OUTREACH TO HIGH-RISK POPULATIONS
The Mass. Council is particularly concerned about the impact that gambling has on under-served communities and high-risk populations, and develops individualized strategies and educational materials and explores communications vehicles to address the needs of specific populations.
In FY08, the Council is focusing its attention on the Asian population, the young adult population, the Latino/Latina population, the older adult population, and the corrections population.
Outreach to the Asian Population -- In FY07, the Council continued its Asian Outreach Initiative with a specific focus on the Chinese community. The goals of the program included: delivering culturally appropriate programs to people experiencing problems with gambling and to their family members; providing Chinese-speaking audiences with access to the Council and its services; and increasing public awareness of problem gambling and its impact within Massachusetts Chinese communities. The Council spent 2007 learning more about the prevalence and impact of problem gambling within Massachusetts Chinese communities, and about people’s perception of the disorder, as well as building the capacity of Asian human service providers, community groups, and volunteers to respond with appropriate services.
Public Awareness
The Council conducted several Chinese focus groups to gather input from the community on the most effective strategies for raising public awareness about problem gambling, as well as promoting available resources. The feedback helped the Council to produce Asian-focused outreach materials including: newspaper ads in several Chinese newspapers such as Sampan and World Journal; ads that ran on Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) subway cars and buses during an 8-week outreach campaign; a Chinese-language Mass. Council table banner used at community fairs; and various novelty items used as give-away items at the fairs, including “year of the pig” stress balls, origami, and “red envelopes,” all of which included the Mass. Council Chinese-language Helpline number.
Community Partnerships
The Council collaborated with the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC) to complete surveys of Chinese adults and youth, and to provide programs for Chinese-speaking people impacted by problem gambling. The Council also formed a strong partnership with Quincy Asian Resource Initiative (QARI) and began working together to produce a culturally-appropriate problem gambling video, which will be aired on select bus lines en route to the Connecticut casinos.
Trainings
The Council successfully facilitated Asian-focused problem gambling trainings for clinicians and caseworkers serving Chinese Americans, and for advocates from the Asian Taskforce against Domestic Violence. In addition, the Council provided problem gambling presentations for Chinese older adults at South Cove Manor in Boston’s Chinatown.
Volunteer Development
In FY07, the Council convened four Asian Advisory Committee meetings. Members helped to garner public support for and increase public awareness of the initiative. The committee also helped the Council to develop an Asian outreach database consisting of over 100 potential partner organizations.
Helpline and Referral
In FY07, the Council recruited six Mandarin and Cantonese-speaking Helpline volunteers, all of whom were trained to answer the Council’s Chinese-language Helpline.
In 2008, the Council plans to focus its efforts on the Commonwealth's Cambodian and Vietnamese communities
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Outreach toYouth -- In 2007, the Council presented information about problem gambling prevention to schools throughout Massachusetts including: Oliver Ames High School in Easton, Sharon High School, Lenox High School, and Millbury High School, among others. The Teen Gambling Show captured audiences with its “magical” way of looking at risk-taking as it pertained to youth gambling. The Council also presented at the Massachusetts Peer Helper’s Association/Students against Destructive Decisions Annual Statewide Conference, and at an event at Milford Hospital, where Council representatives informed staff about the disorder, including nurses, police officers, social workers, and staff serving youth. In addition, the Council developed a 10-hr professional development training for teachers interested in using the Council’s “Facing the Odds” math curriculum.
Outreach to College Students
The Mass. Council expanded its College Outreach Program in FY07 to work with 13 Massachusetts colleges and universities. The program offered training and technical assistance to colleges and universities interested in developing gambling policies and procedures. The Council created several products to supplement these efforts including: a set of posters about student gambling, a Resident Assistant (RA) training curriculum, and print and radio public service announcements (PSAs). The Council also supplied every college and university with two copies of the book, “Gambling on Campus: New Directions for Student Services No. 113 (J-B SS Single Issue Student Services). Mcclellan, George S., Jim Caswell, and Thomas W. Hardy. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2006.
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Outreach to the Latino/Latina Population -- Spanish-speaking Council volunteers distribute materials about problem gambling at Latino/Latina health fairs. In addition training modules, used to teach clinicians about problem gambling, have also been developed.
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Outreach to Older Adults -- The Council created a Senior Fact Sheet for distribution to all Councils on Aging, and offered the DVD, “One Last Bet” for distribution to interested Massachusetts Councils on Aging. In addition, Council staff members provided prevention training for members of the Geriatric Substance Abuse Taskforce, and participated in the Aging with Dignity Conference, which was held in June 2007in Worcester.
Outreach to the Corrections Population -- The Council developed a brochure for people completing their sentences in the county correctional system. The hand-out discusses gambling as a trigger for criminal activity, and that help is available. Currently, the brochure is being sent to all of the county corrections facilities in Massachusetts. Additionally, the Council provided prevention training at the Greenfield District Court for participants, who included a judge, and probation, corrections, and court officers.
