The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

7 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,A ugust 11,2022 insidehalton.com CHARTWELL OAKVILLE 180 Oak Park Boulevard CHARTWELL WATERFORD 2160 Baronwood Drive Book your personalized tour! 1-844-727-8679 | Chartwell.com Experience the difference Chartwell provides - where social connections, exceptional services and dedicated staff can make your life better. MOVE-IN OFFER AVAILABLE* Results from a Halton youth survey show the importance of relationships to well-being and sense of belonging. "We consistently see that rela- tionships are associated with positive youth development in many areas such as student moti- vation, learning, reduced risk be- haviours, and other positive be- haviours," said Elisabeth Wells, interim executive director of Our Kids Network, which partnered with UNICEF Canada, the Cana- dian Index of Wellbeing, Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Me- divae Foundation on the project last year. Just under 2,600 students par- ticipated in the Halton Youth Im- pact Survey in 2021, data from which has been shared with youth-centred organizations in Halton. "In sharing some of these find- ings with our partners, we know they are committed to working together to create greater aware- ness of the findings and to work- ing together with youth to gener- ate solutions," she said. Organizations like libraries, municipalities, public health, school boards, the YMCAs, want to support young people coming out of COVID, and OKN will help identify ways to work together as a community with these organi- zations and bring youth well-be- ing centre stage in Halton, said Wells. The first Data Action Bulletin from the survey, released by OKN this spring, presented an over- view of youth mental health across the region; this second bulletin, released in July, focused on youth relationships, which in- cluded the following insights: • Six in 10 youth reported hav- ing a strong sense of belonging to their community. "The overall rate of communi- ty belonging in Halton was 65 per cent. I think we can do better. Es- pecially as we come out of the pandemic." • Youth living in Halton Hills versus Oakville felt less of a sense of belonging to their community. "It's not clear exactly why those differences exist or by what mechanisms those differences play out for young people in our survey. I think it's important that we include youth in discussions about why we see these differenc- es." • Two in 10 felt isolated and three in 10 expressed feelings of loneliness. • Females were less likely than males to feel included in school activities or feel accepted for who they are. • Those who had immigrated to Canada within the past five years were less likely to report a strong sense of community be- longing. • Girls living with a chronic ill- ness or disability were less likely to feel they belonged to their com- munity. • Nine in 10 youth reported having at least one strong posi- tive relationship either with a teacher, friend or family, while youth identifying as Indigenous and youth living with a chronic illness or disability were less likely to report having at least one strong positive relationship. "It is incumbent upon every- one who works with youth to sup- port the development of strong relationships and foster belong- ing in all areas of life. This is par- ticularly important for those who are "disengaged, disenfranchised and furthest from protective and supportive environments," the report reads. Putting these objectives into practice means communities and organizations must ask such questions as, "In what ways do your programs reach youth of all diverse identities? In what ways are we creating safe spaces that bring people together? What does a safe space look like? Who are we asking about what safety and in- clusion mean? Are we including youth in these conversations?" said Wells. The survey's results demon- strate the well-being of youth in Halton needs to be monitored in order to understand where ef- forts need to be focused, she said. "Youth are really focused on inclusion right now. They told us they wanted to see more safe spaces where they can be with their friends and other people, as they see these spaces as opportu- nities to intentionally foster con- nection and belonging in our communities." RELATIONSHIPS KEY TO YOUTH WELL-BEING: SURVEY Elisabeth Wells is the interim executive director of Halton's Our Kids Network, which recently released more results from its 2021 youth impact survey. Graham Paine/Metroland KATHY YANCHUS kyanchus@metroland.com NEWS