Students testing out the Stronger Minds Stronger Youth Board Game. (Source: Burwood Council).

Immersive engagement with young people to promote positive mental health

Burwood Council

Stronger Minds, Stronger Youth Board Game research and engagement

We have had the privilege of working with young people in communities across Australia and are always inspired by how resilient, resourceful and passionate they are. Cred also understands that many young people will deal with a mental health issue – but not everyone is able to or knows how to access help.

In 2018, Burwood Council engaged Cred to engage with young people at local schools to co-design content for the Stronger Minds Stronger Youth (SMSY) Board Game. The SMSY board game will be used to facilitate conversations about mental health in a safe, fun and interactive environment in schools within the Burwood area.

Students surrounding a giant boardgame and dice

Cred’s Sarah Reilly with Burwood youth celebrating their participation in the Stronger Minds Stronger Youth Board Game (Source: Burwood Council).

Services
  • Engagement
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I feel like this game was very educational and really helped me to understand mental health in a further understanding. I think this is a good way to get things off your chest and mind as it is a good way to let out your feeling and receive advice in a game that doesn't make you feel stressed or pressured but comfortable in sharing what's on your mind.”

Young 'Stronger Minds Stronger Youth' participant

Our approach

To identify priority mental health issues for young people living in Burwood to inform the content for the board game, our engagement activities workshops and focus groups with young people at secondary schools in Burwood and Council’s Youth Action group. Cred also facilitated engagement with a project working group which included local service providers.

Focus groups with young people aimed to get them involved in creating the content for the board game as much as possible. Not only did young people draft content for the ‘scenario’ cards, they also worked in groups to create mood boards to inform the look and feel.

To evaluate the Stronger Minds Stronger Youth Board Game, over 200 students from various secondary schools were invited to test the game during a launch at Burwood Girls High School in February 2020, with the game subsequently rolled out to schools across the LGA.

The Stronger Minds Stronger Youth Board Game

The Stronger Minds Stronger Youth Board Game (Source: Burwood Council).

The game really helped me understand more about my mental health and how others deal with stress and see if i could use some of their tactics. Overall the game was fun and enjoyable and I recommend it to other schools and years.”

Young 'Stronger Minds Stronger Youth' participant

The outcome

We surveyed students to understand their experience playing the board game. Overall, students’ experience was positive, with the majority of students indicating that playing the game stimulated useful conversations about mental health; increased their understanding of mental health issues; and increased their understanding of how to talk about mental health issues.