Appendix C

Appendix C: Findings with Respect to Youth

C. SIGNIFICANT HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FINDINGS WITH RESPECT TO YOUTH

Youth are a community’s most valuable resource. The migration of youth from the community is inevitable and, often necessary, in order to pursue post-secondary studies and greater career opportunities. However, a key component in the long-term sustainability of the community is its ability to attract youth and family back home. Youth need to feel heard and need to be valued as important members of their communities.

A profile of youth in the area has been developed with respect to:

community consultation

characteristics

trends and patterns

gaps and concerns

potential solutions.

Observations:

generally youth reported feeling that the community did not trust them

both youth and the community indicated a need for a “vehicle” for youth to have input into decisions being made within the community, and for them to be involved with community activities and projects

youth reported issues such as the lack of trust/respect between youth and the community, the focus of the community on seniors, the lack of sustainable job opportunities, the lack of informal recreation opportunities, the lack of trades/technical educational opportunities, and the need for a skateboard park and a “drop in” centre

although the community appears to agree that Camrose does not have a large population of “homeless” youth, a need emerged for transitional and/or emergency housing for youth

youth (the 15-29 cohort) made up 21% of the City’s population in 2001 after a decrease of 3% between 1991 and 1996

1996 over 60% of the City and County students attend school full time

the 2000 Youth in Transitions Survey indicates that about 2/3 of the youth who reported facing barriers to going as far in school as they would like cited financial barriers, and this was mirrored in the local survey conducted with grade 12 students

49% of grade 12 survey respondents saw not knowing what types of jobs/careers are available as a barrier and a further 50% felt that they would be unable to find a job that matched their interest

88% of respondents reported that having good grades would be important to their futures, and 89% indicated that they relied on the advice of parents/guardians to support their planning for the future

another 76% talked with close friends re: planning for the future

the 2002 Rural Youth Migration Project indicated that 51% of rural youth plan on leaving their communities in the future as compared to the results of the grade 12 student survey at almost 75%

40% of those responding to the grade 12 survey indicated that they are unlikely to very unlikely to return

youth appear to feel that rural community leaders often feel that their leaving is a positive and inevitable event, necessary for youth to pursue post-secondary studies and have greater opportunities; and that retaining and/or attracting youth was not important

the key factors affecting decisions as to whether or not to return to the community were higher income, reduced cost of living, improved recreation, improved education/training opportunities, ability to apply skills, and better job opportunities

youth also indicated a feeling that “returning=failure”, and that the community only want to retain/attract “good” youth

30% of grade 12 survey respondents indicated that they expected to make $1500 to $3000 per month initially, and additional 16% indicated that they expected to earn between $3000 and $5000 per month initially

27% of grade 12 survey respondents indicated that they expected to make $3000 to $5000 per month after 5 years, and a further 12% indicated they expected to make $5000 to $7000 per month after 5 years

youth generally regarded their volunteer experience positively with over half reporting that they had learned new skills they could apply to a job

continued growth appears in youth entrepreneurship; 14% of the grade 12 survey respondents indicated they would be interested in starting a business

however there is a feeling among youth that existing business in Camrose does not support small business and that many of the existing small business are leaving or closing down

grade 12 survey respondents reported a need for supports in starting or purchasing a business; assistance in obtaining financing (53%), help in developing a business plan (42%), mentoring/support from business people (35%)

C.1 Consultation

Consultation with the youth included a survey of grade 12 students, informal interviews with youth and youth-related providers, and two discussion groups with youth.

