Youth Vital Signs allows Metro Vancouver youth to have their voice heard by policy makers on their own

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1Metro Vancouver teens, represented by the new data

collected in Youth Vital Signs (Laura Taylor, BCIT

On November 14th, the Vancouver Foundation released Youth Vital Signs, a metro Vancouver youth quality of life survey. This comprehensive survey polled 3,500 youth in the Lower Mainland a ed !5"#$. The value of YTS%s data is that the survey is written and conducted &y a youth committee. 'ommittee mem&er (une Liu, feels the survey, )more accurately captures what youth are really thin*in . The diverse committee has the access and trust of the demo raphic we were loo*in to reach.+

,f the !3 cate ories surveyed poverty, employment, education and housin were identified as &ein most in need of immediate attention. Liu asserts the most important messa e of the report is, )how connected all the issues in metro Vancouver are. -o one cate ory or statistic is more important than the interconnected we& that creates circumstance.+ The report hi hli hts how the cost of education and housin leads to hi h levels of poverty, which affects mental health and youth safety. The committee updated the survey, last conducted in #00., &y chan in the wordin to &e more accessi&le to immi rant youth and those who the education system may &e failin . The committee%s wor* will continue, with the survey &ein sent to councils, school &oards and policy ma*ers in Metro Vancouver to use as an informational tool. The Vancouver Foundation is arran in direct meetin s &etween decision ma*ers and the youth council to discuss how to turn the findin s into action. The foundation is helpin Metro Vancouver youth fi ht an apathetic sti ma &y ma*in their voices heard in shapin their future. /Laura Taylor, 0'1T2