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2018 State of the Kids report on what stresses Naperville youth held at Municipal Center

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Above / Local leaders Jessica Littlefield of Samaracare, Harley Jones of 360 Youth Services, IdaLynn Wenhold of KidsMatter, Patricia M. Schacht of North Central College, NPD Chief Bob Marshall, Mayor Steve Chirico and Gina Sharp of Linden Oaks Behavioral Health welcome the community to attend the 2018 State of Kids Community Report at 7PM Tues., Jan. 30, in City Council Chambers at the Naperville Municipal Center, 400 S. Eagle Street. (PN Photo, Jan. 29, 2018)

UPDATE, Jan. 31, 2018 / Results of nearly two years of planning, development, research and analysis that produced a survey taken by nearly 4,700 suburban seventh-graders and tenth-graders (66 percent of the total students in grades seven and ten in Naperville School Districts 203 & 204) were presented in City Council Chambers Monday evening.

Top stressors for local teens: school (homework), competition and peers

Above / Patricia Schacht, associate professor of psychology at North Central College and developer of the survey titled “State of the Kids” directed parents, educators and other interested parties who helped fill City Council Chambers to follow results of the survey via slides projected on the big screen. During the presentation, the top stressors for local teens were presented to be “school, competition and peers.”

Resources are available. During a press conference on Monday, members of the Collaborative Youth Team said they had created a local crisis text line. Individuals who text “reach” to 741741 will be connected with a trained volunteer available to guide folks who reach out toward local resources. In addition, KidsMatter is offering a service where parents can “Ask an Expert” and schedule free, casual meetings with mental health professionals for advice and support via Parents Matter, Too.

IdaLynn Wenhold, executive director of KidsMatter for more than 16 years, is hopeful the State of the Kids survey and the programs developed to complement it can be a model to other communities. Looking to address teen stress that can lead to anxiety and depression, drug and alcohol use as well as suicide are top of the mind while the community and the nation aim to find ways for youth to cope and become resilient in a fast-changing world.

Meanwhile Naperville’s youth continues to be the focus of KidsMatter, the nonprofit group founded in 2001 dedicated to helping kids say no to destructive choices and yes to endless possibilities.

The survey also says to parents, “Listen!”

The community initiative was funded by a City of Naperville Social Service Grant to address social-emotional-mental health of Naperville youth via community education.

 


State of the Kids begins at 7PM Tues., Jan. 30, 2018

Original Post / High-level results of a survey administered voluntarily to Naperville School District 203 and 204 seventh and tenth graders will be presented to the public beginning at 7PM on Tues., Jan. 30, at the State of the Kids Community Report in the City Council Chambers at the Naperville Municipal Center.

The Report will be presented by KidsMatter, the Naperville nonprofit organization and sponsor of the survey, during a forum open to the public.

Arrive at 6PM for interactive Resource Fair 

A resource fair by organizations in the Collaborative Youth Team will be open at 6PM, allowing attendees to talk with some 20 organizations who offer resources to youth and families in the community.

2018 State of the Kids

KidsMatter Executive Director Idalynn Wenhold and Mayor Steve Chirico will be among local leaders to present the 2018 State of the Kids on Jan. 30. (PN File Photo)

The study, designed to measure what facets of their lives young people report contribute to their level of stress, was developed by KidsMatter in conjunction with professional faculty at North Central College and members of the professional mental health and educational community. The study was offered as part of KidsMatter’s ongoing efforts to quantify causes of destructive choices made by youth in the west suburban community.

“KidsMatter was founded in response to concerns that young people were engaging in risky behavior as reported by Edward Hospital’s emergency room,” noted KidsMatter Executive Director IdaLynn Wenhold about the organization founded in 2001.  “As we see our youth continue to struggle with anxiety and depression, drug and alcohol use and suicide, we hope that with these results, we’ll see where we need to focus our resources. Now we’re guessing based on older studies and national statistics. By asking kids here and now, we can focus on Naperville and turn to the myriad experts we have in the community to help provide answers and support.”

