COUNCIL LAUNCHES TEEN PROBLEM GAMBLING WEBSITE

by Margot Cahoon, Communications Director, Mass. Council on Compulsive Gambling

Teens Know Your Limits: www.teensknowyourlimits.org is a website for teens interested in learning about problem gambling. It was designed solely to appeal to teens with lots of graphics, color and flash.

Website Designer, Richard Mooney and Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling staff members: Amanda Poggenburg, Jim Wuelfing, and me- Margot Cahoon, worked with teens from the North Brookfield, Massachusetts T.A.G. (Teens About Gambling) Team and their advisors, Marty Toomey and Deb Arnold. During the early stages of the project, the teens provided input on the graphics and appearance of the website, as well as what they thought would be useful in terms of content.

The site has a “Games & Quizzes” section with interactive games that while fun, also teach teens about problem gambling vocabulary and facts. This section also encourages teens to share their creativity by submitting artwork – from photography and poetry to everything in between – the sharing section will hopefully promote repeat visits to the page.

Links to popular social media sites, including Twitter, facebook, and Blogspot have been included to garner participation from teens in the Council’s growing social media community. In addition the Council’s main facebook page (www.facebook.com/MACouncil) the organization has created a second “Teens Know Your Limits” facebook page (www.facebook.com/teensknowyourlimits).that will serve as a virtual message board for the new website. The Council is interested in continuing to build relationships with teens and in hearing what is important to them in terms of Council programming and services.

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The “Council Programs” page highlights three youth programs sponsored by the Council: T.A.G. Team, “Gambling Is Not Magic”, and the C.A.P.S. (Creative Activities for Probability and Statistics) Program.

The “How to Help Others” section explains the difference between risk and protective factors, tips on how to reduce risk, and where to go for help. External links for materials and information specific to youth are found on the “Resources / Links” page.

           

For adults interested in learning more about teen problem gambling, it’s only one click to get to the “For Parents” and “For Educators” sections. These include links to the Council’s events calendar, main webpage (www.masscompulsivegambling.org), multi-language resources, and some downloadable educational materials.

Please visit http://www.teensknowyourlimits.org/ when you get a chance and become a friend on facebook. The Council looks forward to hearing from you.

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