‘Game On’
Within North West Tasmania there is a considerable cohort of young people who are colloquially called “gamers”. As gaming can be played across the globe at any time of the day, it can sometimes isolate players and lead to disengagement from their community and job prospects. Transition to Work Mentors wanted to use gaming as a vehicle to increase confidence and motivation for participants on their caseload.
Mentors asked participants to join an activity that involves their passion of gaming whilst fostering employability skills and real-world learning experiences. 10 Devonport TtW participants put their hand up to attend the first workshop and decided that a ‘gaming’ competition organised and conducted by them would be the objective.
Over the next 6 months the group met in the Devonport office every week to make decisions on every aspect of the competition including budgeting, venue hire, WHS concerns, marketing, timing of event, prizes and sponsorships. During this time the confidence and motivation of NJL’s young team grew. The communication between the team was fantastic and lead to the creation of short
script which was used to promote the competition to prospective sponsors and competitors. “When players arrived, we gave them a short explanation of what to expect, what happens next and how to make people feel at ease. This skill will really help me in future job interviews.”
The ‘Game On’ competition was included in the Parent Pathways Community Expo and was deemed a huge success. The participants learned valuable skills like time management, team work and problem solving which are all fundamental skills requested by employers.
Some quotes from NJL’s participants:-
“Thanks for pushing us to do things we’d otherwise not attempt…”
“Thank you for always making us feel confident, comfortable and supporting us in planning this event…”
“Thank you so much for such an amazing opportunity for me to get my name out there and practise my photography skills! I honestly had the time of my life and I’m very grateful to be part of the team!”
