BEHMOD ROADSHOW
My Experience
16 January 2019, I was part of the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) Roadshow.In a group with six other members, we were tasked to set up a booth educate Ngee Ann Polytechnic students on how to help teens facing problem gambling.
PERSONAL GROWTH
What did I learn about the advocacy work?
How did it benefit me
I learned that by assigning of work to each team members properly allows my group to progress efficiently. I learned this during the preparation before the roadshow, my group was efficient in assigning task. For example, Eeraye was in-charge of making the props because she was creative and loves to do props. Austin, Amira and I was in-charge of making the posters. We knew how to use photoshop and hence we were tasked to do that. This learning matters because in future, there will still be group works and by assigning task according to my group members’ strength will allow my project to progress efficiently. Internship is around the corner and this learning will allow me to have teamwork with my group members. According to Tarricone and Luca (2002), “appropriate team composition is essential of a successful team”. This suggests that it is crucial for team members to know their specific role and what to contribute. To boost their contribution, task given to them should be able to allow them to use their strengths and reach their fullest potential. In light of this learning, in the future, during group works, I will tell my group members what my strengths are so they can assign appropriate tasks for me. Additionally, if I am the group leader, I will find out their individual strengths and weakness so I can assign task that matches their strengths to boost work performance.
I leaned that I lack the ability to have comfortable conversations with strangers when the first group of people that visited our booth. They were rushing to class and was stopped by me. After much persuasion, they agreed to visit the booth for a short 5 minutes, a bit reluctantly. I jumped straight into the ‘Wheel of Change’ with them. They spin the wheel and landed on the second stage of change ‘Is unsure about changing’ hence I asked them ‘What are some possible ways to encourage a teenage friend of yours to make the change, to stop gambling”. Immediately after that, there was an awkward silence where I was waiting for their answers and they were thinking. This awkward silence causes me to lose my confidence and seeing that I needed help, Gwen, a group mate, stepped in to assist me. From this, I realised though speaking to strangers is within my comfort zone, it may not be the same for them. To make conversations with strangers more comfortable, I should have initiated small casual talks with them to break the ice. This learning matters because there will be times where I will have to talk to strangers especially since I am in Psychology studies and there is a lot of social work. I want to be a psychiatrist in future and talking to clients is unavoidable. It is essential for me to break the ice especially during the first meet-up with the client. According to Bernes (2005), it is crucial to build a relationship with the client during the initial sessions because a positive therapeutic alliance between patient and therapist is essential for effective counselling. For the client to open to me, he needs to trust me. A comfortable conversation will be able to break the ice before dwelling further into the client’s issues.
ACADEMIC LEARNING
There were a few groups who played ‘Where should I go’. This game uses the token system as we found out that token systems are successful form of conditioned reinforcement and is a powerful motivational tool to aid education. The tokens will be exchange for sweets and snacks depending on how many tokens they have left at the end of the game. I learned that for token system to work, the back-up reward needs to be enticing to the target population. Firstly, we wanted the participants to feel the lost when tokens were taken away from them. This is similar to money lost when gambling. The reason for this may be that the sweets and snacks were not enticing and valuable enough to the participants. According to Doll, et.al (2013), back-up rewards are items that an individual is willing to work for. Their desirability is the motivation for them to take part in the activity. Furthermore, there is a vending machine right in front of our booths and participants can get sweets and snacks from there. To make the token system effective, it is important to know what the target population wants and fits within our budget. For instance, we could have given out laptop stickers or keyboard covers. This learning matters because token system is found to be a powerful motivational tool in an educational setting (Hackenberg, 2009) and it is widely used for kids to learn things. I have considered being a teacher. I am truly grateful for my secondary school teacher that inspired me and changed me for the better. So, if I become a teacher in the future, I can use the token system properly; making sure my back-up rewards are enticing enough for my students to work hard for.
CIVIC LEARNING
Additionally, I realised that not many teenagers were interested with finding out about problem gambling. According to NCPG, only 0.7% of the teenagers in Singapore were problem gamblers. This may suggest that problem gambling is not very relatable and applicable for our target population. I learned the importance of making the context relevant for the target population to attract their attention. In light of this learning, I realise that it is important to know the interest of the target population and their needs. In this case, teenagers facing problem gambling is very minimal. I recommend putting the roadshow in the public for all Singaporeans. By doing this, we will be able to reach out to more Singaporeans who truly wants to know about problem gambling.