November 22, 2010
For Immediate Release:
*Media release prepared by youth participants*
Over a six-week period, eight mindyourmind youth participants, two nursing students, along with Kids Help Phone and mindyourmind, co-produced a web-based game to address the problem of bullying. The process of creating the game was fun, conversation-driven, and interactive. We discussed the look and feel of the game and reviewed content for accuracy and relevancy. We all shared our ideas and opinions so that a youth perspective was considered when creating the game. We also created a special art mural to represent our creative process.
The group members used inspiration from other games, websites and mental health training to create the game. Our group's goals were to give youth information and provide them with resources they need to stay safe and make smart choices. Another goal was to empower the audience with knowledge that will help them down the road when they are faced with tough issues. Knowledge is power! Last but not least, our goal was to encourage youth to look at and evaluate their own behaviour while playing the game; to determine if they are the perpetrator, instigator, by-stander or victim.
No Signal can be found on the Kids Help Phone website at
http://www.kidshelpphone.ca/Teens/YourSpace/No-Signal.aspx
No Signal is the second most popular game on Kids Help Phone!
Quotes from some of the participants that created the game:
"I wanted to be a part of this project so I could help give today's youth the right amount of inspiration to do the smartest thing when they, or someone else is going through tough situations." – Jason, 13
"Usually when someone goes through a tough situation, it seems next to impossible to reach out to others. That's why I wanted to be a part of this group, so that the audience can use this game as a helpful resource for them to reach out.” – Amanda, 16
"I hope this game will give kids and teens information on how to deal with bullying and gangs in a fun, interactive way. That was my main goal for joining this project. – Ivy, 13
For further information contact:
Diana Ali, Content Development / Administration Officer mindyourmind at:
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519-858-3502
Pascale Guillotte, Manager, Communications, Kids Help Phone at:
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416-581-8974