Summary
This is the development of a fun Board Game to help
the young learn for themselves about contraception and improved sexual health. Developed
with the help of young citizens, it is discussed by it’s Enabler in a video
presentation bottom left
Major Learning point for Citizen Enablement
A powerful, and users friendly, game has been designed
which enables the young to understand their better use of contraception. It was developed using UPBEAT evaluator tool, working with colleague young people, to explore related issues, normally not open to general discussion, because of embarrassment of their teachers and parents. The sharing of best practices, in a fun way by tyoung people, with like issues, satisfies the best principles of ‘positive deviance’
The Case
Contraception – The Board Game was developed by Maternity Nurse Lecturer – Barbara Hastings-Asatorian. She set up a social enterprise which developed a new learning to
A Visual showing the Contraception Board Game
help young citizens learn for themselves about the need for, and better use of, contraception. Barbara’s nurses didn’t like talking about sex, and contraception, with young people, but the game Barbara developed does this for them. It is so successful at doing this that it has now been translated into three languages and is now sold all over the world, helping the young learn the facts of life, in a fun way.
Barbara has also been assessed as being one of the most innovative women in Europe. So, CONTRACEPTION® helps young nurse trainees cope better with explaining to other young people, how they could avoid unwanted pregnancies. Her way of developing this was to let the young demonstrate best principle of the safe use contraception, to themselves, through a simple board game – similar in nature to the game ‘Monopoly’ which is also played throughout the world. Where parents had failed to appraise the young in all the implications of unprotected sex, Barbara developed a game to embed important new attitudes and behaviours with respect to aspects of contraception, in an enjoyable but highly informative way, to previously vulnerable young citizens. Turning to the game itself, as the young players move around the board, they come into contact with statements and questions which stimulate discussion and reinforce principles laid down by their teachers.
Playing CONTRACEPTION® highlights areas where understanding may be lacking:
- The game looks at the mechanics of contraception through questions and true / false statements;
- Through these statements clear distinction is made between safe and risky sexual behaviour;
- Advancing around the board brings players into contact with various advice centres and resources where contraceptive and sexual health services can be accessed: e.g. Young Person’s Sexual Health Services, pharmacy, condom machines, GP’s, Family Planning Clinics and Accident and Emergency Units.
Players of Barbara’s Game are also directed at various intervals during the game to make an assertive statement which strengthens their ability to express their own needs and decline unwanted pressure.
Peer education is a key feature of the game. At certain stages, a question card will present two options, for example (1) Using the condom demonstrator (included in the game) shows the group how to put on a condom. OR (2) Answer a contraception question on their effectiveness to prevent pregnacy. The game therefore offers the group peer education opportunities in a safe environment, practicing use of language relating to safe sex, whilst building confidence.
This development, originally adopted across all Salford Schools, resulted in a significant reduction of local teenage pregnancies in the age group it was aimed at. The game has now been used, not only throughout the UK, but in many other English speaking countries. Originally a game for use of a few individuals, it has also now been made into a computer game to engage whole classes. It has also now been translated into French and Spanish and is being used world-wide. Furthermore, Barbara and her team have recently developed a further board game, based on socio-cultural research in Africa. This new game has been developed with particular emphasis on the prevention of ‘Aids in South Africa’ and works well in a totally different cultural context. This game is called – ‘safer sex’.
Contraception the Board Game is written up as a case study in the UPBEAT series associated with this web site. Please go to the UPBEAT logo top left on the PUMR cover page to access this case study.This game developed in line with DfES Sex and Relationship Guidance (DfES 2000), and in consultation with young people. For those who want to know more about the Game Goggle Contraception – The Board Game, but the following will tell you why young people think the game works for them. For, Barbara’s evaluations show that young people discuss more about safe sex, sexual health and contraception in the relaxed, enjoyable, constructive peer-group setting, around the board. Just some of what the young people say about Contraception: the Board Game® :
- “Risk Cards create good discussion and debate”
- “The game is informal and fun”
- “Nothing could be improved – all trainees opted to play the game again” ”
- “You get to see the contraceptives”
- “The cards told me what was good and bad”
- “I liked the way the board was set out and how you got cards each time”
- “It was a fun way and set out different questions and options”
- “There are a lot of things to do and it’s very informative” “Interesting questions”
- “Putting a condom on”
- “It teaches a lot about safe sex”
- “It was a good laugh and you learn without realising it”.
