C4Y Latah County Gears Up for the 2026 Idaho Youth Well-being Survey
September marks an important time for Communities for Youth Latah County as we prepare to collect information on local teens’ experiences via the Idaho Youth Well-Being Survey (IYWS). This will be our second year surveying in Moscow and our third in Genesee.
This survey is a key part of our community’s upstream prevention work. The data it provides helps us make informed decisions about how best to support young people and gives us a way to check in on how our current prevention efforts are going and whether they are making an impact.
One very important aspect of local middle and high schools' participation in the IYWS is reaching a parental consent rate of 65% or higher across our schools. This helps ensure the data is representative of the full population of young people in our community so we can make decisions that truly reflect and serve them.
Last year, our community achieved a survey participation rate of 62% for Moscow and 68% for Genesee. We look forward to maintaining strong participation rates in both communities this year.
What Can Community Members Do to Help?
If you are a parent/guardian of a middle or high schooler attending Genesee Secondary School, Paradise Creek Regional High School, Moscow High School, or Moscow Middle School, please ensure you have provided permission/consent for your child. Reach out to your student’s registrar to ask about providing consent.
If you have already provided consent for your child, you can help us spread the word to other parents about the importance of having a high participation rate for our community. Some parents simply forget to provide consent, while others assume the survey is just something “extra," or have concerns based on survey-related misconceptions. Key points to share with parents who may be skeptical include:
For the vast majority of teens, asking about their experiences with “risky” behaviors (e.g., using/misusing substances like alcohol or tobacco, dating and sexual activity) does not encourage them to engage in those behaviors.
Prior research has shown that the vast majority of teens take surveys like IYWS seriously and do not intentionally make up answers or lie about their behavior.
Questions on the IYWS have been purposefully worded to minimize feelings of discomfort or stress. If a question is distressing, participants are encouraged to skip it.
As the survey date approaches for your child’s school, we encourage you to speak with your child about the survey. This Student FAQ PDF can help make that conversation easier.
Overall, the Latah County Regional Initiative is excited for another year of strategic and focused work to help improve well-being for our local teens.
If you have any questions or would like to get involved in the current work of the Communities for Youth Latah County Initiative, please get in touch with Community Lead Brian Smith at bsmith@msd281.org
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