Regional Youth Support Services is launching a new social connections program for young people focusing on video games.
The new program, All In Gaming, is designed to help young people struggling with feelings of isolation, loneliness and poor mental health to develop social and supportive connections under the care of a RYSS staff member as they bond over video games.
Gaming is often associated with detachment and other behavioural problems in teenagers as well as exposing them to bullying and other cyber risks.
However it has also been argued that visual arts and other visual media can help marginalised youth learn mindfulness and develop self-esteem as well as providing alternative forms of embedded education.
Online gaming has the added advantage of being undertaken in teams or groups.
The program will run for eight weeks in the Wyoming Youth Skills Centre and is open to National Disability Insurance Scheme Participants.
A pinnacle of the program is educating young people on healthy gaming and trending issues around cyber safety and gaming culture.
The new program is a part of RYSS 2020 NDIS funded Abilities Program and is one of several new additions.
It will run every Tuesday night from 6pm to 8pm from February 4 to March 24 and is open to young people aged 12 to 25.
For more information about the Abilities Program contact RYSS.
Source:
Media release, Jan 13
Kim McLoughry, RYSS