V Game: Mobile Game Project to Prevent Sexual Violence

A diverse Youth Advisory Team will guide project activities and a conscious mobile game developer will be identified. Through youth focus groups, game content will be created, tested, translated, and finalized. The game will be promoted across Canada through community, media, and partnerships with mobile networks during the week of November 25, 2010 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women). Finally, an evaluation of the project’s success will be done and a report written, demonstrating how the game can be adapted for use around the world.

Although diverse young women are most at risk of sexual violence at home, school, and in their neighbourhoods, few services meet their needs and sexual assaults they experience are rarely reported to police. Research suggests that youth go to their peers to access support after victimization as opposed to parents, teachers, or police. Evidence suggests a need to give youth better resources to help them support themselves and each other, as appropriate services hardly exist and those that do exist are not accessed by young women. Resources must be relevant and address unique realities of diverse young people, specifically young women and girls with different backgrounds, identities, and life experiences, who are at even more risk of violence and have less access to support. Since young people so rarely report their victimization, solutions cannot be dependent upon the actions of adult “brokers” – they must be available to youth directly. V Game addresses all of these barriers and challenges, ensuring that diverse young women and girls get the direct support they need in a safe, innovative manner.

The ultimate success of V Game depends on strong and multiple partnerships. As such, partnerships have been made with local youth service providers and youth leaders in Toronto to ensure young people will lead the game’s development and content – this is most important. A partnership has been established with the local Toronto police service and school board to ensure the game is promoted to the media, public, neighbourhoods, and students in the target age range. A partnership is also being sought out with a large mobile service provider to allow the game to be distributed to youth cell phone users across Canada, and a partnership is pending with a governmental funder to ensure the project is adequately resourced.

- A project team consisting of a coordinator, a Youth Advisory Team of diverse young people, and a conscious qualified game developer will be established.
- With the direct lead of the Youth Advisory Team and youth focus group participants, a mobile game in English and French and compatible with multiple mobile platforms will be developed.
- Ten thousand handbills will be printed and distributed to promote the game to youth in schools and communities and the game will be promoted through mobile networks and links to the game will be posted on METRAC’s website and websites of project partners.
- A high-profile media launch event on November 25, 2010 will be held with all partners and receive coverage in 2 to 4 major media outlets.
- At least ten thousand young people, including victims of sexual violence and their peers across Canada, will play the mobile game.
- A short-term evaluation summary report will be completed and will illustrate how this game can be adapted widely around the world.

V Game responds to the dearth of supports for diverse young women who have been sexual assaulted or are at risk of it and their peers. It puts in their hands life-saving information about needs and rights of victims, healthy and unhealthy relationships, and information and resources to support young women.