2.3 Kitchen Table Talk Analysis
Six community soundings were held to help us understand what urban and rural youth and seniors have to say about their communities – what they liked, what they didn’t like and their thoughts on how we could increase participation within mainstream societal institutions.
What was learned from our Cambridge and North Dumfries’ youth:
General Thoughts on Inclusion
Youth in our community want to be involved in activities that respect the contributions that they can make in our society. Youth councils are an excellent medium for channeling the energy and enthusiasm of our future – to encourage young adults to participate in the planning of events so that the opportunities that are available to them are relevant. Time and again we heard that “there is not much to do here,” especially in rural settings. It seems that, indeed, participation in the community can be a function of how much effort is put into strategic community planning by City officials regarding key features such as youth drop in centers and programs that cater to a wide variety of interests (not just sports, as was a complaint from many rural youth).
Youth need to know where they belong, where they will be welcomed. Having a safe space to participate in their own communities is a definite asset and can be theoretically linked to a ‘healthy community’ in terms of safety, resource and having the opportunity to enhance positive appraisals of our youth among all members of society. As one youth said, “perhaps if there were things for us to do, there wouldn’t be any vandalism.” It is important that we continue to ask our youth what they want and how they want it. This engenders both a sense of social responsibility and teaches them to be proactive with their power to enact social change.
What Youth Like About their Communities
Youth enjoy the places that they feel included and welcome, such as the mall and YMCA, and where there are activities oriented to youth, such as the arcade, sports and movie theatre. Church groups were recognized as being assets to the community for welcoming new members and networking for services and education. Other places that were noted as positive were: Argus House, YMCA, Out of the Cold, Teen Drop In Centre (Hespeler Road), John Howard Society and Lutherwood Coda. Rural youth shared their positive feelings for living in a smaller town, where you know most people by name and feel more secure and safe in your surroundings.
Youth Stereotypes
Stereotypes were also mentioned in our discussions with youth. Stereotypes for rural youth were noted as especially harmful and as an obstacle to community participation. Many youth are aware that there are negative associations with youth in their communities – from what older people say, to policies and practices that serve to exclude youth from businesses or public spaces (e.g., floor walkers at malls that follow only youth customers, police who stop a group of teenagers in the street because of the ‘gang’ association). It was recognized that these stereotypes make our youth feel isolated, they decrease their chances to be independent, and that they support a negative assumption about how young adults can participate in mainstream society. Youth want credit for their achievements; they feel that too much emphasis is placed on those few individuals in the community who cause trouble for others, which perpetuates negative stereotypes in the community and limits resources for positive change for those who are responsible (i.e., “the good kids”). As one participant said, “It takes longer to earn others’ trust because of these negative stereotypes.”
Need for Transportation
The need to travel to Cambridge was noted as a huge disadvantage in terms of community inclusion for our North Dumfries teenagers. They would like to have a bus into Cambridge to facilitate increased participation in the activities available there. In the summer months, there is limited access to transportation for rural youth with parents working full time (often outside of the community).
Need for Employment within their Communities
Many rural youth must travel to Cambridge for their part time jobs. They would prefer to work in their own communities, but the opportunities are very limited and there is a lot of competition for the few positions that are available. Competition for employment is increasing with the growth of rural areas such as Ayr.
Youth want increased volunteer options within their communities, in areas that they choose to participate in (rather than being forced to volunteer where they are not comfortable doing so).
Need for Increased Funding
Funding was a common theme that surfaced in our discussions. There needs to be increased funding for youth, especially those who are marginalized from mainstream society. There isn’t enough funding for improvements to the systems that support our vulnerable youth populations (e.g., those at risk for homelessness, or homeless). Lack of opportunity for youth leads to feelings of boredom and being “trapped” (as one youth said). Without enough resources to fund the essentials, such as transportation, it is difficult for youth to access programs that are open in the community. Youth, as a consequence, end up “not going anywhere.” While youth would prefer to be independent, they need basic supports like affordable housing, people who can help them access the systems that are available, and adequate financial assistance to help them get through often very challenging times.
Community awareness of the need for funding needs to be increased, to help programs and services access the resources that are required to sustain a healthy community for youth in both rural and urban areas.
Rural Youth
Limited Number of Opportunities Available
Rural youth are especially concerned about the limited number of opportunities that are available to them for participation in the community and they want more permanent programming that is available to them throughout the year. Rural youth would like to increase the variety of people who join them for their activities, they would like for more people to know that certain services or programs are open, and they would like more options that are flexible to their needs, but these improvements require an increased investment from external funding sources beyond their current focus on fundraising within the community. Therefore, funding appears to be a very limiting factor for rural youth inclusion.
