The Central Shenandoah Valley Office on Youth is looking to engage the community in an effort to address challenges facing youth in Waynesboro, Staunton and Augusta County.
The Office on Youth, in partnership with the Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge, is building toward the creation of working groups to include parents, youth, and community stakeholders from the public, private, and nonprofits sectors, who are interested in working together to tackle challenges faced by local youth.
This effort will draw from the Youth Needs Assessment, completed in December, which included a survey of more than 5,000 parents, community members and stakeholders.
The top five areas noted as “big concerns” by more than 50 percent of those surveyed include social media, drug/alcohol use, peer pressure, bullying and obesity.
The Youth Community Needs Assessment also included reviews of demographic and health data that point to significant local concerns with poverty and food insecurity, truancy, teen pregnancy, depression and suicide.
The Office on Youth and the Community Foundation are planning a community meeting for later this year to launch the working groups.
If you are interested in participating, contact Joy Stultz, Grants Manager at the Central Shenandoah Valley Office on Youth, at (540) 942-6757 or [email protected].
You can access the Youth Community Needs Assessment here.
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