“We see a troubling trend with suicides in the region, including teenagers,” reported Naperville Police Chief Bob Marshall. “We need to be proactive to develop strategies and programs to support kids who are turning to drug and alcohol use and harm.  Let’s develop meaningful programs that directly address what we’re hearing from the survey.”

Study asks youth to report levels of stress, overall health & means of coping

The study, developed by Patricia Schacht, Ph.D, Assistant Professor of Psychology at North Central College, asked youth to report levels of stress caused by such issues as competition, athletic or academic pressures, peer and  family relationships, bullying and social media. It also inquires about overall health and coping mechanisms, including use of drugs and alcohol, and asks youth to reflect on what might help them better manage their stress.

Schacht says the survey was framed to be scientifically and quantitatively valued and the questions were piloted within the community through youth groups and North Central students. In addition to KidsMatter, Schacht worked with local psychotherapists, 360 Youth Services, District 203 and 204 school administrators, social workers and psychological services coordinators in refining the study tool.

Parental consent was required to take the survey.  To protect the anonymity and comfort of the respondents, parents did not see the contents of the survey per se.

“We appreciate KidsMatter taking the lead and collecting data from students in both school districts,” says Indian Prairie School District Superintendent Karen Sullivan. “We know our students experience stress, but it will be helpful to get a better sense of what they feel are their biggest triggers.”

Naperville District 204 Superintendent Dan Bridges agrees. “Student well-being is a top priority for Naperville 203,” he says. “We are continually thankful for our community partners and our collaboration to support all students.”

More than 4,000 responses received

More than 4,000 responses were received. “Kids responded to this platform simply because they can be heard,” says Schacht.  “That alone is significant to consider as we work on figuring out how to change the culture and help parents and all those who work with or influence young people in our community.”

KidsMatter plans to continue its efforts to monitor the state of Naperville youth annually and work with area resource organizations to address issues suggested in the survey through programs and awareness-building throughout the community.

“Understanding what our community’s youth face daily is critical to the overall success of our city,” Mayor Steve Chirico said. “We all have a responsibility to do whatever is in our power to help Naperville’s children grow up to be thriving, successful adults, and the best way to do that is to hear directly from them the challenges they’re going through. Growing up in today’s world is very different than 10 or 20 years ago, and I applaud everyone for coming together to hear from our children and learn how we can better help them.”

For more information regarding the State of the Kids Community Report, visit KidsMatter2Us.org.

The Naperville Municipal Center is located at 400 S. Eagle Street at Aurora Avenue.

News release submitted by Deb Newman for KidsMatter.


EDITOR’S NOTE & FOOD FOR THOUGHT / Parenting always has been a time-consuming and challenging responsibility. These days, being a child of the new millennium trying to find wings of independence presents additional challenges and pressure when so much is expected by parents, teachers, coaches, neighbors and even peers in communities across the nation with 24-7 access to the media.

In the 1950s and 1960s in Muncie, Indiana, my mother belonged to Mother’s Study Club, a support group that met regularly so mothers of young children could learn from other mothers’ experiences and best practices as well as guest speakers about rearing healthy, trustworthy, self-reliant and resilient children. Back then, times for families were beginning to change when televisions were finding their way into every living room and kids were drawn to Mickey Mouse Club and American Bandstand, and TV programming shut down at 11PM. Yet, youngsters of all ages could just walk outside to meet up with other kids, possibly for a pick up game of kick ball or ice skating on a frozen pond, not directly supervised—though everybody’s mom knew all the kids in the neighborhood.

A good friend recently forwarded a timely thought-provoking cover story in Reason Magazine (December 2017) titled “The Fragile Generation,” an article/video that tries to find the “why” so much has changed since kids were kids prior to the late 1970s. The online version is linked to a video that provides food for thought as the community comes together for what matters.

Consider the insights presented in “The Fragile Generation” when you have time.

And be sure to follow the results of the 2018 State of the Kids when they become available on Tues., Jan. 30.

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PN Editor
PN Editor
An editor is someone who prepares content for publishing. It entered English, the American Language, via French. Its modern sense for newspapers has been around since about 1800.

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