By Kim Siebert MacPhail
Bedford Youth and Family Services (BYFS) will present the results of last April’s youth risk survey that was administered at the John Glenn Middle School and Bedford High on Wednesday, November 14, from 7 to 9 pm in the Multipurpose Room at Town Hall, 10 Mudge Way.
Superintendent Jon Sills and Police Chief Robert Bongiorno, as well as BYFS staff, will be in attendance at the event and will answer questions from the community following the presentation.
On Monday, September 17th, Prevention Coordinator Jessica Wildfong and Bedford Youth and Family Services Director Sue Baldauf gave the Selectmen apreviewof the survey’s findings, saying that their office is still sifting through the data, even as they share information with community leaders. While Baldauf and Wildfong preferred to hold off on a complete analysis until the November 14th community meeting, they were cautiously optimistic about the direction toward which some of the responses were moving.
The risk youth survey is administered yearly to Bedford’s middle and high School students to assess youth behavioral trends which can, in turn, influence the Health curricula. Areas touched on by the survey questions include: stress, bullying, safety, drinking, drug use, smoking, diet and exercise, driving with someone who is impaired, depression, suicide, and sexual activity.
The questions are drawn from a survey format developed by the Centers for Disease Control but are then tailored to Bedford’s needs in a collaborative effort between BYFS, the schools, and Social Science Research Evaluation, Inc., a company in Burlington that also analyzes and reports the survey results.
Wildfong will work with student groups within the middle and high school populations using social marketing strategies to increase awareness of the issues that have been addressed by the survey. Survey results will also be announced in a substance abuse awareness letter which will be sent to Bedford residents in November.
Following the November 14th presentation, the survey results will also be available on the BYFS website: https://www.bedfordma.gov/index.php/departments/youth-and-family
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