Voices and Choices

Welcome

In 2003, Voices and Choices was developed in collaboration with the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health (CAMH) as a practical, do-it-yourself, strategic planning process for secondary schools in Canada from grade 9 to graduation (Secondary 3 to Cegep 2 in Quebec). The initiative officially concluded in 2006; however, its accompanying materials continue to be relevant and useful to schools who wish to assess and improve their healthy school environment. As such, the Public Health Agency of Canada welcomes and encourages youth groups and other community organizations where youth gather to learn, play and work (e.g. community recreation programs, YMCA/YWCA, Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada, camps) to access and adapt the Voices and Choices tools to meet the needs of their unique environment.

Voices and Choices was developed as a systems approach targeted at the school level to help create healthier students in health promoting school communities that would facilitate learning. Voices and Choices allowed young people to identify and express their opinions, thoughts and feelings about their health and gather their opinions on what they feel is needed in order to offer a healthier school environment. It used a confidential questionnaire to collect this information which school leaders (i.e. school administrator, teacher, public health nurse, parent volunteer, student leader) then compiled, analyzed and summarized the responses. The results (identifying issues, concerns and needs) were then used to assess critical areas requiring immediate action and to develop the school's strategic 'improvement plan'.

Voices and Choices was comprised of two questionnaires:

• School Demographics Questionnaire - Eight questions relating to the school community providing the context of the environment in which the Student Needs Assessment Questionnaire is to be administered.
  
  
• Student Needs Assessment Questionnaire - Seventy-six questions examining how students feel about their health, what they would like to do to improve it, what's stopping them, and how the school can help. The Student Needs Assessment Questionnaire was developed using the adult questionnaire from the Workplace Health System (WHS) and questions from the World Health Organization (WHO) cross-national Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Survey. These questionnaires have been validated and focus-tested by teams of researchers and academics and are considered to be appropriately replicable for use within the Student Needs Assessment Questionnaire. The other questions were developed based on scientific literature regarding specific influences on the health of young people.