Introduction

“We just need to be included and be listened to. When we have a say we feel we are doing something about a problem, when we are ignored we feel we are part of the problem.” Youth Vital Signs survey respondent

This is one of the many comments contributed on the Victoria’s Youth Vital Signs survey. Over 270 youth completed the survey, assigned letter grades in each subject area, shared their opinions and feelings about life in Victoria. Their comments and suggestions were thoughtful and articulate; they embraced the opportunity to be heard.

Youth in the region are aware of their environment, the challenges they face along with their peers – and the strengths they bring to our community. They are concerned about the cost of living in Victoria – high rents and low wages – and they want to better understand their rights as tenants and employees. The majority were candid when asked the question what is best about living here.

“We have a beautiful and amazing world-class city with tons of potential…”

This survey gives a snapshot of the thoughts and lives of the youth in our community. Their time and participation in the project is greatly appreciated and we hope the release of this report is only the beginning of the engagement process.

“I think that the main thing to remember is that youth are simply adults who are considered to be not as developed. Treat us as if we are adults and we will rise to meet the expectation.”

Victoria's Vital Signs Youth Survey Respondents

How connected do you feel to the Victoria community?

“I’m connected very well to ‘my life’ but there’s the whole sector that I’m discovering outside of ‘my life’. “

The majority of survey participants were born in Canada and 60% have lived in Victoria all their lives. They are from all parts of the CRD and nearly 58% volunteer in our community. The participants showed diversity in living arrangements, education and work experience. More details may be found in the Vital Signs section of the Victoria Foundation’s website.

Youth Indicator Areas

Arts and Culture Around Town

How is Victoria doing when it comes it comes to arts and culture for youth? B

Two main themes dominated in the comments about arts and culture: the need for affordable events and more youth focused advertising of events. Youth are concerned about having safe venues for dances and performances both for minors and older youth.

“I would have a youth section of the art gallery where young artists (who meet the gallery's standards) can display their work.”

Youth Voice

How is Victoria doing when it comes to youth having a say? C

Many youth want to vote in elections. They want the voting age to be lowered so they can be heard.

“I just want the right to vote and then to campaign mercilessly to have other young people exercise it.”

They want to be asked their opinion and to not be marginalized or judged for speaking out. More engagement of youth at the municipal and provincial ministry levels were suggested

“I think it might be a good idea to have a person from our municipal government come into each high school once a month to discuss what is going on in our community and to get ideas which would be then brought back to the council.”

Growing Up Green - Environmental Awareness and Action

How is Victoria doing when it comes to the green scene? B

Environmental awareness is high among Victoria’s youth – and they have lots to say about it. Public transportation is a hot topic with the need for late night bus service repeated time and again. Transit schedules and routes are also a concern. There were strong comments about sewage treatment – both for and against! They want future generations to be well educated and want the environment to be part of the curriculum at every grade level. Practical suggestions were made, such as recycling options downtown, more community gardens, a public composting program and even better recycling education.

Although we do well - “Out of town friends mock my care for recycling” - we could do better. “A liberal, educated, relatively small city such as ours could do much better.”

They are ready to make a difference.

“We have hands and are ready to work, we have ideas and are ready to share.”

Poverty: Rich vs. Poor

How is Victoria doing when it comes to addressing the gap between the rich and poor? D

Victoria’s youth feel the pinch of the high cost of living in our region. They want a higher minimum wage and more affordable housing – both for rentals and ownership. They want to be able to afford a place of their own and they understand, often from experience, the strain accommodation costs often put on families. Even when housing is not a personal issue, they feel for others and many want to ensure the homeless get respect.

“…there are children and teenagers starving, sleeping in the rain. I was one of them, and it still strikes me as grossly unfair. A kid gets kicked out of their parents' house, and there's almost no way for them to pick themselves up again. We can't get a job without an address, we can't get a place without a job. There's services to feed us, but they close for summer. The youth shelter is open only at night, and never in the summer. Out Of The Rain is the only shelter that moves every night. And many of us do manage to get jobs anyways, only to discover that we need to make a choice between getting a house or eating.”

Unemployment 2009 has seen a dramatic rise in unemployment for youth age 15 to 24 in Greater Victoria, increasing from 4.8% in January to 12.6% in June. In numbers, this translates roughly into 33,700 youth working in January 2009, compared to 31,300 in June 2009. Source

Youth Spaces: Hanging Out

How is Victoria doing when it comes to availability and quality of youth spaces? B

Youth are active by nature and want options. They want “cool”, safe places to hang out and want to stay in their neighbourhoods, not always having to go downtown. They feel safe all-ages venues and a variety of inexpensive places to go in the evenings are needed. Suggestions like climbing walls, dance studio nightclubs and bowling alleys were made.

“Keep the youth centres open through the summer. They need better budgets to do so, but until you're one of the kids that depends on them, you can't know just how worth it that would be. The youth centres provide emotional support, food, warmth, and many people I know have used the youth centre's phone for a way for prospective employers to reach them.”

Health and Wellness

How is Victoria doing when it comes to supporting health and wellness for youth? B

Victoria’s youth want a healthy lifestyle and understand this means being active. They want schools to increase physical activity levels and offer nutrition courses. Cost is also a barrier for some to participate on sports teams and suggest organized but free, drop-in soccer or Frisbee.

