Brockton High photography students show impacts of youth gambling through art exhibit

BROCKTON ― A group of 14 Brockton High School students showcased their originally photography Wednesday in the school's fine arts building, bringing awareness to the youth gambling problem in Brockton through artwork.

Students from the high school’s PhotoVoice club, led by Brockton High photography teacher Amanda Dodge, created photographs and captions that shed light on the prevalence of gambling in kids’ daily lives.

“A lot of people don’t realize that gambling is as prevalent as it is,” said Brockton High junior and PhotoVoice club member Tayha Lesperance. “I notice it more now just knowing where to look for it.”

At least 20 photographs were displayed around the school’s fine arts lobby at Wednesday’s art exhibition, showing images of parents holding lottery tickets, gas station signs advertising scratch tickets or students using sports betting apps on their cellphones.

“It’s definitely something they’re exposed to,” said Cara Ferguson, prevention coordinator at High Point, a Plymouth County-based addiction treatment center that partners with BHS’s art department to bring the PhotoVoice club to life.

According to Ferguson, students are more likely to be exposed to problem gambling at ages 11 through 13 compared to substance-use disorders, although most families perceive substance-use to be a bigger threat to their children's health.

Plus, with Massachusetts recently legalizing online gambling and sports betting, problem gambling has become more normalized by parents, the internet and social media, Ferguson said.

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What is the PhotoVoice club?

Since 2019, Brockton's PhotoVoice club has brought attention to youth gambling through photography. Due to COVID, the first cohort of participants couldn't host an in-person art exhibit, but last year marked the first official PhotoVoice ceremony in person.

Ferguson said the goal of the 10-month program is to "start teaching youth to take risks in a healthy way," and develop leadership skills to help their young peers navigate gambling addiction. Participants also worked with Brockton elementary school students to build coping skills within kids before they get to middle school, and open conversations around mental health.

"These students are now trained to be active leaders in their community," Ferguson said.

Lesperance said she doesn't know anyone personally who's struggled with problem gambling disorder but knows people who know people that are impacted by it. Before going through the program, she said she wouldn't have known how to help.

"Now I can get someone proper help," she said.

PhotoVoice is funded by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's Office of Problem Gambling Services, and according to the office's research, 50% of high schoolers in the state reported gambling within their lifetime. Ferguson said kids can easily get around online safeguards that stop youth from gambling underage.

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Photographs with hidden meanings

Each student submitted two original photos that responded to prompts about how problem gambling impacts the local community. One of Lesperance's photos pictured her and her friend's sneakers lifted toward the sky while they were lying in a nearby field. She said it represents the need of having a strong, supportive community.

"Teenagers feel like they can't talk to adults and teachers about certain issues," she said. "I feel like having someone with a strong community sets them up for bigger success."

Lesperance's second image shows a gas station against a colorful sunset. She wrote in the caption displayed underneath the photo that, "when you think of gambling, I think of things that are very common that are in your day-to-day life. I think of gas stations, which you wouldn't think of gambling, but they can be a contributing factor of an underlying problem."

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Ethan Castro, a junior at Brockton High, took one photo of the Brockton High football team in a huddle before a game when their teammate Terry Boston Jr., 15, was killed in a car crash over the summer. The image shows the team supporting each other through the tragic and challenging moment.

Castro also presented a portrait of a man with green light reflecting off his glasses, representing him "getting blinded by money."

"People are districted by chasing money," he said.

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Brockton High School student art exhibit shows youth gambling problem