The Prince Albert Branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association 30th year anniversary celebration took place at the Prince Albert Heritage Centre from 9a.m. to 3p.m. on Wednesday July 29.
Visitors enjoyed live music, information booths, raffles, 50/50’s, prize draws and a fundraising canteen, with a bouncy house, balloon animals, facepainting, free arts and crafts available next door for kids in the Prince Albert Grand Council Urban Services gym.
“I’m affiliated with them so I try to support them when I can, and because it’s their big day, I’m here with my display to give people a chance to come out, play my plinko game, and get more information,” said Kathy Moorman who is the Northern Coordinator for the Gambling Awareness Program.
The Gambling Awareness Program works closely with the Canadian Mental Health Association in Prince Albert on education about not just gambling, but gaming, social media and safe screen time.
GAP provides both information tables and displays at mental health days, and health fairs, but their main efforts go towards providing presentations for schools, kids and parents, treatment centres, adult education, and to community organizations, throughout the province of Saskatchewan.
“A lot of times I ask kids as young as grade three, ‘Do your parents know what kids game you’re on?’ and they will tell me openly and honestly, that their parents don’t know the time that’s being spent on social media,” Moorman explained.
GAP provides information on how social media and game time affects mental health and sleep time, in kids and teenagers, and how those changes affect everyday life, including school and physical activity.
The program also provides information for those in recovery for drug and alcohol addiction, to prevent gambling addictions to form.
GAP can also refer people who are affected by gambling to private counsellors, National Native Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program, Saskatchewan Problem Gambling Helpline for those struggling with gambling but also those affected by someone else’s gambling habits, and, Kids Help Phone for youth.
The program also provides information on applications such as Gamban and Bet Blocker, which block gambling programs and websites, and GameSense with the nine SIGA casinos in Saskatchewan, with their Voluntary Self Exclusion option.
“It’s important to be here today because this is a mental health event and I try to attend as many as I can. I’m proud of CMHA PA,” said Moorman.
