On Friday morning, dozens of community, health and social service workers gathered at the Campbell’s Bay RA Hall for a forum on youth health.
The day was a collaboration between the regional health authority CISSSO and the Table Éducation Outaouais (TÉO), a group that brings together various groups to improve education and scholastic perseverance in the area.
The day began with an overview of the results of the Quebec health survey of high school students, produced by the Institut de la statistique du Quebec. The data showed several concerning trends, like 45 per cent of youth have tried a nicotine vape at least once, or that 46.4 per cent reported having low self-esteem, both of which are higher than the Outaouais average. However, attendees pointed to the fact that the data was from 2022 and suggested the results were impacted by the pandemic-era isolation.
Attendees were also asked to brainstorm the resources and activities that are available for local youth, and shared their results with the assembled group.
Speaking before the forum, TÉO Director Jeanie Pinard-Duhaime said that getting many of the concerned parties together to network was the primary objective.
“The main goal is to bring together everyone who plays a role in the lives of young people in the Pontiac,” she said.
While the event was going on, two youth artists, Méliane Brisson and Alicia Flansberry, created a mural, onto which attendees were later invited to write their hopes and dreams for the youth of the Pontiac region.