Table C1: Community Consultation with Youth

Social Needs Assessment
Strengths	Concerns/Gaps/Barriers	What Youth Are Prepared to Do To Address Issues
The Open Door The RCMP PACE NYC schools generally safety recreation facilities that are here are very good	community focused on seniors and those retiring more professional jobs are needed in town more positions that pay enough to raise a family without working 2 or 3 jobs are needed youth do not feel they are heard need for a skate board park recreation costs for team sports too high need more informal, unstructured recreation opportunities need a coffee shop or a place to “drop in” lack of trust in youth by businesses and community drug dealing happening in local businesses and increased flow of “hard” drugs into area feel “hassled” by City Police focus too much on academics, need trades/technical programs need accommodation that youth can afford need a youth emergency centre or “safe house” need to know more about where and how counselling is offered need for counselling to be offered in an isolated location a year round hire a student office would like different organized activities at reasonable cost such as golf tournament, talent search, etc.	serve on youth advisory committee do volunteer work with seniors to learn about and from seniors develop petitions on issues develop program to promote youth with business and community in general work with City to establish more youth-oriented programs work with schools to get trades and technical programs establish a youth “drop in” centre or coffee shop

Table C2: Community Support/Barriers

Importance of Supporters in Planning for the Future	Levels of Support Provided in High School	Barriers for fulfilling Plans
88% having good grades 89% advice of parents/guardians 76% advice of close friends 57% career counselling 56% courses that gave job-specific skills 55% advice of high school teachers 47% advice of college/university representatives 47% participation in extracurricular activities 46% advice of employers	88% ability to work cooperatively with others 87% critical thinking skills 87% ability to work independently 86% problem-solving skills 78% feeling of self confidence 77% useful information on post secondary education options 69% useful information on employment options 68% job search techniques 5 7% information on student financial assistance 35% ability to start own business	73% not enough money 50% inability to find a job that matches interest 49% not knowing what types of jobs/careers available 49% poor high school grades 44% not being accepted by university/college of choice 43% not knowing the right people to get ahead 22% family obligations 17% discrimination 14% being a parent

Source: 2002 Grade 12 Student Survey

C.2 Characteristics

The following charts set out the demographics for the area with respect to population, education and labour force.

Table C3: Youth Population 1991, 1996 and 2000

	City of Camrose			County of Camrose
	1991	1996	2001 Census	1991	1996	2000
15-19	945	970	1424	570	640
20-24	960	855	1019	370	320
25-29	995	845	767	855	330
TOTAL	2900	2670	3210	1795	1290
% of Total Population	22%	19%	21%	24%	17%

Table C4: School Attendance 1991, 1996 and 2000 (ages 15-24)

	City of Camrose			County of Camrose
	1991	1996	2000	1991	1996	2000
Not attending	890	755		340	280
Attending Full Time	915	1,005		570	655
Attending Part Time	145	70		35	55

Table C5: Comparison of School Attendance to Youth Population 15-24 1991 and 1996

Year	City of Camrose	County of Camrose
1991	Ø 46% not attending Ø 47% attending full time Ø 7% attending part time	Ø 36% not attending Ø 60% attending full time Ø 4% attending part time
1996	Ø 41% not attending Ø 55% attending full time Ø 4% attending part time	Ø 29% not attending Ø 68% attending full time Ø 3% attending part time
2000	Ø	Ø

C.3 Existing Programs and Services Related to Youth

Table C6 provides an overview of the range of programs and services available within the community and the region.

Table C6: Programs/Services Related to Youth

Service Provider	Services, Programs, Assistance	Users
Alberta Human Resources and Employment	variety of direct and referral programs and services	user group includes the entire community
Bashaw & District Support Services	Bashaw and District Support Services provides community support to strengthen families and community, encouraging people to act on their own needs. Prevention is the focus and programs depend on volunteerism. Services provided by B.D.S.S are available to all residents of the Town of Bashaw and Division One of the County of Camrose. B.D.S.S. is funded by Camrose & District Support Services. Programs include: Meals on Wheels, Pre-School, Coats for Kids, Tools for School, Food Bank, Yellow Ribbon Suicide Awareness, Victim Services, Community Connections, Volunteer Centre, Santa’s Anonymous, Safety in the Park/Summer Reading	user group includes youth and their families
Catholic Social Services	rehabilitation services for young adults with disabilities	user group is young adults with disabilities
Centra Cam Vocational Training Association	services for individuals with employment barriers: vocational training; employment support, placement, and maintenance; pre-employment training; community options	user group includes individuals experiencing barriers to employment
Community Connections	youth and family support with assessment and treatment homes for youth	youth and families requiring assessment and treatment
D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse and Violence Resistance Education)	substance abuse prevention education for Grade 6 & 8 students, with facts about drugs & alcohol develops ability to resist negative peer pressure	users are grade 6 and 8 students
Hire-A-Student	a free job posting service for employers and employees the agency provides assistance in the job search process, such as writing resumes and cover letters, as well as providing information on government funding, employment equity, and employment standards	users group is students looking for employment
Missing Children Society of Canada	investigative search program for abducted and run-away children	n/a

