Birch Bay-Blaine Thrives (BBB Thrives) is offering a survey for residents of Blaine, Birch Bay and Point Roberts to take. Administered through the Whatcom County Health Department by Community Resilience Research, the survey is open until the end of October for those of high school age and older to take.
BBB Thrives is a local network partnering with the Whatcom Health Department, the Blaine school district, the Healthy Youth Coalition and other members of the community. The group works to provide support among community partners for youth and their families.
“The survey is intended to guide thoughtful community conversations about how adults and youth can promote really healthy ways of being together,” said BBB Thrives consultant Geof Morgan. “We’re still learning as communities about what’s healthy and what’s not.”
The survey is in its second year. Last year’s survey brought in 200 responses, with young people accounting for one-third of the respondents. Common themes of responses last year included a desire for more local and engaging activities and the inclusion of Birch Bay as a community.
Other cities in Whatcom County have conducted similar surveys assessing the wellness of a community, with questions about youth and substance abuse.
Both parents and their children in high school are encouraged to take the survey. There are several questions addressing drug and alcohol use and recognizing a trusted adult. Morgan often finds that teenagers report using these substances at a much lower rate than adults think they do.
“For adults to assume youth are drinking, they’re actually putting pressure on them to drink if that’s the assumption,” Morgan said. He added, “Having a caring adult in your life can make a huge difference in terms of whether people are successful academically and socially.”
Other questions specific to Blaine and Birch Bay include queries about the strengths of the community and the school district, mental health and the biggest issues people feel youth are facing today.
The survey is an outcome of the BBB Thrives initiative, which began in June 2018. The initiative seeks to “bring people together to strengthen bonds and foster resilience among youth, families, schools and the community.”
“The health department is funding the BBB Thrives initiative and is leading the effort to promote the Blaine Community Survey in three other communities in Whatcom County as well,” Morgan said. “Many BBB Thrives partners are supporting the use of the survey to help understand local priorities, trends and how they evolve each year.”
As a Bellingham resident, Morgan said that he is constantly impressed by the amount of appreciation for the local community he sees when he visits Blaine and Birch Bay.
“Most people feel safe here,” Morgan said. “Most people we surveyed say this is a safe community and that we feel positively about the future. When we’re worried about things, it’s important to remember that mostly we feel good and we believe in kids. People like this community a lot, so that’s something to build on.”
The survey had nearly 100 respondents as of September 20.
The survey takes an estimated 12 minutes to complete, and questions can be skipped if preferred. It can be accessed at surveymonkey.com/r/BlaineCommunitySurvey2019.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here