Rural youth feel, to a certain extent, that they were not included in the planning of the rural development, especially for the age range of 13-18 years, and that the recent population growth has sometimes made them feel less connected to the community on the whole.
Who Can Change the Community?
While some youth felt that they could change the community for the better, most agreed that adults hold the power in this regard. However, youth want to influence these changes in important ways, so that the changes are meaningful. As one youth noted, “We know what we want.” Youth know that they need to stand up and share their needs, but to do this they also need to know that the mainstream is willing to listen to what they have to say.
What was learned from our Cambridge and North Dumfries’ seniors:
General Thoughts on Inclusion
Seniors had very varied responses to our questions about the community. While many felt quite connected and included within mainstream society, others felt quite isolated. It appears that the overriding factor in terms of the difference between these experiences is income. Those who are able to afford the luxuries associated with senior care facilities that provide an immediate community for their residents faired much better in terms of inclusion on the whole. Those who were unable to afford, or chose not to join, such care facilities appeared to face many challenges that decreased their sense of well-being by feeling more isolated and less able to change their circumstances for the better.
Seniors suggested that people maintain contact with those who are older in order to gain an appreciation of the natural process of aging. They felt that individuals who have had this type of contact were more open and sensitive to seniors’ needs. Also, they recommend volunteering with senior centres so that you know what to expect and what services or programs are available in the community.
What Seniors Like About their Communities
Again, seniors’ sense of community changed greatly dependent upon their living arrangements. Those who are in long term care facilities (i.e., nursing or retirement homes, independent living complexes) benefited from a range of positive supports such as social networks, access to transportation and medical care, opportunities to use their talents in-house, contact with people who seem to genuinely care about the residents, and access to outside assets within the safety of their home environment such as library resources, a beauty parlor, health lectures, etc. Health care, in general, was perceived very positively – with the exception of the lack of doctors in the area.
The church communities were noted as very helpful. For example, some churches organize networks for free transportation. These services, and others like Home Support, were especially important to the rural senior population. Rural seniors shared that they felt it would be nearly impossible to live in their home communities without adequate family support, given the limitations that rural environments often present in terms of more restricted access to transportation and medical care.
On the whole, however, most seniors felt that the community perceived them positively, as noted by the ramps into stores and walkways. They felt that others were very tolerant to their needs, and that many strangers in their communities went out of their way to help them. Seniors want to be independent, but seem to appreciate the extra assistance when it’s needed. Family support and connection with others seemed to be a central theme of importance for many seniors: this emphasizes the significance of relationships in terms of community inclusion.
More Funding
It is clear that we need more funding in the community to support institutions that can provide the types of services that increase seniors’ well-being as noted above. Increasing seniors’ independence appeared to be a main factor as well – those who felt that they had options and could exercise their willpower in certain situations were happier than those who felt they were forced into changes, even in cases where they were placed in excellent care facilities in the communities as described above.
Rural Issues
Transportation and access to medical care
These were noted as key concerns for the rural senior population. It is often very expensive for them to access transportation. Many seniors shared stories of those who had to move to the cities because living in a rural environment, although perhaps where they had spent most of their lives was simply no longer an option. They needed to move into urban settings where services and programs for seniors, especially those that support seniors to live independently within their homes for as long as possible, are more plentiful, less expensive and more convenient to access.
Rapid growth
This was also noted as a concern; seniors often reminisced of their past when they knew one another personally and had many opportunities to connect with friends and family informally throughout one’s daily routine.
Leadership capacity
This was noted as an increasing issue. Where in the past there were a variety of organizations (e.g., Ayr Seniors, Women’s Institute) that were lead by seniors in the community, many of these have now decreased in membership to the point where their impact on the community is greatly diminished. Seniors that have participated in these organizations in the past want to pass on their leadership roles to others, but there appear to be limited numbers of people willing or able to fulfill these roles. As a result, community organizations that are oriented to senior participation are much more limited.
Need for Transportation
In general, the need for transportation was a constant throughout our discussions. All seniors need access to reliable and affordable means of transportation to enable them to participate in the community. Transportation is needed for all types of participation – for leisure and recreation as well as medical care. Cambridge’s ‘transmobility’ service was mentioned several times as a great support, one that significantly increased many seniors’ quality of life.