Service Provider	Services, Programs, Assistance	Users
Neighbourhood Youth Centre	provides a wide variety of programs for youth ages 6-24 yrs: Boys & Girls Club program, Teen programs, Baby-sitter Safety course, Skills for Work program, RAINBOWS bereavement program, Child Personal Safety course, youth advocacy & other activities PACE Outreach School is also located at NYC	users are youth aged 6-24
Planned Parenthood	free pregnancy testing, pro-choice pregnancy options counselling, and information about birth control, reproductive health issues, male sexuality and sexual decision-making provides non-judgemental & factual information in a confidential, supportive and culturally sensitive environment	users are teens and youth requiring information and/or services
Ribstone Children’s Resource Centre	Child Protection Investigation, Handicapped Children Services, Adoptions, Foster Care, Extended Family Care, Host Families and Respite Care, Social Care Facilities Licensing, Family School Liaison, Counselling and Outreach, Women's Shelters, Youth Development, Integrated Child Care, Youth Outreach & Aboriginal Services	users are youth and their families
Summer in the Park	a safety education focused summer day camp for children from the County of Camrose and participating CDSS villages	participants are aged 5 to 12, with a Junior Leader program for 13 to 15 year-olds
The Open Door	responds to emergency needs of youth (ages 11-24) at risk in Camrose & District offers shelter, clothing, food, transportation and general counselling	115 youth (76 - Camrose, 18 County and 21 unknown)
Youth Connections	workshops on resume writing, interview skills, life skills	youth in general

C.4 Trends and Patterns

C.4.1 Migration

Retention of youth has been a challenge for communities over the years. Little or no statistical data locally was available to assist in the development of a profile of youth who stay in the area, youth that leave and where youth relocate to. However the grade 12 student survey combined with anecdotal discussions with the community, educational institutions and government agencies brought some clear patterns to light.

In general it would appear that:

the majority of youth leave the area for employment and/or educational opportunities

the grade 12 survey indicated that 40% of the youth plan to leave the community and not to return

male youth that stay in the area move toward work in the oil, manufacturing or retail industries

female youth that stay in the area move toward work in the retail, service or hospitality industries

youth relocate to urban centres such as Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer.

Table C7: Grade 12 Student Future Plans

Where Students Plan to Live in September 2002	Willingness to Stay or Return if Appropriate Job Available	Plans to Return in the Foreseeable Future to Reside in the Community	Importance of Factors Affecting Decision to Return to Community
25% City of Camrose 59% another Alberta Community 4% another Province 4% outside Canada	27% would stay 40% would not stay 29% might return	28% likely to very likely 32% not sure 40% unlikely to very unlikely	77% higher income 71% reduced cost of living 70% improved recreation 69% improved education and training opportunities 67% ability to apply learned/acquired skills 64% better job opportunities education/training 64% improved schools 64% family reasons 59% improved housing 56% more compatible people 53% improved medical facilities 51% open a business

Source: 2002 Grade 12 Student Survey

According to a Statistics Canada report, Rural and Small Town Canada Analysis Bulletin, February 2001, from 1991-96 there was a national net loss of 12% of youth ages 15-24 from rural areas. However, there was a net increase of 4% in the 25-64 age group. Thus rural communities are having to rely on inflows from other areas, primarily urban, to maintain their population size. Although all provinces saw a net loss, Alberta’s rural population ages 15 and over rose. The unemployment rate coincides with the net migration rate. The unemployment rate in Alberta during this time period for ages 15-29 was 11% and only 39% were employed full time.

