High level results of the KidsMatter State of Our Kids Community Report survey administered voluntarily to Naperville School District 203 and 204 seventh and tenth graders was presented to the public on Tuesday, January 30th at the State of the Kids Community Report in the City Council Chambers at the Naperville Municipal Center. The KidsMatter State of Our Kids Community Report was presented by KidsMatter, the Naperville not-for-profit which sponsored the survey. 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,” says KidsMatter Executive Director IdaLynn Wenhold. “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.”