The Community Conversation regarding the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) provided an opportunity for members of the community to join and discuss the health and well-being of Masco’s youth.
Tri-Town Council’s biennial event is designed to engage the community and inform them about the health and well-being of local youth. At this year’s gathering, the data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey invoked thoughtful conversations regarding substance use, mental health, sexual contact against one’s will, bullying, and other pressing issues, and how these issues can be solved.
Youth leaders took the forefront, guiding the discussions and providing insight into what the data means for their generation. Students like junior Ele Casto felt passionately about the importance of addressing these issues.
“The more people know about these topics, the more willing they are to take action or realize maybe change needs to take place. Otherwise, there’s just a lot of indifference, and nothing changes,” she said. “If you want to actually see change, you have to bring up the conversation.”
Junior Neva Partal agreed, emphasizing the importance of spreading awareness to others.
“I think people should be aware of the hopes and concerns in our data, and leave with an idea of the actions they can take to prevent any bad behaviors,” Partal said. “And I think they should just spread the awareness to anyone who wasn’t here today, and take something out of [this event].”
This year’s survey results revealed some concerns for local youth within the community, with mental health challenges emerging as a prominent issue. A large percentage of students reported having struggled with their mental health, with about one in ten indicating they had considered suicide.
“One thing I hope the administrators and parents who attended tonight focus on is the self-harm that students go through. I know we briefly mentioned it, but I think teachers and parents should talk more about this because it’s a serious topic, and people who hurt themselves don’t really trust people to ask for help and it’s something nobody should go through,” said junior Rudy Chilel. “It’s seen a lot at 8th and 7th grade and some parents think it’s too young an age to talk to their kids about, but the reality is that it can occur at any age.”
The survey also showed a downward trend in substance use within the past 30-day time frame, with about 16.4% of students reporting alcohol consumption, 8.4% admitting to using marijuana, and 2.3% confirming smoking. Additionally, about 1 in 100 students reported the misuse of prescription drugs within the past 30 days (1.2%). Regarding access to drugs on school property, fewer than 1 in 17 students (5.8%) reported being offered illegal drugs on school grounds, with older students and boys being more likely to encounter these situations. These statistics stress an ongoing need for effort and prevention programs targeting youth substance abuse. While there have been recent positive trends, it remains important to continue supporting students through education and interventional means.
Beyond substance use, the survey also examined aspects of sexual behaviors, mental health, and overall well-being. Approximately 1 in 5 Masco youth reported being sexually active, nearly 1 in 4 felt clinically depressed, and 1 in 10 seriously considered suicide, with higher rates among LGBQ+, GDY, and IEP students. Stress remained a common issue for these groups especially, with girls reporting higher stress levels than boys. Sleep deprivation was also prevalent, as only about 25% of youth reported getting at least eight hours of sleep each night, with LGBQ+, GDY, and IEP students being the most affected. Addressing these concerns through various support and wellness initiatives could help to improve the students’ overall well-being.
Tri-Town Council Executive Director Meredith Shaw reflected on the importance of community engagement in tackling these issues.
“My hope is that the community has some new insight into this “snapshot” the data offers of Masco HS and MS youth health and well-being. Where are the hopes? What concerns do the data reveal?” said Shaw. “Here at Tri-Town Council we abide by the adage, ‘All kids are our kids,’ meaning we all have a role to play in creating and strengthening a healthy community that enables and empowers youth to make healthy decisions.”
Shaw also spoke about trying to understand the behaviors and experiences of local youth, which ultimately creates a supportive environment to help address challenges like these.
“Community provides the context and backdrop within/among which youth are growing up. We all have to work together to support our kids and build a community where kids are empowered and enabled to be healthy, connected, resilient, etc.,” she said. “Having insight into understanding the true behaviors, experiences, challenges, and strengths of our youth through these data snapshots is important for the community. How can we best serve youth if we don’t know what they need? The data helps elucidate that.”
Hilary Burke, Tri-Town Coalition’s Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program Director, also spoke about the need for a deeper understanding of youth health issues, as well as the role of adults in supporting them.
“My hope for the adults in the room is that they realize our young people need them,” said Burke. “Whether it’s a teacher, coach, parent, or mentor, that adult presence is so critical to our youth, knowing they are seen and held by supporting adults within the Tri-Town is a goal of the Coalition and community events like Community Conversation.”
She went on to explain the significance of having adult connections and recognizing the need for support throughout a young person’s life.
“For the young people in the room, my hope is they looked around and saw the adults in the room and knew they were there for them. There were policymakers, educators, first responders, medical professionals, parents, and others from the different sectors that make up the Tri-Town all there because they care, they want to know the data on our youth, and they want to be a presence of stability, support, and resource for young people,” she said.
As a mother in the community, Burke feels a sense of responsibility when it comes to ensuring the well-being of local students. She has a personal connection to the topics of addiction and mental illness and uses her lived experiences in those areas to inform her work.
“The perception data was really fascinating to me. If ’perception is reality,’ we have the responsibility to clarify those misperceptions, and really celebrate the positive data, the fact that our youth are participating in less risky behaviors than perceived,” she said. “Clearing up perceptions takes a really coordinated and targeted approach, and it’s one of the commitments of the Coalition to help support efforts to clarify perceptions so we can better celebrate our young people and their non-participation in certain risky behaviors, to me that’s worth honoring and celebrating.”
Nicole Gregoire-Allis, Coalition Coordinator, feels strongly about staying motivated to support youth and maintain community involvement. As a female athlete, she knows of the influence role models and mentorship can have in regards to decision-making among teens.
“For change to happen, we need to be proactive about educating ourselves. We need to know what our youth are experiencing. We need to listen to what they have to say. Then, we need to come together as a community…adults and youth alike…to talk about what we are already doing well, and what additional support we can put in place to help those who need it. When adults show up for youth, it makes an impact.”
Gregoire-Allis further explained how crucial it is to show that youth engagement is a priority in community discussions.
“I also hope that, by seeing youth front and center in presenting the data and facilitating the conversations, adults in the community understand that this information does matter to the youth. They care about the experiences of their peers and want to explore ways to create positive experiences for them.”
Despite some distressing statistics, the event served as a reminder that most of the local youth are making healthy decisions.
“The great majority of the youth in our community are not using substances, experiencing poor mental health, or being bullied. Most Masco youth feel that they have supportive adults they can go to both inside and outside of school, feel safe in their school environment, and have healthy ways to manage stress. These are important takeaways from the data that should not be minimized,” said Gregoire-Allis.
The event sparked several thoughtful conversations and highlighted the community’s collective responsibility to support its children. It displayed the resilience of local youth, who are committed to making healthy choices and hope to see positive change, relying on the support and involvement of the community around them.
How can YOU support our youth?
- Stay informed and engaged within the community
- Address mental health struggles
- Encourage coping strategies
- Be an active adult presence
- Celebrate youth
- Provide education about substance use
- Support youth initiatives
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND THE DATA:
https://www.tritowncouncil.org/coalition
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19BbAJcgsJ4X4a5F-EUZR6VAqUB7XOFsC/view
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HEw1ot7geL5J4s9u_qPkQC5bUPo9iF0w/view
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dhDtExXCFCi8oegTh6PhDNKTvIdspmix/view
