Who Really Wins? Prevention of Children and Youth Participation in Gambling
Association for Addiction Prevention NARKO-NE held the second round table with parents and teaching staff at the First Elementary School in Ilidža, Sarajevo, on the topic Prevention of Children and Youth Participation in Gambling.
The event was moderated by Andrea Mijatović, Deputy Executive Director of NARKO-NE, and the panelists were: Vedrana Novković, a psychologist and group leader for the treatment of gambling addiction at the Addiction Disease Institute of Sarajevo Canton, Adi Zahirović from the Ticket Initiative at ZIS (ZIS – Zakon o igrama na sreću/gambling law), and Sanela Pekić, a master’s graduate in social pedagogy and social worker from NARKO-NE.
The panelists presented the causes and consequences of youth gambling, the legal framework, the Initiative, and the preventive program Who Really Wins? which is being implemented in secondary schools in Sarajevo and Tuzla.
The director of the First Elementary School in Ilidža, Adisa Šuvalija, expressed her willingness to cooperate on addressing this issue:
Our school is focused on preventing alcohol, cigarette, and similar substance use that children may start consuming in the seventh, eighth, or ninth grade. However, when I saw the statistical data on gambling and betting, I was shocked. When it comes to prevention, elementary school is the place where everything should begin. I have become more aware of this issue, and in my position, I will do everything I can to ensure that much more is done on this topic.
In addition to the preventive program in schools, starting in December 2023, NARKO-NE will also launch a media campaign titled What Are You Betting On?, which aims to influence the attitudes, norms, and behaviors of the community regarding gambling and, ultimately, to prevent the emergence of problematic gambling.
*The implementation of the project and the eponymous program “Who Really Wins?” is supported by the Institute for Youth Development KULT. The views expressed in this project are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Institute for Youth Development KULT.