For the time period 1987-1997 44% of youth stayed in the rural community, 12% left but returned within 10 years and 44% left for good. Of University graduates, 42% left and 27% of High School graduates left. It is postulated that if more youth were employed year round more would be likely to stay in the rural areas.

According to a Community Competitiveness Study in 1999 by Alberta Industry and Trade, retention of youth is a problem in many rural communities. Youth tend to leave when they have completed the highest level of education available in the community, many to continue their education elsewhere, others just to leave the area.

Youth do not return unless there are opportunities to use their newly learned skills and to become leaders in the business and cultural community. The average age in Alberta is 33.7 years old and in some communities is as high as 42 years with 23.1% over 65 years old. the average age in Camrose is about 32 years old. The out-migration of youth accelerates this trend and is not currently being offset by growth and in-migration.

C.4.2 Homelessness

The community appears to agree that the Camrose area does not have a large population of “homeless” youth. Some anecdotal information points to a population of youth without a place to stay. The Open Door indicates that they worked with about 60 housing-related cases

Anecdotal information indicated that individuals and families sometimes take these youth in but there appears to be a question as to how appropriate the “home” is. Community members reported incidents of “couch surfing” as well.

Discussions with community, service providers and youth indicated some need for a youth emergency shelter, interim crisis centre, emergent foster home or transition centre for those youth who may not be “safe” at home and who may not have anywhere else to go. One of the key factors in youth homelessness appears to be conflict with parents.

C.4.3 Recreation

The community provides a broad range of parks, facilities, programs and services related to recreation. However youth have identified a number of issues related to recreation:

a skateboard park is needed

more unstructured and informal recreation activities are needed (i.e. open recreation at facilities, non-team related activities, etc.)

more exercise oriented sports could be added to the mix

not all facilities (i.e. the basketball courts) are well maintained.

The youth skatepark survey results from November 2001 indicated that out of 1623 students who responded:

77% indicated that they would use the park if Camrose had one

31% indicated they were likely to skateboard

39% indicated they were likely to BMX

56% indicated they were likely to in-line skate.

Table C8 provides an overview of the results of another survey conducted with Junior and Senior High Students with respect to the types of programs/activities youth would like to see provided in the community.

Table C8: Youth Survey Results

The following chart outlines only the top four or five activities listed by the students.

	What is there for you to do in Camrose	What types of programs/activities would you like to see in Camrose
Sports	swimming bowling soccer hockey golf	basketball /volleyball courts lacrosse racing (snowmobile, go cart, etc.) outdoor swimming pool more/better recreation programs
Recreation	movies watch hockey games watch TV CADETS	indoor/outdoor skatepark recreation centre paintball/laser tag waterpark concerts
Social	go to the Mall/shopping hang out with friends go to the park, coffee, dinner youth group driving around	night club for teens youth clubs restaurant for youth more dances more youth-oriented social programs
General Responses	nothing much (45%)	n/a

C.4.4 Employment

In general youth feel that there are not enough sustainable jobs in the community and that this will not change if the community proceeds in its present direction. Youth reported that they would like to return to a rural community to raise their families, but indicated that the community would need to be able to offer opportunities that did not require them to work 2 or 3 jobs.

