‘Geography snapshots’ highlight disparities among region’s youth

Youth in Waterloo Region’s cities are more likely to feel a sense of belonging compared to those living in its townships; however, a greater percentage of township youth assess their physical and mental health positively.

The “Geography Snapshots” report, with results from a youth impact survey conducted by the Children and Youth Planning Table of Waterloo Region, separates data from 1,867 young people surveyed last spring by four regions — Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and the townships.

The results show the region is coming out of the pandemic in a way that is conducive to youth feeling they belong, according to Dr. Dillon Browne, associate professor and Canada research chair in child and family clinical psychology at the University of Waterloo.

Overall, 71 per cent of respondents reported a strong sense of belonging — up seven per cent from 2021.

“At the same time, there are striking disparities related to geography,” Browne said.

Compared to other areas, a smaller share of Cambridge residents reported positive outcomes related to accessing health care, overall safety, life satisfaction and self-assessed physical and mental health.

Cambridge ranked lowest on recreation facilities — 39 per cent of respondents feel the quality of recreation and culture facilities is high, with only half reporting they’re easy to get to.

“I think one of the things that we do find is that a lot of community services are focused in K-W,” said Haniya Nazir, 17, a youth connector with the planning table.

Being from Cambridge, Nazir believes the results constitute a call for action.

Cambridge also ranked highest for food insecurity (18 per cent) and experiences of discrimination (60 per cent).

Overall, the number of young people who sometimes go to school or bed hungry increased from five per cent in 2021 to 15 per cent in 2023. Almost half (48 per cent) of survey respondents in 2023 reported they had experienced discrimination compared to 41 per cent in 2021.

“The thinking is that if experiences of discrimination are higher in a particular city, then instances of discrimination are also higher,” Browne said.

“There may also be other factors contributing,” he said. “They intersect with things like poverty, access to opportunity, migration history, availability of resources and the other health outcomes.”

There are also some points that should be celebrated, Browne noted, pointing to a strong sense of belonging among Cambridge youth that increased by 15 per cent between 2021 and 2023.

Just 60 per cent of respondents indicated the quality of the environment around them was high, down from 74 per cent in 2021. Respondents from Cambridge (51 per cent) and Kitchener (57 per cent) were less likely to report a highquality natural environment in their neighbourhood, compared to three out of four township respondents.

Overall the findings represent a pretty positive outcome — “better than what we’ve been seeing in youth when you’re looking at the global meta analysis of mentalhealth problems following COVID-19,” Browne said.

The Children and Youth Planning Table will release its “Age Snapshot” in the coming weeks.

Overall, the number of young people who sometimes go to school or bed hungry increased from five per cent in 2021 to 15 per cent in 2023