Boise Initiative Engages Youth in Data Walks

This month students from One Stone and the Boise School District had the opportunity to explore the data from Well-being surveys in which they and their peers participated in the Fall of 2024. The data collected was shared through a data walk, a community engagement and learning strategy, where posters with information and data are displayed in a meeting space and attendees not only walk up to see the data, but walk through the data with others and explore questions, ideas, and thoughts that emerge as they explore what is shared in the poster.

While data surrounding many other risk and protective factors were collected, these data walks explored the factors making life more challenging or supporting Boise youth to be their best selves. Data posters included items such as social isolation, social media use, alcohol use, access to trusted adults, self-awareness, family support, and time spent outside.

One Stone students exploring recent well-being survey data results.

Boise students participated in a school-wide event that involved background information on upstream prevention, a data walk focused on One Stone student data, the creation of a protective factor tree, and a brief exploration of evidence-based strategies that youth can employ to improve their own mental health and well-being and support their peers.

The Boise School District Student Advisory Council, comprised of student leaders from all high schools in the Boise School District, met to walk through district-wide data and examine the factors that have the most significant impact on their well-being. The student leaders engaged in rich discussions that explored why the data may look the way it does and offered ideas on sharing the data with their peers to increase student awareness about these relevant findings. Future data walks will occur with Hope Squads in middle and high schools throughout the district in the coming weeks to increase access to and awareness about the data collected.

One Stone student adding to the tree of protective factors supporting youth well-being.

These data walks not only help students digest and understand the collective youth response to the well-being survey, but they also allow students to continue sharing their perspectives with trusted adults, community members, and decision-makers. Research shows that when communities understand what young people need to thrive they are better prepared to take actions that are data-driven and youth-focused.

For more information on the Communities For Youth Boise Initiative please visit our main page or sign up for our newsletter.