Table C9: Youth Labour Force Participation 1991, 1996 and 2000

	City of Camrose			County of Camrose
	1991	1996	2000	1991	1996	2000
Participation Rate	65.6%	63.4%		80.6%	78.9%
Participation Rate 15-24	75.8%	71.6%		67.7%	64.6%
Unemployment Rate	6.6%	7.2%		2.2%	3.2%
Unemployment Rate 15-24	8.1%	11.1%		3.9%	4.7%

Table C10: Grade 12 Student Income Expectations

Expected Monthly Rate of Pay			Ability to Earn Rate of Pay in the Community	Willingness to Stay/Return if Appropriate Job and/or Appropriate Rate of Pay Available
Per Month	Initially	After 5 Years	23% likely to very likely 32% not sure 45% unlikely to very unlikely	41% likely to very likely 30% not sure 29% unlikely to very unlikely
$1000-1500	19%	4%
$1500-3000	30%	13%
$3000-5000	16%	27%
$5000-7000	8%	12%
$7000+	2%	14%

Source: 2002 Grade 12 Student Survey

C.4.5 Entrepreneurship

Although there are no statistics specific to the area with respect to youth entrepreneurship, anecdotal information provides a general overview of this activity:

an active Junior Achievement program and/or a mentorship program would improve opportunities

several youth in the area are involved in successful seasonal entrepreneurial projects that have continued for more than one season

Community Futures organizations indicate that a growing portion of their loans portfolios are dedicated to youth entrepreneurs

continued growth appears in youth entrepreneurship; 14% of the grade 12 survey respondents indicate they would be interested in starting a business

youth also see small business closing down as larger chains and “box stores” arrive, leaving them with a feeling that small business will not do well in Camrose

grade 12 survey respondents reported a need for supports in starting or purchasing a business; assistance in obtaining financing (53%), help in developing a business plan (42%), mentoring/support from business people (35%).

Table C11: Supports Required for Starting A Business Identified by Grade 12 Students

Type Assistance Required in Starting A Business	% Responses
Assistance in obtaining financing	53%
Help in developing a business plan	42%
Mentoring/support from business people	35%
Legal advice	35%
Assistance in doing a market analysis	33%

Source: 2002 Grade 12 Student Survey

C.5 Gaps/Concerns and Contributing Factors

Table C12 sets out the findings identified through consultation with the community, observations with respect to the community, and a review of the existing programs and services.

Table C12: Gaps/Concerns/Unmet Needs and Contributing Factors

Gap/Concern/ Unmet Need	Contributing Factor
*Unstructured/informal recreation/leisure opportunities*	recreation trends include skateparks, unstructured use of facilities, and informal programs youth feel unwelcome in many establishments and need a “drop-in” centre such as a coffee house, etc. they can call their own
*Lack of future job opportunities*	youth see the predominance of part time jobs that are attracted to the community and feel there will be few if any sustainable job opportunities in the future
*Lack of trust/respect between youth and community*	youth do not feel heard youth and community as a whole voiced concerns about a lack of trust between youth and the community as a whole
*Community focus on seniors*	there is a perception throughout the community, not just with youth, that the focus is on seniors and attraction of seniors youth appear to feel that the seniors “get everything” and that everything is geared toward seniors
*Flexible educational opportunities*	technical/vocational programming at the school level has been reduced significantly over the years many youth indicated a desire to go into trades/technical education and feel that the focus of the schools is on academic programs and those who participate in those programs indicated an interest in alternative delivery methods for education and training

C.6 Potential Solutions

Communities are becoming more and more concerned about communicating with, involving, and retaining their youth. Following are some successful practices that might be adaptable to the community.

Unstructured Recreational Opportunities:

communities such as Calmar have encouraged initiatives such as coffee houses and drop in centres developed and operated by youth

a community-driven initiative could easily provide for a skatepark which would go a long way toward bridging the gap between youth and the community

the City’s recreation department recognizes the need for more unstructured and informal recreation opportunities to balance team sports and will be taking that into account in future planning

Community Involvement::

Spruce Grove’s Youth Task Force, reporting directly to the Mayor, provides opportunities for youth to participate on civic task forces and to become involved in community activities and decision making, and increases the level of trust and respect

Flexible Educational Opportunities:

involve educational institutions and industry in an industry-orientation program to provide youth with opportunities for technical/vocational programming

Community Focus On Seniors:

a communication strategy to include youth participation in community planning will diminish these perceptions