Attachment and Relationships
Quality relationships, connection to others, and experiences of trauma, matter–and they matter right from the beginning of a person’s life. The CYPT believes that building strong relationships right from the start will have a positive impact on belonging.
Key Actions
- Creating Trauma Informed Education & Resources to share across the collective
- Piloting the Child Voice Project to hear from children under age nine in Waterloo Region about their life and well-being
- Partner with academic researchers like the FamilyPsycle Lab at the University of Waterloo to better understand complex influences on child development like adversity, social disadvantage, trauma, and technology on family relationships and developmental health
Key Data
- Several indicators of loneliness and isolation improved when comparing the 2023 Youth Impact Survey data to the 2021 data. While 27% of the respondents to the 2023 YIS said they often feel lonely, this dropped from 34% in 2021.
- 90% of youth who responded to the 2023 Youth Impact Survey had people in their life who make them feel safe
- 72% of respondents felt they received the help and support they needed from their family
- 68% felt they had friends with whom they could share their joys and sorrows
Key Training and Resources
More About Belonging
Equity is one out of three key areas of belonging. Learn more about equity and children/youth feeling valued, heard, and included.