- “It’s exciting as you want to know what you’ll get”
- “It allowed me to learn all the safety points and the risky points on having sex”
- “It will help us when we’re older”.
- “It was revision for me but I liked the way we were allowed to demonstrate with condoms”
- “Fun to play and very informative”
- “It gave a lot of information and involved everybody”
- “Interesting because it was full of information and had a lot of things to do”
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Two of the Directors become leaders in their field and are asked to present at major international conferences. |
BHA’s skills transcend the norms of leadership. She conducts reach-out at international level and gains recognition for her work in Africa and Asia. |
Global strategic alliances are formed and BHA uses her international links to support projects in different countries & she sets up two new networks. |
BHA becomes a World Class Entrepreneurial Strategist. Her company expands to meet global demand and she internationalises her web-site &begins marketing abroad. A new form of game, with a different focus, is developed to cover South African needs. |
GLOBAL STEWARDSHIP– acting with the highest integrity and mutual respect – cited world authority |
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Evaluation of Surestart Plus, a teenage pregnancy initiative, on behalf of the British government. BHA organizes the Protect & Respect quarterly conference & secures expert speakers. The event becomes a huge success |
BHA becomes an agent of Serial Change. Her performance is endorsed world-wide an d the game is ward winning at the national level. BHA asked to speak at international events. |
BHA leads Co-Creation & Creative Team Working and helps others in local and national networks. She wins excellence awards and mentors others through the Prince’s Trust to pass on best practices and experiences. |
BHA develops new products and areas, e.g. a computer for large groups. Gets national recognition for her work. |
CREATIVE LEADERSHIP – Inspiring and driving excellence for ‘real improvement’ – nationally recognised |
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Evaluation shows the board game is good for small groups, but BHA recognises a need to engage larger groups. She become a master of real world applications research especially on sexual health issues in South America, the USA & South Africa. |
BHA practices continuous enhancement of game & learns top access the skills of others, when developing her own is not possible. She negotiates royalty agreements – a new skill developed whilst working on the project. |
BHA becomes an effective team-work, harnessing a team’s collective disciplinary expertise. She establishes good relationships with other companies which help with product development. The core team expands to incorporate another director, who brings new skills. |
BHA masters opportunity management. She employs recent business & marketing training to benefit her project. She repays half the loan originally required, but secures more funding. Translates products for international markets |
MASTERY – Confidence, ease and elegance in handling complexity and the unexpected – typically regionally recognised |
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BHA strives for real empathy with her consumers/ context. This leads her to develop the board game after evaluation & further testing. She writes her first journal article. She introduces the development to the relevant Government Ministry who issue a guidance note using her game as an educational tool |
BHA co-ordinates her mutually supportive core team with complementary skills. She recruits another director and begins to oversee relationships with external companies who provide specialized services. |
BHA becomes an effective networker, collaborator & at knowledge sharing. She accesses new networks (including BNI, CAMPUS, NWDA & W:ISE) enabling her to get free advice, contacts & to promote her work. The new director come on board. |
BHA learns about product life cycles, developing new products, acquiring new knowledge & skills to repackage her game & market special offers. She becomes an efficient business manager which helps her develop a viable enterprise & safeguard project assets. |
FOCUSED PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE – Relevant capabilities achieved for efficient & effective enterprise operation |
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BHA develops practice-based R&D skills for real-world problem solving and uses it to conduct important research into the board game & competent manufacturers. She tests ideas using an early model with students & researches policies/practices of contraception education. |
BHA find a team of self-motivated individuals with the relevant skills to help develop her game & run a competent enterprise. She uses coaching & skills courses to build leadership capacity. In 2000 she gains a coaching certificate. |
BHA develops necessary team roles and social & cultural networking skills and originally as a nurse teacher recognised the importance of both networking and business. She accesses other networks through her mentor & builds databases of schools & manufacturers. |
