Understanding The Youth of Waterloo Region
The Children and Youth Planning Table of Waterloo Region have released the final round of data from the 2021 Youth Impact Survey. Children and youth, ages nine to 18, were invited to participate in the survey, sharing their perspectives in hopes to better our community for the next generation. A total of 1,074 local young people completed the survey between April 30th and June 5th, 2021. This included young people from the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo as well as the townships of North Dumfries, Wellesley, Wilmot & Woolwich.
Join us as we explore the data and opinions brought forth by young people in Waterloo Region…
What is the Youth Impact Survey?
The Youth Impact Survey (YIS) allows us to hear directly from young people; exploring issues of community, opportunity and well-being.
Based on the Canadian Index of Child and Youth Well-Being, the YIS was developed as a framework of sorts by UNICEF Canada to better understand children and youth across the country. Like the Index, the YIS focuses on nine points of impact that affect well-being. These nine points (or ‘domains’) are the result of 125 related indicators, which are submitted locally and then monitored and tracked nationally by UNICEF Canada. (1)
This image shows the nine domains of the Canadian Index of Child and Youth Well-Being. It tracks 125 indicators in nine interrelated dimensions in a young person's life. Each dimension tells a story. Image Source: https://www.unicef.ca/en/what-canadian-index-child-and-youth-well-being
A Quick Look At Canada As A Whole…
Canada’s population includes nearly 8 million children and youth under age 18 — a fifth of our population. (2) Despite their relatively small population size, today’s children and youth face outsized challenges.
In the coming years, as Canada’s population shifts and the numbers of older groups decline, the youth of today will face challenges different from those before them. More likely to be passed over by governments focused on an aging demographic, today’s youth are likely to receive fewer supports in comparison to previous generations.
WHERE DOES CANADA STAND?
55% of children in Canada report a high level of life satisfaction
27% report feeling sad or hopeless for long periods of time
1 in 4 young people sometimes goes to bed or school hungry
More than a third of young people experience discrimination
a quarter say they are overwhelmed with schoolwork (3)
Waterloo Region
A total of 1,074 children and youth completed the 2021 Youth Impact Survey (YIS) in Waterloo Region. That’s three times as many participants as we had in 2020. Of those who responded this year, just over 5% also participated in the 2020 survey. (4)
For other information, including First Nation, Métis and Inuit status, long-term health and disability, household type, and country of birth, please see the full Data Brief Report: https://childrenandyouthplanningtable.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/CYPT-2021-DATA-BRIEF-REPORT.pdf
Results By Topic
The following information was collected from The 2021 Youth Impact Survey — Data Briefs
SENSE OF BELONGING
64.1% of respondents said they felt a very strong or somewhat strong sense of belonging to their community.
LONELINESS & SOCIAL ISOLATION
over a third of respondents reported feelings of loneliness and a lack of community connection. This percentage has increased compared to those in 2020 who answered in the affirmative.
DISCRIMINATION
41.5% of YIS respondents said they experienced discrimination due to things such as physical appearance, sex, gender, sexuality, age, and/or race.
SOCIAL SUPPORT: FRIENDS & FAMILY
over 30% reported feeling isolated and 26.4% felt they lacked close friends.
FEELING VALUED & INCLUDED
A noteworthy 7 in 10 (68.3%) respondents said that they felt free to express themselves in their family home.
Those feeling free to express themselves with friends was notably higher (77.7%)
SELF-ASSESSED MENTAL HEALTH
Unfortunately, over 45% of respondents assessed their mental health as either fair (25.8%) or poor (19.3%)
Only one-quarter of respondents (26.3%) described their mental health as good or excellent. This is more than 10 percentage points lower than those of the 2020 survey (37.4%)
FEELING SAD OR HOPELESS
51.5% OF YIS RESPONDENTS SAID THEY FELT SAD OR HOPELESS SEVERAL DAYS IN A ROW.
DIAGNOSED MENTAL DISORDERS
About one in 10 (9.2%) respondents said they’ve been diagnosed with a mood disorder.
15.1% of respondents said they’ve been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.
EXPERIENCES OF BULLYING
Over half of 2021 respondents experienced some form of bullying this year. Up from 2020’s findings.
EDUCATION
Close to seven in 10 respondents (65.0%) said they felt some or a lot of pressure related to school work. This is up 4.5% from 2020.
PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
About two out of three (68.7%) respondents agreed that they had a personal responsibility to protect the natural environment.
17% said they regularly participated in events organized by local groups to protect the natural environment (e.g., protests, fundraising, community clean-up)
GETTING INVOLVED (Community & Future Changemarkers)
Just over half (51.7%) of respondents participated in at least one civic engagement activity in the past 12 months.
Many young people report joining discussions/movements/efforts online related to a local issue (36.9%) and others spoke of their participation in local events in support of a charitable organization (24.4%).
EXPERIENCES OF HOMELESSNESS
Almost one in 10 respondents (8.1%) had experienced either homelessness or hidden homelessness.
All respondents who had experienced homelessness also had experiences with hidden homelessness.
FOOD INSECURITY
8.1% said they only ate a few kinds of low-cost foods because they couldn’t afford alternatives
6.6% said their family couldn’t afford the needed food for more balanced/healthy meals
4.7% said they ate smaller meals
2.4% said they didn’t eat enough
2.5% said they skipped meals
1.1% said they didn’t eat for a whole day
Taking Action: Next Steps
Gathering insights from young people is a valuable first step to inform future actions, both at a local and national level. As it relates to youth homelessness, regional councillors here in Waterloo Region are preparing to meet to discuss the 2023 budget. A point-in-time count in September 2021 found more than 1,000 people in Waterloo Region were experiencing homelessness. (5) Since then, we’ve seen an increase in local encampments. The final budget is scheduled to be approved on February 22nd, 2023 and hopes to address this rising number, as well as several other issues. (6)
Among those top needs are…
Accelerating affordable housing.
Implementing new initiatives to address the homelessness crisis.
Transit service recovery and expansion "to address new ridership patterns."
Increased paramedic services.
Modernizing and improving service experience for residents. (7)
Main Sources:
Content Note:
We encourage all readers to prioritize their own well-being when reviewing this information. If needed, please reach out to any one of the following resources for support:
Front Door (for youth) - 519-749-2932
Kids Help Phone - 1-800-668-6868 or text 686868
Counselling Collaborative of Waterloo Region - 519-804-1097
Here 24/7 - 1-844-437-3247 (HERE247)
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The Canadian Index of Child and Youth Well-Being. 2019 Baseline Report. www.oneyouth.unicef.ca
The Canadian Index of Child and Youth Well-Being. 2019 Baseline Report. (DIGEST) www.oneyouth.unicef.ca
Unicef Canada (www.unicef.ca)
CYPT. (2021). 2021 Youth Impact Survey-Geography Snapshot Brief. Children and Youth Planning Table of Waterloo Region. Waterloo, ON.
‘More than 1,000 people are homeless in Waterloo region, point-in-time count finds.’ (2021, November 3). CBC News. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
‘Challenging budget year' ahead for Waterloo region, budget committee chair warns. (2023, January 18). CBC News. Retrieved January 27, 2023.