Community Ambassadors Take Part in Peer Education Program

[AJFCS]

Annette Botnick, the Community Engagement Coordinator at AJFCS supervises nearly 30 Ambassadors representing 28 gated, active-adult communities throughout Palm Beach County.

The role of the Ambassadors at AJFCS is to help build a safety-net, the supportive structure necessary to ensure a healthier, aging in place environment.

It was an easy choice to implement a peer education program and train Annette and our Ambassadors utilizing the "Playing it Safe" toolkit.

We were prepared for the training, but we were not prepared for how positive the response would be. Normally, a training would entail a brief presentation, a video, and time for Q&A. In my three years providing education in the community, I have rarely heard so many great conversations, questions, and ongoing dialoque pertaining to problem gambling and ways that the communities can help get the word out. Many of the Ambassadors immediately recognized the issues taking place in their own communities and the county as a whole.

As a result, there are now eight ambassadors placing literature and the toolkits within their clubhouses and communities in order to spread the word of the FCCG and shine a brighter light on problem gambling.

A future presentation and update has already been scheduled for the "season" next year so that more ambassadors and their communities can attend and benefit from the information they learn.

[BBRPC]

This is great! Excellent job!