Welcome to the simulation titled Friend2Friend. This is a transcript of the simulation designed for screenreaders.
This virtual simulation was designed to help students support one another and make healthy decisions that match their goals.
PIC 0: The titlecard with the words “What Do We Know” is displayed. The screen fades to the bedroom of Ruby, a teenage student, who is now appearing on a beanbag chair. Ruby’s room is adorned by trophies, stickers on the drawer, and a skateboard.
RUBY: Hey, I’m Ruby. I've always loved being active. Like I can beat almost anyone in a hundred meter sprint. But then.
I started having trouble getting fired up about it, feeling kinda down, and, I just didn’t feel like myself.
It just felt like there’s so much going on with school, and friends, family… y’know, life.
PIC 1: Next to Ruby, a thought bubble appears with images of friends, family, and schoolwork.
And I didn’t know where to turn, how to deal… That's when those social media posts about vaping and alcohol started to sound pretty good.
They say stuff like how water vapor is natural and can make you feel relaxed. And like, you see movies where people are having these crazy parties to blow off steam.
PIC 2: Now Ruby’s thought bubbles have the images of a vaping ad on a phone and a man drinking a beer.
It feels like everywhere you look, social media, videos, advertisements, movies, there's this message of, like, you need alcohol or vape pens or, whatever to fit in, feel relaxed, cope.
I felt drawn to that stuff, cuz you know, all those influencers looked happy doing it.
What they DON'T tell us is the pretty serious effects they can have. Because these companies don't care. They make money from our stress.
And when I started to look around… in reality, I wasn’t seeing any of that. Sure, some people were maybe doing it. But this whole ‘it’s natural’ thing or image of ‘everyone’s doing it’ didn’t sit right with me. Especially when I found out that vape pens give off aerosol and not water vapor at all!
So I took a step back and started looking for better ways to navigate the challenges I was facing.
I started talking to friends about it, found a few cool people to follow on social media.
Turns out there's a lot of people out there who are choosing to focus on healthy ways of dealing with things like stress, anxiety, and depression. Check out some of the stuff they showed me:
PIC 3: Fades to a screen where silhouettes of people appear one by one. The words “stress,” “depression,” and “anxiety” appear and are immediately struck out.
PIC 4: The following words and their definitions appear one at a time:
Mindfulness: Focusing on being in the moment and aware of your surroundings and feelings.
Emotion surfing: Imagine your emotions as waves and whatever you are feeling, you just ride the wave until you’re able to imagine calm waters.
Choose your friends: Surrounding yourself with like minded people.
Talking it out: Having someone to talk to like a friend or trusted adult.
Goals: Having goals that you’re actively working toward.
PIC 5: The screen returns to Ruby.
RUBY: I've started using some of these techniques, especially the ones about talking it out with my friends and setting goals.
I also learned that…. Using substances just wasn’t for me. Once you have a goal, your reasons for not using substances become even stronger. Here are some of my reasons why:
PIC 6: Next to Ruby, the words “Reasons for not using substances” appear with an images of a marijuana plant and wine bottle getting cancelled out.
PIC 7: Fades to a screen where the following words and their definitions appear one at a time:
Keep your brain sharp. Using substances could affect your brain’s development, which can make it harder for you to go after your goals.
You learn and remember better without substances. Youth who regularly use substances are more likely to have difficulty learning, memory issues and lower math and reading scores.
Substances can slow you down. Whether you’re an artist or an athlete, you should know that substances can impact how well you do the things you like doing. That’s because substances can affect your reaction time and coordination.
PIC 8: The screen returns to Ruby.
RUBY: I like to surround myself with people who support me. I don’t want to be in a situation where all of a sudden drugs or alcohol are there and I have to decide on the spot if I’m going to try them. I’d rather be prepared.
I came up with a way that helps me navigate these situations and we’ll talk about that next!