Background
In January of 2021, the California-based national nonprofit YouthTruth administered surveys across 56 schools from 10 Sonoma County school districts. The effort resulted in hearing from nearly 30,000 student, parent and guardian, and school staff community members on topics like, academic challenge, school culture, emotional and mental health.
Key themes emerged from the findings that speak to student, parent and guardian, and school staff members’ experiences of relationships, belonging, emotional and mental health, distance learning, housing needs, and the impacts of local environmental disasters.
In a two-part event series held April 9 and April 16, leaders from youth-focused community organizations are invited to explore the data behind these themes, viewed through an equity lens with a special focus on the effects of local environmental disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic on community well-being.
