What is Planet Youth Nipissing?

Planet Youth Nipissing is a community-based initiative to address the root causes of early substance use.  Using the Planet Youth approach, communities along the shores of Lake Nipissing will gain valuable insights into the health and wellbeing of young people, implement effective solutions, and track changes over time. 

The Planet Youth process relies on the collaboration of many partners. It enables those who can impact the lives of youth – parents, educators, recreation leaders and more – to work together to create a supportive and caring environment. Building a strong community around youth is the healthiest and most cost-effective way to promote their well-being in the future. 

Planet Youth Nipissing began in Spring 2024 with a survey of grade 10 students. We are taking what we’ve learned from youth and working on next steps to share the findings with communities and take action in the areas needed!



Planet Youth Nipissing logo colored

The Planet Youth Process

Planet Youth helps communities identify current youth issues using local data, and work together to address them.

a venn diagram where individual is the center, the top is Parents & family, right is the Peer Group, Bottom is School and Left is Leisure Time
1. Collect Data
Youth complete surveys to share their experiences on key topics. Reports are created to present survey results on the local situation, highlighting risk and protective factors (the things that make it more or less likely for someone to use substances or experience a health outcome).
2. Set Goals
Next, community members (including youth) and local organizations come together to create a local action plan based on the survey results and community feedback.
3. Take Action
The plan is then put to action! Prevention activities involve multiple sectors focusing on strengthening protective factors and reducing risk factors within the four environments where children and teens spend the most time: with family, friends, at school and free time.
4. Reflect and Repeat
The community takes time to reflect on the process and improve for the next round. This process is repeated every two years.

How did it originate?

In the 1990s, Iceland had some of the highest rates of substance use in all of Europe. They found that typical prevention approaches, focused on teaching students about the risks of drinking and drug use, were not working.

They turned to sociology and criminology research, which showed that youth are products of their environment. By addressing risk and protective factors in the environments children and youth are growing up in, you can improve outcomes and prevent substance use – without having to talk about substance use at all. 

Iceland’s new approach emphasized the involvement of the whole community to create a network of support, monitoring and opportunities for positive youth development. Rates of youth substance use in Iceland are now among the lowest in the world.

Read more about the development of the Icelandic Prevention Model

 

Line graph titled 'Development of substance use among 10th grade students in Iceland, years 1998-2023.' It shows the percentage of students reporting three types of substance use: 'Drunk in the past 30 days' (red line), 'Smoke daily' (orange line), and 'Lifetime cannabis use' (teal line). The graph illustrates a significant decline in all three behaviors over time. In 1998, 42% of students reported drinking, 23% reported daily smoking, and 17% reported lifetime cannabis use. By 2023, these rates dropped to 6% for drinking, 1% for smoking, and 6% for lifetime cannabis use. Data is provided by the Icelandic Centre for Social Research and Analysis, ICSRA, 2023.
From highest to lowest in substance use – 15/16 year old students in Iceland using the Planet Youth approach.

5 Guiding Principles

Apply a primary prevention approach that is designed to enhance the social environment.
Emphasize community action and embrace public schools as the natural hub of neighborhood/area efforts to support child and adolescent health, learning, and life success.
Engage and empower community members to make practical decisions using local, high-quality, accessible data and diagnostics.
Integrate researchers, policy makers, practitioners, and community members into a unified team dedicated to solving complex, real-world problems.
Match the scope of the solution to the scope of the problem, including emphasizing long-term intervention and efforts to marshal adequate community resources.

Global Efforts

Planet Youth Nipissing is part of a global network of communities implementing the Planet Youth approach. Each community follows the 10 steps of the Icelandic Prevention Model but uses its own local data and community voice to decide what needs to be done. We can share with and learn from these communities! 

See what’s going on in: Lanark County | Timiskaming District | Timmins | Calgary | New Brunswick | Kentucky | Vermont | Idaho  | Ireland

Local Vision

Youth growing up in our communities experience wellbeing, sense of belonging and purpose through caring relationships, quality programs, meaningful leadership opportunities, skill development and self-expression.

a group of 4 youths standing in a field
For more information, contact us or read our Frequently Asked Questions