The Media/Youth Consortium (MYC) is a national cooperative of media, marketing, communications, youth service and drug prevention experts led by CCSA. Its goal is to support A Drug Prevention Strategy for Canada’s Youth—to reduce illicit drug use by Canadian youth between the ages of 10 to 24.
By sharing resources and expertise, this collective group aims to effectively communicate and reinforce evidence-informed prevention messages directly to Canadian youth. These interactive and engaging messages will be delivered to youth in two ways: through the organizations that work with youth in their own environment, and through the media that market directly to youth. MYC was created in part to complement and expand on the messaging outreach of Health Canada’s national youth drug prevention mass media campaign—which targets younger teens and their parents.
The first initiative developed by CCSA in consultation with key partners from MYC is Xperiment.ca—an innovative drug prevention website for youth. This site will be the anchor from which all future MYC projects and campaigns evolve.
Xperiment.ca is a safe place for youth to learn about the negative effects of drugs. The site is designed as a virtual space where youth can participate anonymously in simulated experiments to see the effects of drug use without having to experience any of the negative physical or social consequences of actual use. It aims to provide Canadian youth with facts about drugs and their related harms―in an interactive and engaging manner―so that they are prepared to make informed choices . Research and youth themselves tell us that the most effective way to communicate prevention messages is to speak the truth and not preach.
The experiment concept is based on the knowledge that youth learn their life experiences through trial and error. By allowing them to experiment in a safe, virtual environment, we help them learn and understand the consequences of drug use, which empowers them to make better informed choices. The ‘X’ in Xperiment.ca is meant to both appeal to youth (through its association with extreme sports, for example) and act as a caution or warning about the dangers of drugs.
Significant testing―through youth surveys and focus groups―informed the development of this strategy and the Xperiment concept. Youth told us that learning about drugs through virtual experimentation was relevant and appealing; that it balances the seriousness of the issue with interaction and exploration; and that it makes the goal of prevention clear.
To learn more about this exciting initiative or other MYC activities please contact Karine Plouffe, National Priority Advisor at 613-235-4048 ext. 249 or visit www.xperiment.ca.