‘We just want this place to get better’

Filling out Communities That Care’s (CTC) upcoming young adult survey—its first since 2016—it’s clear that there were no punches pulled in compiling the questions.

In about 15 minutes, respondents aged 18 to 30 are able to paint a fairly detailed picture of things like how COVID-19 has impacted them; their living situations; the status of their mental and physical health (and barriers to improving both); their connectedness to the community; and the extent of their drug and alcohol use—all completely anonymously and confidential.

The questions are more heavy-hitting than they might have been in past surveys, said CTC chair (and Whistler councillor) Cathy Jewett.

“Because the feedback that we’ve gotten from the stakeholders is that there was information there, but there just wasn’t the depth that they needed to be able to create programming that would be more effective,” she said.

The young adult survey was first conducted in 2007 with a goal of understanding the impact of young adults on the community, Jewett said. 

“[Since then] I think it’s morphed more into, ‘What is it that the young adult community needs as far as supports, what are the challenges, and what are the good things?’” Jewett said.

“We just want this place to get better.”

The CTC board is made up of reps from Vancouver Coastal Health, the Sea to Sky School District, the RCMP, Whistler Community Services Society, Sea to Sky Community Services and the Ministry of Children and Family Development, Jewett said—meaning the survey questions represent a group effort.

More than 800 people filled out the last young adult survey, “and the more people that we can get to respond to this, the better,” she added.

“This will help us advocate for more programming for young adults, and also help these other organizations do an assessment of what they’re doing, to see whether it’s working.”

Once respondents finish the survey, they’re re-directed to a separate page where they can enter a draw for daily prizes from local businesses (including a grand prize of a $500 Whistler Blackcomb gift certificate).

The survey opens Jan. 15 and closes Feb. 12—find it at www.surveymonkey.com/r/whistler-young-adult.

CTC is also prepping its youth survey for students in Grades 6 to 12, with plans to launch in the spring. It will be CTC’s first youth survey since 2017, and the first to cover the entire Sea to Sky since 2013.

“It asks some pretty heavy-hitting questions as well, and this year we’re paying to have an addendum to the survey so that we can ask COVID-related questions,” Jewett said.

Data from CTC surveys is analyzed and reported back to the community, and archived on the CTC website at ctcwhistler.ca—results from the young adult survey should be posted by summer, Jewett said.

Funding for this year’s young adult survey was provided by the Whistler Community Services Society.