The aim of CCSA’s Media/Youth Consortium (MYC) is to develop and deliver effective, consistent and evidence-based drug-prevention messages to engage, educate and empower Canadian youth. CCSA created
Xperiment.ca—an award-winning drug-prevention website that provides a safe place for youth ages 10 to 24 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 to 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 has 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.