Press Release
Embargo until Thursday 6 October 2005
Youth Council launches Donegal Youth Survey 2005
The Donegal Youth Council today launched its survey of youth attitudes. The survey focuses on the issues and needs of their peers and on issues that affect them. It took place in all of the six electoral areas of the county in March 2005.
Secondary schools and youth reach centres were invited to ask a cross section of students to complete a questionnaire developed by the youth councillors.
The Donegal Youth Council, a project emanating directly from Donegal County Development Board’s ‘An Straitéis’, was set up to represent the views of young people in County Donegal and to give them a voice on local issues. As elected and mandated representatives of their peers youth councillors act as the voice of young people. Like all representatives they need to be aware of what is going on in the lives of their peers and this survey is another way of finding out this information.
This survey is a snapshot of how young people in Donegal think and feel about issues in their lives. It outlines the challenges facing young people and details how they manage their lives. The survey covered a wide range of topics, which were selected by the youth councillors as being of fundamental importance to their peers from bullying religion to politics, health, racism, pressures at school, home and work, smoking, drinking and drugs, sexual activity, peer and pressures and access to services and facilities.
The findings point out that:
· Most young people would regard themselves as religious and practice regularly (55%)
· About 14% of young people have come across prejudice and discrimination in their lives, mostly verbal (61%)
· Half of those survey has experienced racism, half hadn’t the most common type being over skin colour or a person’s weight
· 73% of young people felt that the lack of youth friendly facilities led to anti social behaviour. Young people get bored or through peer pressure can engage in behaviour that doesn’t help a community. The survey has pointed out a greater need for facilities for young people
· 62% felt that school and work pressures put them under pressure and 58% said that left them little time to socialise. All surveyed felt that a greater need for career guidance was needed in schools. 60% of leaving cert students have part time work.
· About 50% of young people felt pressurised by their peers and that can influence them to drink or fight or smoke.
· 81% do not smoke but those who did, smoked about 12 a day, the main reasons being curiosity and dealing with stress.
· 50% of young people do not drink. Those who do had their first drink at 14 years and drink when they go out or at celebrations. For many their first drink was at home. 35% get others to buy it for them. Reasons to drink include liking the taste and having a good time.
· 81% do not take drugs but those who do, don’t take them on a regular basis. Cannabis is the drug of choice. Most young people are introduced to drugs by their friends (52%).
· 60% of young people are not sexually active but feel that 16 was an acceptable age to engage in sexual activity. 53% felt that there was peer pressure to engage in sexual activity.
· 52% believed that there is an acceptance of gay and lesbian people in the community but there was a greater need for guidance and support to young people in sexual issues (64%).
· About 25% have felt suicidal in their lives but have not actually tried to commit suicide. Just over half knew of someone who has tried to commit suicide. The main reason they felt suicidal was depression (36%).
· Young people can often feel depressed but only 26% said they suffered from it. There was a great need for it to be discussed in school (86%).
· 61% are happy with their weight. They feel there isn’t enough education on healthy eating (54%) or the impacts of crash diets (76%)
· Fitting in at school or with friends was very important for young people. 80% felt this. It was more important to be accepted by their friends than by anyone else (90%)
· Some 36% of young people have been bullied in their lives, mainly verbal bullying (52%). 86% said they had not bullied anyone.
· 77% said they are not interested in politics while 33% believed that having an understanding of politics was of benefit to young people.
Speaking at the launch of the Survey, Paddy Hannigan, Youth Council Co-ordinator said, “The process undertaken by the youth councillors in the production of the report is as important as the report. They decided what questions they were going to ask their peers, they trained with the Research & Policy Unit of Donegal County Council in research methods and questionnaire design, they wrote the questionnaire, delivered it to schools, compiled the data and have been working since the summer months in putting it all together so as to present it here tonight”.
Brigid Tunney, Youth Council Chairperson added, “we feel we have a good cross section of young people in this survey. With over 2,300 returned surveys, it has a good gender balance, a good mix of religious denominations, a good urban/rural spread, a mix of nationalities, good age distribution, so overall, we are happy that we can bring the issues highlighted to the agencies we deal with in the youth council. We also hope that it will be used by others to plan their services for young people”
The survey will serve many purposes. Initially, it will provide youth councillors with a programme of work for their term of office and enable them to bring these issues to a wider audience by their representations. Secondly, it will become an extra informative resource to assist service providers in planning their work with young people and developing their services
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For further information contact:
Paddy Hannigan
Youth Council Co-ordinator
Donegal County Council
Tel: 074 91 94200
Email: paddyH@donegalcoco.ie
or
Anne Marie Conlon
Communications Officer
Donegal County Council
Tel: 074 91 72574
Mob: 087 919 2275
Email: amconlon@donegalcoco.ie