Youth Issues (M. Phair)

Recommendation:
That this report be received for information.

Report Summary

This report provides a response to an inquiry made by Councillor M. Phair regarding youth issues.

Previous Council/Committee Action

At the November 21, 2000 City Council meeting, Councillor M. Phair made the following inquiry:

“The tragic death of a high school student in Calgary yesterday again highlights young people. I would like to know if the City of Edmonton’s Community Services Department, would consult with Youth Council to determine if it is able to assess what young people see as issues and any ways that they are trying to address these issues.

I would like this information to return to the Community Services Committee.”

Report

·  The Community Services Department shared this inquiry with the CEYC. The Youth Council had completed a survey of youth prior to receiving the request from City Council. This survey was youth driven, “youth talking to youth.” The findings of the Youth Council are expressed within this report.

·  The survey shows that the pressures that most affect the survey sample are lack of support, discrimination, crime, and violence. The CEYC feels that, given the large sample size and variety of demographic groups surveyed, the results provide a reasonably accurate representation of the general feelings of Edmonton’s youth. It should be noted that all surveying was completed before the death of the Calgary student referenced in the inquiry.

·  After surveying was complete, CEYC engaged in more detailed consultation with a group of students from a number of junior high schools. This session allowed the students to freely express concerns regarding any issue.

·  Due to the large sample size, the differences seen in averages, are statistically very significant in some respects. There is little correlation between gender, age, area of residence and any of the pressures listed.

·  The results clearly show that youth see discrimination as the social problem that affects them the most, followed by a perceived lack of support in facing their problems. Due to Youth Council’s knowledge of the extensive support opportunities that exist in the city for youth, it must be emphasized that the perception that there is a lack of support indicates either a lack of knowledge of support groups available, or a lack of quality or accessibility within those support services.

·  Violence and crime were also seen as important issues and, as is the case with all of the questions, more study needs to be done on just exactly what type of violence and crime affect youth. Some of the respondents who listed violence and crime as issues that affect their lives, were not necessarily victims of either, but the extent to which this is true is unknown.

·  The survey has confirmed that Edmonton’s youth face a variety of pressures in their daily lives and has helped to identify some areas to focus on in the coming year. CEYC members feel that this information has the potential to be a starting point for a variety of programs aimed at making Edmonton an even more youth-friendly community.

·  Perhaps more significant than the results of this survey itself is the demonstration that the public consultation process can be very successful, especially when youth are involved. Projects like this are invaluable in allowing youth to begin a lifetime of active participation in their community. By showing them that their voices are indeed heard beyond the classroom walls, a generation of involved citizens can be encouraged. CEYC has developed a protocol for consultation processes that may allow for additional consultations with youth in the future.

Background Information Attached

  1. City of Edmonton, Youth Council – Survey Questions
  2. Survey Methodology
  3. Interpretations from Focus Group Session
  4. Case Study

(Page 2 of 2)

Attachment 1

City of Edmonton, Youth Council - Survey Questions

Please fill in the following information:

1. Male ÿ

Female ÿ

  1. Age: ______
  1. Grade: ______

Please rate the following issues and fill in according to:

 = Does not affect me;

 = Has little affect on me;

 = Affects me sometimes;

 = Affects me in my every day life; and

 = Affects me greatly

1. Violence…………………………………………     

2. Crime……………………………………………     

3. Transportation…………………………………...     

4. Discrimination

(Race, gender, inequality, sexual orientation etc)…..     

5. Pollution…………………………………………     

6. Support (family, school etc)……………………..     

7. Peer pressure…………………………………….     

8. Self Esteem (weight, height etc)………………...     

9. Poverty…………………………………………..     

Other import issues: ______

______

Comments, Questions, or Concerns:

______

______

Attachment 1 - Page 1 of 1

Attachment 2

Survey Methodology

The survey was administered by visiting junior and senior high schools and the University of Alberta and handing out the surveys to classrooms. Schools were chosen to equally represent various regions of the city and provided a wide cross-section of students between the ages of 11 and 20. Only students were surveyed due to difficulties foreseen in finding youth not in school. This method ensured a very high response rate, superior to waiting for respondents to take the initiative to return the surveys. Each youth was to fill out a short questionnaire and then elaborate in a space provided on specific issues that had personal impact on each individual.

The survey asked respondents to rate their opinions on a scale of five (ranging from a rating of 1-‘Does not affect me’ to a rating of 5- ‘Affects me greatly’) in nine separate categories. The categories addressed were as follows:

  1. Violence
  2. Crime
  3. Transportation
  4. Discrimination (race, gender, inequality, sexual orientation, etc.)
  5. Pollution
  6. Support (family, school, etc.)
  7. Peer Pressure
  8. Self-Esteem
  9. Poverty

The survey then included two areas for written response on (1) other important issues and (2) questions, comments and concerns.

Results

The survey results were compiled and averages calculated for those questions that were answered. These averages follow:

Question / Mean Response
Discrimination / 3.11
Support / 3.11
Violence / 3.03
Crime / 3.03
Poverty / 2.91
Transportation / 2.86
Self-Esteem / 2.81
Pollution / 2.78
Peer Pressure / 2.73

Attachment 2 - Page 1 of 1

Attachment 3

Interpretations from Focus Group Session

The focus group sessions were held on January 22. Junior high schools were asked to send five students and several schools did so. CEYC presented the preliminary survey results and asked for their opinions. They identified some of the problems in the survey in more detail than the language used in the survey itself (i.e. discrimination is narrowed to “racial tension in schools.”) This is not intended to be a representative view, it is intended to improve the credibility of analysis of the survey results by consultation with those who wrote the surveys in the first place.

Problems Identified by Group:

Cultural conflict

Racial tension in schools

Crime

Discrimination between groups

Trouble fitting in

Cultural segregation

Jock versus geek difficulties

No money

Suggestions:

Make up something for youth that is free, comfortable, safe, in a mall, with access to sports, movies, food, arcade, designed for kids in junior high.

Would like a pool hall.

Send out flyers with contacts for what we can do, how to seek help, volunteering info.
Come into schools, posters with these flyers.

More things to do in Edmonton (safe raves/dances/sports stuff/drama/art)

Crime prevention programmes (for stolen bikes, broken windows).

Better lighting in parks and 'hang out' areas.

Adults feel that teens are trouble.

Attachment 3 - Page 1 of 1

Attachment 4

Case Study

Case Study (example)

This case study is unrelated to the focus group session described in Attachment 2. This is an example of how the surveys were administered and the things that happened as a result.

Despite the absence of conclusive trends, some groups surveyed provided results significantly different from the average. One such case was a group of young mothers attending Braemar

School. Individual concerns raised by these results prompted CEYC members to act soon after the conclusion of October’s survey. Braemar School students had a significant impact on CEYC members and council has been actively engaged with addressing their concerns. Attending a school primarily for teen mothers, each girl had a unique story. Each student was trying very hard to balance school, motherhood, and the daily tasks associated with living. The girls actively participated in the survey, as they were extremely interested in being heard.

CEYC members were impressed with the articulate, well thought-out nature of dialogue and the mature way in which each girl handled her situation. The general focus of dialogue concerned transportation issues, for which a CEYC sub-committee has been formed to advocate. This sub-committee will be approaching the Edmonton Transit System Advisory Board with a detailed description of the concerns brought to the attention of CEYC and will hopefully be able to meet with ETSAB members.

This is an example of the type of work CEYC has decided to focus on for the remainder of the year. Youth Council members have found these small sessions to be relatively easy to plan, while providing invaluable information having tremendous potential.

Attachment 4 - Page 1 of 1