An online survey conducted last month was meant to give youths in the Camp Zama community a say in developing programs and services that will benefit them. In this file photo, teens attend an event at the Camp Zama Youth Center in Feb. 2022
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CAMP ZAMA, Japan – An online survey conducted last month was meant to give youths in the community here a say in developing programs and services that will benefit them, the director of the Camp Zama Youth Center said.
Teens could fill out the Youth and Program Strengths Survey April 12 through 18, the results of which will help the Youth Center get a better picture of the kinds of activities and opportunities that the young demographic wants most, Hannah Maza said.
“Each year, youths develop a strong interest in a variety of fields, which changes with the times every few years,” she said. “The survey will help provide the organization an opportunity to gauge what the youths of today need in their programs.”
Art-based programs were very popular among teens when Maza first began working at the Youth Center six years ago. But their interests today have expanded to include online activities such as working with artificial intelligence and playing esports, and tackling social issues through things like Genders and Sexuality Alliances organizations, she said.
“Current youths are exposed to an immense amount [of information] each day, so it’s important that those working with youths and their parents genuinely make an effort to understand the influences, pressures and lifestyle youths face,” Maza said.
After collecting the survey input, Maza and her team will analyze it and then work to create programs that support the needs of the youth community here.
“We are hoping this survey will help us to better understand and provide for our youth,” she said.