The Bridge

The Bridge is a unique program disrupting the potential link between excessive online gaming and gambling harm.

In 2020 and 2021 Kids Thrive is running a unique project working with pre-adolescent kids to raise awareness about the addictive nature of gaming and the potential links to gambling harm.

The outcome is a creative resource kit of animations, creative learning activities and reflective discussions, that will soon be available to schools throughout Victoria.

‘We found that the loot boxes in almost half (45%) of the 22 games we analysed met the criteria to be considered psychologically similar to gambling, even though they are rated as appropriate for adolescent players under the age of consent for gambling.’

The Conversation, June 28, 2018

The project is the latest in our ten-year legacy of working with children aged 0-12, co-designing creative programs to empower children to take positive action in their lives and their communities.

International research shows that kids as young as nine are already gambling and links with this behaviour and excessive online gaming have been found. The Bridge seeks to disrupt this link in pre-adolescent children.

The project brings together Kids Thrive artists and students from Altona North Primary School to co-create a series of creative prevention and early intervention learning resources. These online resources will help children to identify risk behaviours and develop self-control strategies to ensure protection from future gambling harm. Further creative education tools will also be developed for use by teachers and community educators.

The National Health Service, UK, has confirmed the opening of a new treatment centre, alongside up to 14 new NHS gambling clinics nationwide, to address significant mental ill health linked to addiction. January 2020

Funding for the The Bridge project was granted from the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation (VRGF) through the Prevention Partnerships Program, which aims to mitigate gambling harm through a range of community education and prevention programs; and Creative Victoria through the Creative Learning Partnerships Program (CLPP), which aims to partner schools with artists to deliver creative learning projects.

The pilot project is taking place in 2020-2021.
The final creative resource kit will be available to schools and the public.

The Bridge creative resource kit includes:

Short series of animations
Creative activities
Conversation starters
Teachers’ background resources

Meet The Bridge development team

Kids Thrive lead artists Andrea Lemon and Andrea Rieniets have partnered with three other incredible artists and the year 6 students at Altona North Primary School, to bring The Bridge project to life.