muskoka Advisory Group’s coordinator Kirsten Nicolson, a youth herself. “We really want it to be youth informed. The responses we get will go beyond the summit, too, and help to inform our practices.” The survey also addresses the idea of a youth drop-in and what would make it appealing.
Topics at the proposed summit – which will likely occur in November – might include healthy relationships, what services are available, interviewing skills, resume building, and brainstorming ways to make services more accessible to youth. It will all depend on what responses to the survey indicate youth most want to know about.
Although the target audience for the summit will be grades seven to 10, the survey is open to youth up to age 29. “We will be able to isolate trends within the summit age group,” said Nicolson, “and also get an overall sense of where there are gaps for each age group. The more youth that complete the survey, the better we will be able to shape our services.”
James Hunt, Director of The Door Youth Centre, is happy that the Muskoka Youth Advisory Group is making strides in the community. “I think it’s cool that we are able to work together to meet the needs of youth. Going back a few years ago, it was difficult to know everything that was available for youth in the area because there are so many agencies doing so many things. We have a better understanding of what each other does and can direct youth to appropriate services much more quickly and easily.”
Muskoka youth can complete the group’s survey .
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