Engaging the Community and Partners to Build Capacity to Prevent Problem Gambling 

Thursday, November 7th, from 1:30 PM ET to 3:30 PM ET (Virtual)

This training focuses on addressing problem gambling as a preventable public health issue through community-led approaches. Historically, problem gambling efforts have been disconnected from initiatives grounded in equity and social justice. Therefore, partnerships and collaborations are essential to secure the resources needed to achieve shared goals. 

Effective community-led initiatives work by collaborating with and building upon the strengths, resilience, and leadership of disproportionately impacted communities. In community-led development, local members come together to identify important goals, create and implement plans, and foster collaborative relationships within the community and with external partners, all while leveraging local strengths and leadership. 

This training will define the key elements of a community-led approach and explore strategies to engage those most affected by problem gambling. Participants will learn how to develop partnerships and create an action plan with community partners to achieve shared goals. 

Learning Objectives - At the end of this training, participants will be able to: 

• Define the key components of a community-led approach. 
• Explain the importance of a strength-based approach by recognizing and building on community strengths, resilience, and leadership. 
• Identify strategies to engage populations historically oppressed or most affected by problem gambling in community settings. 
• Explore potential partnerships and collaborations that can be leveraged for resources, both human and financial, to achieve shared goals. 
• Identify common data sources for indicators related to problem gambling, as well as barriers and gaps in available data, particularly regarding problem and underage gambling. Participants will also learn how to access data to identify disparities and populations at disproportionate risk. 
• Develop a collaborative action plan to address problem gambling.  

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The Massachusetts Center of Excellence on Problem Gambling Prevention (MCOEPGP) provides capacity building, training, and resource development services to address the prevention of problem gambling and related health issues such as the prevention of substance misuse, suicide, and violence. The MCOE PGP approach is rooted in public health and utilizes the social-ecological model – incorporating the individual, family, and community – as a framework for its work. This approach is in alignment with evidence-based practices that require authentic community engagement, the use of an explicit equity lens and addressing the economic and social conditions that influence the health of people and communities, known as the social determinants of health. To learn more about problem gambling, visit our website at https://mcoepgp.org.

Funded by Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Office of Problem Gambling Services