Materials for Youth Gambling Problem Prevention

After considerable research and extensive work with youth problem gamblers, the Centre started working on the development of gambling prevention and sensitization tools for youth. Two informative workshops Youth Gambling: An awareness and prevention workshop - Level I and Level II were developed and have been used internationally.

In recent years, our Centre has continued to develop innovative and award-winning prevention material including media toolkits for medical and legal professionals (Youth Gambling Problems: Practical Information for Health Professionals and Youth Gambling Problems: Practical Information for Professionals in the Criminal Justice System) detailing practical information about youth gambling issues. Additionally, we have developed Know Limits (a gambling awareness game), Clean Break (a gambling prevention docudrama), the Amazing Château and Hooked City (interactive CD-ROM games for children/adolescents).

Medical and Legal Media Toolkits

These two media toolkits are dedicated to educating professionals about youth gambling problems. Youth Gambling Problems: Practical Information for Health Professionals is aimed at doctors and allied health professionals, while Youth Gambling Problems: Practical Information for Professionals in the Criminal Justice System was created for judges, attorneys and other legal system professionals.

Both reference sets contain a DVD and CD-ROM filled with useful, easy-to-access materials. The DVDs feature four, short, informative, independently-produced video segments with information about youth gambling tailored to the needs and interests of professionals in these two critical frontline fields. Each CD-ROM offers a selection of important papers and articles about youth gambling for the health and criminal justice system professionals who would like to learn more, as well as printable posters outlining warning signs of a gambling problem and screening tools that can be placed in waiting rooms and offices. All articles are used with permission from their publishers and can be conveniently downloaded to one's own computer.

All of the information featured in these reference kits draws upon years of research and expertise in the area of youth gambling problems. Drs. Jeffrey Derevensky and Rina Gupta, co-directors of the International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High-Risk Behaviors, appear in both videos.

Youth Gambling Problems: Practical Information for Health Practitioners

Youth Gambling Problems:Practical Information for Health Practitioners was created to offer physicians and allied health professional a set of quick and easy desktop reference tools concerning youth gambling, its prevalence and the biological and psychosocial correlates associated with problem gambling among youth.

The DVD features world-renowned experts Dr. Howard Shaffer, of the Harvard Medical School Division on Addictions, Dr. Marc Potenza, Yale University Department of Psychiatry and Dr. John Sader, director of the BACA clinic.

The accompanying CD-ROM contains a diversity of scholarly papers, journal articles and screening tools health professionals can quickly and easily access from their own computers.

This trailer offers a glimpse of the video for Youth Gambling Problems: Practical Information for Health Professionals.

Youth Gambling Problems - Practical Information for Professional in the Criminal Justice System

Youth Gambling Problem: Practical Information for Professionals in the Criminal Justice System was created to offer judges, attorneys and other legal system professionals a set of quick and easy desktop reference tools concerning youth gambling, its prevalence and the legal implications and challenges associated with problem gambling among youth.

The DVD features the expertise of attorney Isabel Schurman, of Schurman, Longo & Grenier, Judge Mark G. Farrell, J.D., Presiding Gambling Treatment Court Judge of the only therapeutic gambling court in the world (Amherst, NY), along with his treatment coordinator, Jim Cavanaugh and Gambling Court Coordinator, Judith Munzi.

The CD-ROM contains a diversity of scholarly papers, journal articles and screening tools legal system professionals can quickly and easily access from their own computers.

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KNOW LIMITS

One of our prevention team's primary messages to young people when it comes to gambling is to know your limits. This message, and others about gambling, alcohol, drugs, tobacco and sexual health, form the critical element in Know Limits.

Designed as a question and answer game to be played in teams, Know Limits includes gambling prevention questions with general interest categories such as charades, taboo, word scramble and trivia. These categories are designed to maximize player participation and engagement in the game while increasing youth awareness about issues related to gambling and other high-risk behaviours.

Players from two teams compete against each other, in a race to answer the questions correctly. Questions require thought, logic and creativity rather than an extensive knowledge base. The team with the most points for correctly answered questions wins. The element of team play introduces social interaction and cooperation within teams and a friendly element of competition between teams.

Know Limits is also available in French under the title Dés Joués

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CLEAN BREAK - A gambling prevention docudrama

Gold Medal winner, 6th annual Horizon International Interactive Media Productions Award, 2007.

The Centre has produced a docudrama called Clean Break, which aims to expose adolescents to the risks associated with excessive gambling, and inform them about gambling as a problematic behaviour. It was developed to provide a starting point for discussion about gambling problems with adolescents. Available on DVD and VHS, the docudrama was developed in partnership with Henri Julien School with the Commission scolaire de Montréal, Groupe Plein-Emploi, Dollard-Cormier Centre and Groupe Boscoville 2000 and D3Pierres.

The National Crime Prevention Centre, a division of Public Safety Canada funded this initiative in partnership with the Direction de la prévention et de la lutte contre la criminalité of Quebec's Ministère de la Sécurité Publique.

