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Halton Youth Impact Survey Results
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What is the state of youth mental health in Halton and what can be done to improve the mental health of young people?
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Findings reflect the responses of 1915 youth in the 13 to 18 age range.

Turn the Data into Action

The findings from the HYIS provide our community with new, comprehensive data, informed by a youth engagement strategy, and validated by youth from across Halton. Now, it is time for organizations serving youth in Halton to move the data into action.

How can we improve the mental health of young people in Halton while ensuring that services are accessible and relevant?

Step 1

Consider the conditions we want to see for youth mental health in Halton.
The findings from the HYIS suggest three key conditions we should strive for:

  • Support all youth in their mental health
  • Reduce the stigma around mental health
  • Increase equitable access to mental health services for all youth

Step 2

Explore and share the findings. 
Have conversations about what the results mean, and how we can work together in Halton to respond to these findings.

Step 3

This Data Action Bulletin posits a series of questions, or Data Actions, to guide discussion and, ultimately, action at your organization. Work through and discuss each question as a group.  It is our vision that the conversations catalyzed by these questions will be unique to your organization and create pathways for mobilizing the data within your organization and our communities.

The following questions are a starting point for reflecting on the data in this Bulletin. More data can be found at OKN Data Portal.

  • Do the findings support your policies or practices?
  • Do the findings call for new policies or practices?
  • Do the findings identify gaps in programs and services?

How we achieve these outcomes will be determined by the actions we take, individually in our respective work, and collaboratively as a community. The Data Actions below are designed to guide discussion at your organization.

  • What is the story behind the numbers and how can we engage with the youth in our networks to turn the curve towards improved mental health?
  • How can your organization embody an equity lens to understand the unique experiences of youth from equity deserving communities?
  • Who are the partners with a role to play and how can we work together to achieve our shared goals?
  • What are some ideas for creating safe spaces in your community for learning and talking about mental health?
  • If a young person is not comfortable speaking about mental health at home, what can schools do to address that gap, and vice versa?
  • How can you share information and raise awareness to reduce the stigma around mental health in a way that is respectful and relevant to different communities?
  • What are the ways in which your organization can make sure all youth are aware of mental health services?
  • What are some ways in which youth services, such as mental health, can be made accessible to all youth in Halton?
  • What are the ways in which your organization can respond to the needs of youth from equity deserving communities, such as embodying humility within staff to ensure the provision of tailored services?
  • These findings cover only responses of youth in the 13-18 age range
  • Open invitation sampling strategy (non-probabilistic)
    • Sample is not necessarily representative of all children and youth living in Halton.
    • It is not possible to determine a response rate.
    • However, considering the geographic coverage and the size of the final sample, it’s fair to assume that we have a reasonably good cross-section of children and youth living in Halton.
  • A higher degree of diversity within this sample calls for caution when interpreting overall ratios. For more details on the composition of the sample see the sociodemographic table
  • The data are meant to provide a snapshot of youth wellbeing during COVID, and caution should be used when comparing across time.
  • While each indicator is important, using multiple indicators as evidence of strengths and needs provides a more comprehensive representation
  • This is a self-report survey and several types of response bias have been identified related to self-report surveys. Use caution when interpreting the findings
Do More with Data →

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RBA framework materials →
Halton Youth Impact Survey Results

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The latest bulletin from Our Kids Network (OKN) indicates that 37% of young people participating in the Halton Youth Impact Survey had experienced discrimination or unfair treatment. Survey findings also show that 16% percent of children and youth had experienced some form of homelessness at some point in their lives, and 28% were facing some degree of food insecurity.

Read the full news release

OKN announces its new Executive Director

Halton Region, Ontario - Our Kids Network (OKN), a Halton-wide partnership of organizations serving children, youth, and families, announced today that Elisabeth Wells has accepted the position of OKN’s Executive Director, effective November 30, 2022.

As interim director, Elisabeth provided strong leadership in continuing to advance the vision and strategic goals of the network. Elisabeth has worked effectively to build and maintain collaborative relationships with community partners to increase engagement and advance OKN’s vision that ‘all children and youth thrive’.

Read the full press release

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