“I also find school gym classes do not promote a healthy lifestyle. From what I have seen you can take your gym strip and get a good workout, but if your skill level isn't that high then you fail the unit no matter how hard you tried. Then people lose interest in trying hard.”

Access to information and confidential, discreet, non-judgmental youth-specialized health services were suggested – again, not just in the downtown core.

“Although people should stay safe and aware, it doesn't do anybody any good to just ignore those in unhealthy situations. I think the way people view health and wellbeing needs to be looked at in spreading more awareness rather than using an iron fist scaring tactic.”

Healthy eating In 2008, 55.5% of youth age 12 to 19 on South Vancouver Island reported eating fruits and vegetables 5 or more times a day. This is higher than all residents of South Vancouver Island combined at 51.2%, and compares favourably to 50.3% of youth in BC and 49.3% in Canada. Source

Physical activity rate Of youth age 12 to 19 on South Vancouver Island, 59.3% reported being active or moderately active in their leisure time in 2008. This compares to 72.9% of all youth in BC and 69.2% in Canada. Comparatively, 63.9% of all South Vancouver Island residents reported being active or moderately active in their leisure time. Source

Mental health In 2008, 86.6% of youth age 12 to 19 on South Vancouver Island reported they had very good or excellent mental health. This compares to 80.9% of youth in BC and 78.7% in Canada. Source

Youth Housing and Homelessness

How is Victoria doing when it comes to housing for youth and young adults? C

More lower cost housing options top the wish list of survey respondents. They want to better understand their rights as renters. They want to be safe but find there are many challenges with the youth shelter and other youth housing. They don’t want to live on the street or stay in unsupported homes.

“…we should be able to offer the children the same thing we offer the adults, a reliable, relatively safe place to spend the night, every night…”

Homelessness In 2007, 791 homeless people were identified in the Capital Region's Homeless Needs Survey of which 108 were youth age 16 to 25. Source

Education and Learning

How is Victoria doing when it comes to learning, education or training opportunities for youth? B

Although there are education choices in Victoria, youth would like to see smaller class size at all levels, as well as changes to the style of teaching and curriculum. A number of alternative programs received positive comments. Students want to be prepared for the different style of post-secondary learning – and be prepared for life in general.

“It would be nice to have a class that gives a variety of basic life skills; from the basics of sewing and carpentry to how to change a bike tire and explanations of global warming.”

Safety

How is Victoria doing when it comes to youth safety? B

While aware of the risks and dangers in our city, youth generally feel safe and well protected in Victoria. They are appreciative of the numerous resources available to assist them.

“There should be more female police officers - they tend to express themselves in a softer manner which makes it easier to listen.”

P.A.R.T.Y. Participation During the 2008/09 school year, 2,576 students participated in the Prevent Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma in Youth (P.A.R.T.Y.) program -- a one-day, in-hospital injury awareness and prevention program for youth in grades 9 and 10. While student participation was slightly lower than 2007/08 (2,650 students), the volunteer run program expanded its reach to include Salt Spring Island in 2008/09. Source

Work

How would you grade youth employment and training options in Victoria? C

Many youth are unemployed or underemployed. There is a strong desire for minimum wage to be increased and the minimum age to work to be decreased. Many expressed a need to understand their rights as a employee.

“The economic situation isn't helping, but as an experienced and professional who has almost completed her undergraduate degree who has a variety of work and volunteer experience in childcare, retail, and research, I could not get a job this summer.”

Social Assistance In September 2008, 2.5% of youth age 19 to 24 in the Capital Region received income assistance. This compares to BC where 3.0% of youth were receiving income assistance. Source

Transportation

How is Victoria doing when it comes to youth getting around? B

While there was great desire to have more bike lanes, public transit dominated the survey comments. Repeated suggestions included: student and youth discounts and family passes on the buses; monthly payment plan for BC Transit Youth Pass; and to have the buses run later.

“We need the buses to go later!!! They will get used. Believe me. Every get together, whether downtown or just hanging out at a friend's house is constrained by the last bus home!”

Alternative Transportation In 2006, 41.6% of youth age 15 to 24 in Greater Victoria were travelling between home and work or school using alternative transportation such as walking, public transit or cycling, compared to 23.1% of Greater Victoria adults 25 and over and 29.8% of BC youth age 15 to 24. Source

Our Community

How is Victoria doing when it comes to youth’s ability to be themselves? B

While youth hear a strong message of equality in our region, they say that discrimination based on race and sexual orientation is still widespread. They want acceptance of differences in our society and believe that more education in schools is the way to achieve this.

"More education at the elementary levels... everywhere I look there are images of hetero people, families etc...where are there images of me and my family?”

Belonging In 2008, 86.6% of youth age 12-19 on South Vancouver Island reported a very strong or somewhat strong sense of belonging to their local community. This compares to 80.2% of youth in BC, 75.6% in Canada, and 65.1% of all residents on South Vancouver Island. Source

Migration For every youth age 18 to 24 that moved away from Greater Victoria in 2006, it is estimated that 1.6 moved to the area. This compares to Halifax and London where it is estimated that for every youth aged 18 to 24 leaving the area, 1.4 youth migrated in, and Calgary where for every youth leaving the area, 2.3 youth migrated in. Source

Top five youth priorities for attention in Victoria

Community Investment Priorities