Youth Vital Conversations Report
As part of the RBC Future Launch Community Challenge project, 207 youth ages 15-29 were surveyed across 4 different areas in central Alberta. These areas include Drumheller and surrounding area, Innisfail and area, Sylvan Lake and area and Red Deer. This survey was the start of a vital conversation that facilitated youth feedback on the community. Youth were able to provide their opinions on the greatest challenges they believe their community faces and collectively we were able to gather creative solutions that can help guide us into a brighter future. This survey also helped us grasp a better understanding of the effects of COVID-19 on our youths perceptions of their futures.
Number of Youth Surveyed in Each Area
Youth were asked if they volunteer. The results as shown below, indicated that COVID was the largest factor in limiting volunteering, however, 25.6% of youth still found ways to actively volunteer. This suggests that there may need to be a push for better advertisement of safe volunteer opportunities so that the 37.2% that answered “Dude, COVID…” will be able to engage with different organizations within their communities.
Drumheller & Area
Why?
” There isn’t much opportunity here for me and I’m committed to going to school in Calgary.”
- Lack of opportunities
- Leaving for a Post Secondary Education
- Would like to explore the world
- Lack of job availability
- Does not feel welcome
“I want to explore the world and discover different opportunities and for me living in Drumheller after I graduate, I feel like I would be stuck.”
What do you feel are the biggest issues for your Community?
- Lack of activities or places for youth to hangout at
- Lack of resources and support for the LGBTQ+ community
- Lack of open minded individuals thus resulting in certain groups feeling uncomfortable
- Street conditions, specifically roads leading in and out of town
“There is not enough support for small business and there is slow completion of new areas for building housing and recreational areas.”
Innisfail & Area
Why?
“Going to University of Calgary for post-secondary but will be back in the summer for my job.”
- Going away for post-secondary
- Wants to experience larger cities with greater opportunities
- Lack of jobs in their desired profession
“My Family and Friends are in the same area as me and I am thinking of getting a job here in Innisfail at some point”
What do you feel are the biggest issues for your Community?
- Lack of accessible resources and support for youth dealing with mental health and addictions
- Not enough activities for teens
- Lack of commercial services due to proximity of Red Deer and Olds
- Lack of LGBTQ+ support
- Lack of job availability
“In our town there is not much to do. We can bowl and that’s about it. We have to go to Red Deer for anything else.”
Sylvan Lake & Area
Why?
“To experience Living elsewhere and to go to University in another province like BC where their political ideologies are more similar to my own. also to meet different people and have new experiences.”
- Political Ideologies do not align
- Going away for post-secondary
- Partners of Families needing to move for work
- Wants to travel and explore the world
“There’s lots of opportunities here but I would like to expand my horizons. That being said, I still want to help out with the community while I am still a part of it.”
What do you feel are the biggest issues for your Community?
- Lack of job opportunities
- Street lighting in some areas
- Underage substance usage
- Outdated recreation facilities
- Minimal public transport
- Only one high school thus forcing some to commute to Red Deer
“Needs another hockey arena, more sport facilities in general. Badly needs another high school so people don’t have to continue commuting to Red Deer.”
Red Deer & Area
Why?
“My university of choice is not in Red Deer as well as my career requires me to travel.”
- Wants to move to a bigger city with more opportunities
- RDC doesn’t have what some youth want to take or they need to transfer to another university to finish it.
- They want to explore the world
“I have always dreamed of living in an area closer to or in a bigger city than Red Deer.”
What do you feel are the biggest issues for your Community?
- Current Capacity of the Hospital is to low
- Large homeless population
- Lack of support with online schooling
- Limited course offerings at RDC
- RDC is the only post secondary school
- Lack of acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community and different ethnicities
“We have a big problem surrounding homelessness. Granted that cannot be fixed overnight. Things lake the soup kitchen and other similar organizations are important to maintain and get volunteers to help run. As of right now I would have no clue where to even go if I wanted to help volunteer.”
“I know what it’s like to always be by myself now and to be stuck in one place so I plan to travel as much as I can and get away from everything once I can.”
“More careers with most likely be switched to virtual after the Pandemic which changed my vision of the future.”
“I was laid off of work for a few months, during those times I realized how fast money goes when your not working, I have learned that saving money is an important thing and that I need to have a plan for after high school, whether that’s a career, or getting a job to save earn money.”
“Every way the economic state of the country is going to make it difficult to get a good job once I am done in school.”
“I feel it has given me the chance to become more educated on various issues that have been brought to light in recent months. I’ve also noticed how much of a toll the pandemic has taken on everyone’s mental health and original plans for the future.”
“I still am going to be a auto-mechanic and have my own place. It’s going to take more than a pandemic to stop me!“
“It has given me new views on life and not wasting time. Given me lots of time to think and reflect on my future pathways and how I want my life to play out.”
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