BHA develops more appropriate functional enterprise skills herself and puts in the initial funding for the venture – she also looks for other sources of finding The she focuses on capacity building under guidance from her BEST mentor. She learns better about finance, business planning & marketing. |
CAPABILITY BUILDING – Developing necessary skills & structures to ensure a workable enterprise |
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BHA rigorously identifies the challenging real world NEEDS of young people and develops and innovative solution to satisfy it. Her research shows the UK teen pregnancy rate is the highest in Europe & assertiveness is an issue in sexual health. |
BHA finds individuals, with the right talent, who similarly aspire to make a difference for the young in this context. She recognises she lacks certain skills & strives to correct this by undertaking different forms of training e.g. finance for non-financial managers. |
BHA finds other stakeholders willing to accept a (felt) need for collaborative working. She is reluctant to join the chamber of commerce to seek a business mentor. However, her local advisers convinces her and it becomes a real, lasting & rewarding success. |
BHA recognises the market for her idea, which becomes potentially DEMAND Driven because of new legislation; published government report highest the need for an improved sexual health & teen pregnancy strategies. And there was clearly a shortage of information and resources to help. |
RECOGNITION & INITITATION – Awareness of the basic requirements for University Reach-Out to Business and the Community and where necessary dealing with socio-technical and geo-politica issues |
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Solution Enabling Foresight The skill of repositioning imaginative research concepts into a successful working reality; this requires taking research and translating it into foresight that enables a team to undertake the work necessary to form a successful &sustainable solution |
Talent &Performance Developing Self-development with a view to becoming ‘best in practice’-awareness of capability, honing it to success, being coached to reveal your best and then coaching others to success |
Intelligent Social & Political Networking Intelligence Teams utilising joint strengths to energise enhanced change with systemic outreach and continuing improvement. For some project this Meant coping with political issues |
New Academic Business ACUMEN – Academics having sufficient understanding of business (enterprise) language- including social entrepreneurship – to ensure success when working with external partners |
Qualities & Levels of Engagement Fourfold of Engagements |
An UPBEAT Matrix revealing the fullest success of Contraception Education Ltd developers of the Board Game
Key to Matrix: BHA is Barbara Hastings-Asatorian
The young citizen reports shown on the previous page, portray a real feel of the power of Barbara’s developing game at truly enabling them to take control of their own contraception destiny. Nevertheless, in all her citizen enabling endeavours, Barbara was looking to improve her offer to the young, spread the information that the game offered world-wide and make sufficient profit from its sales to enable it to become a sustainable product. She used the evaluator mechanism of the UPBEAT approachto continuously learn herself how to improve the offer she was making, its uptake and influence. The completed matrix shown above portrays how she gradually improved her offer, step by step, until she achieve world-wide status for the game and her work. This made her recognise the importance of getting the government agencies responsible for Sex Education to sign off her Contraception Board Game so that local authorities would allow it and buy it. This they did with a guidance note which mentioned the use of her game to help then young. She realised the market for her work world-wide and produced the game in several languages and this led her to receive international accolades for her entrepreneurial skills in developing the game and went on to earn sufficient funds from it sale to release her from university duties to develop other innovative ideas to enable citizens.
Major Learning point for Citizen Enablement
A powerful, and users friendly, game has been developed which enables the young to understand their better use of contraception along with their colleague young people and to explore related issues, normally not open to general discussion because of embarrassment of their teachers and parents. Again, the sharing of best practices in a fun way by young people, with like issues, satisfies the best principles of ‘positive deviance’.
The Citizen Enabler
Barbara Hastings-Asatorian is the Citizen Enabler who created the game and empowered young citizens to take control of their own destiny is now a recognised international and award winning innovator. Her game, and others developed from her work, is now used world-wide by literally thousands of young citizens to much effect.
