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Halton Youth Impact Survey Results
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What opportunities exist for all young people in Halton to engage in environmental and civic activities and benefit from the natural environment? Are we creating accessible green spaces and engaging youth in our communities?
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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 create opportunities for all youth to engage in environmental, civic, and other activities while also benefiting from the natural environment?

Step 1

Consider the conditions we want to see for environmental and civic engagement in Halton.
The findings from the HYIS suggest three key conditions we should strive for:

  • Accessible green spaces where all youth can benefit from the natural environment
  • Young people regularly engaged in environmental, civic, and other community activities
  • Young people serving as leaders in their communities in the causes they care about

Step 2

Explore and share the findings. More data can be found on the OKN Data Portal. 
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. We encourage you to 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.

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.

  • In what ways can your organization improve access and provide opportunities for youth to access green community spaces, such as parks, walking paths, community gardens or outdoor recreation facilities?
  • How can your organization address public transportation challenges when working with youth?
  • In what ways can your organization prioritize outdoor activities in youth programs, such as school trips, experiential learning, sports, and arts and culture?
  • In what ways can your organization provide opportunities for youth to participate in the natural environment that are reflective of the diversity of youth in your community?
  • In what ways can you authentically connect youth with volunteer opportunities at your organization or with partners in the community?
  • How can organizations in Halton promote environmental initiatives that connect youth with the outdoors, such as recycling, neighbourhood clean-ups or habitat rehabilitation?
  • What are the ways in which young people can be authentically engaged in activities that mobilize their participation in democratic processes?
  • What are the ways in which you can involve youth in planning and decision-making at your organization so that their voices are part of the programs and services in the community?
  • In what ways does your organization create opportunities for youth to take action and lead initiatives, activities and events?
  • How are the efforts of youth recognized at your organization and in what ways are their contributions validated?

Advancing beyond this data
As you take the steps to move the data into action, consider reflecting on what we still need to understand.

  • Is something missing from these key findings?
  • Has your organization identified an area that should be explored further?
  • How can we work together to address these knowledge gaps?

Suggested citation: Our Kids Network (2022). Building for the future: how youth in Halton engage in caring for their communities and the environment. 2021 Halton Youth Impact Survey.

  • 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 →

Download the bulletin ↓

RBA framework materials →
Halton Youth Impact Survey Results

Latest bulletin highlights young people’s experiences of discrimination, homelessness, and food insecurity

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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