Clean Break is a docudrama intended to enhance adolescents' understanding of the consequences and potential dangers associated with excessive gambling. Stylistically using a contemporary format, the script and the information presented in this video were tested in focus groups of numerous adolescents.

An accompanying manual is offered for counsellors who want to use the video as a more in-depth prevention tool. Many questions are included in order to stimulate discussion with participants, as well as information about youth gambling.

Clean Break is also available in French under the title Les jeux sont faits.

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THE AMAZING CHÂTEAU AND HOOKED CITY

The Amazing Château (Level I) and Hooked City (Level II) are interactive games developed by the Centre and available on CD-ROM. The Amazing Château targets students in grades 4 to 6. Hooked City was designed to address the needs and interests of high school students. Released in November 2004, and distributed to every private and public, elementary and high school in Quebec, these games aim to reduce problem gambling among teenagers, and promote responsible gambling. Because the majority of children are introduced to gambling activities around the age of 10 or 11, it is important to start prevention work before this age. As a result, the elementary game is designed to target children as young as 8 or 9.

The information contained in both these games is based upon years of research and clinical work with groups of many different youth, in both regular and clinical settings. The impact of the games on participants has been evaluated, and results have shown a change in attitude and in participants' cognition regarding youth gambling activities. An instructor's manual is included.

THE AMAZING CHÂTEAU

Silver Medal winner, 5th annual Horizon International Interactive Media Productions Award, 2006.

Youth Gambling Awareness and Prevention Program - Level I - Elementary School

This interactive CD-ROM game targets elementary school children from grades 4 to 6. Through a variety of fun activities, children learn how to distinguish between games of chance and games of skill. They also become familiar with important concepts related to gambling such as luck, chance, independent events, myths and facts, as well as concepts such as risk taking, consequences of addiction and responsible choices.

The action takes place inside a castle where the player must navigate through a variety of entertaining settings. At the end of each activity, a guide informs the player of his results.

The player's performance is reinforced by winning and losing crystals. For activities based on chance, the crystals are used to wager. The more a player persists in this type of activity, the more crystals are lost. Feedback is always provided for players after each activity. At the end of the game, which lasts approximately 45 minutes, an individual evaluation is generated for each player. It is possible to save the game and exit at any time.

This tool is also available in French under the following title: L'incroyable château (The Amazing Château)

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HOOKED CITY

Gold Medal winner, 6th annual Horizon International Interactive Media Productions Award, 2007.

Youth Gambling Awareness and Prevention Program - Level II - High School

Targeting high school students, the primary objective of this interactive game is to enable adolescents to make responsible choices by informing them about the nature and the risks associated with gambling, reinforcing social skills, and changing their attitudes and erroneous beliefs related to gambling.

The adventure unfolds in a city where players are transported to different locations in the hopes of freeing Tom, a young man who has been captured by Mr. Hook.

The players' performance is encouraged by the loss or gain of clues that are used to free Tom.

Feedback is always provided for players after each individual activity. At the end of the game, which lasts approximately 45 minutes, an individual evaluation is generated for each player. It is possible to save the game and exit at any time.

This tool is also available in French under the following title: La ville piégée (Hooked City)

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Youth Gambling Awareness and Prevention Workshops

Two informative workshops Youth Gambling: An awareness and prevention workshop - Level I and Level II have been used internationally. In 2007, the content of the Level-II workshop was revised after testing 7,000 high school students in order to address the new issues of Internet gambling and poker, two forms of gambling that are increasingly popular among teenagers. The information presented in these two workshops is based on research and interaction over the years with young problem gamblers by our team members, both clinicians and researchers.

Because of the age of onset of gambling behaviour and the adoption of an early prevention approach, the workshops are designed to address the needs, interests and the various levels of elementary, middle and high school students. Instructor's manuals are included.

YOUTH GAMBLING: An awareness and prevention workshop - Level I

The Level I awareness and prevention workshop aims to:

• Teach late elementary-aged youth about the nature of gambling and the differences between games of skill and games of chance;
• Introduce the concepts of luck, chance and the illusion of control;
• Discuss the myths and erroneous beliefs concerning gambling;
• Reinforce social skills and resistance to peer pressure

YOUTH GAMBLING: An awareness and prevention workshop - Level II; Revised Edition

The Level II awareness and prevention workshop aims to:

• Teach participants about youth gambling (participation, addiction, signs, consequences);
• Discuss the concepts of luck, chance, probability and the illusion of control;
• Address erroneous beliefs in relation to the diverse forms of gambling;
• Differentiate between social gambling and gambling addictions;
• Inform participants about the signs of problem gambling, the consequences and the risks associated with excessive gambling;
• Highlight the available resources and treatment for gambling problems;
• Discuss the risks associated with poker playing and Internet gambling.



The workshops are also available offered in French under these titles: Le jeu chez les jeunes : atelier de sensibilisation et de prévention : Niveau I Le jeu chez les jeunes : atelier de sensibilisation et de prévention : Niveau II-édition révisée.

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