Quiz Dinner

Parenthèse - Quiz Dinner

The quiz dinner is a game-based meal where we aim to address prevention issues with young people and their parents.

Teens - parents

Through this project, we aim to build a parenting support network that we hope will improve the quality of life for parents and children in the neighborhood. We also aim to establish this as a pilot project that can be replicated and scaled up to other neighborhoods where similar needs have been identified and which also have an institutional framework eager to benefit from a more coordinated approach to mobilizing their resources and expertise. Each focus area will have a specific intervention methodology to align as closely as possible with the needs of the target populations and the various areas of expertise required. For this call for proposals, we are seeking funding only for the third area of focus. That is why we are presenting this one as a priority. However, the other two areas are presented at the end of this document. The Quiz Dinner An Established Model The Quiz Dinner is defined as follows in “Practical Guide No. 1,” available on the website of the Vaud Youth Assistance Center (CVAJ): A Civic Quiz Dinner is a meal during which teams of young people answer questions […]. Throughout the meal, the young people are presented with about twenty multiple-choice questions, prepared in advance by “jokers” (experts). The jokers are introduced during the meal and can provide detailed explanations upon request. At the end of the meal, a written document containing the quiz questions and the complete answers (with explanations) is distributed to all participants. Participants also receive a prize (such as a voucher for a driving lesson, a movie ticket, a trial gym membership, etc.). The Adolescence Program aims to build, develop, and strengthen the bonds between adolescents and their parents within the family. The topics covered focus on aspects that shape young people’s lives and are part of their daily routines. The format of these activities is simple: several teams made up of young people and adults (ideally from the same family) come together for a meal, during which a facilitator asks questions related to topics relevant to the group. The teams answer the questions, aided by a “joker” card at their table, and, depending on the number of correct answers, they leave with a prize. Since this approach is the central element of our current proposal, it will be discussed in greater detail later in this document. We will adapt the general concept to the target audience: parents with their children aged 12 and older. The challenge is to bring parents and young people together around a table so they can engage in dialogue—with the help of a facilitator and an expert (“joker”) at each table—on predefined topics. We plan to address, for example, issues such as problematic substance use, digital behaviors (video games, social media, cyberbullying, etc.), and public health concerns. We believe that addressing these issues in this fun and friendly setting over a meal will encourage participation. We focused on the “Quiz Dinners” concept because it incorporates various elements that align well with our focus on adolescence. First, the informal setting of a meal offers an ideal framework for encouraging participation from those directly affected and fostering discussions that aren’t typically addressed within all families. This aligns with our vision of opening up dialogue within families, breaking down taboos, and strengthening family bonds. Second, adolescents make up a significant portion of our audience during our various drop-in sessions and neighborhood events. Our program facilitators maintain good relationships with them. Conversely, we have limited access to their parents, most of whom are working or managing household responsibilities. Thus, by organizing the Quiz Dinners, we aim to meet and build connections between some of the residents of La Bourdonnette and the center’s sociocultural outreach team. Finally, this activity provides an opportunity to gather important information about family life, the strength of cultural ties, and the beliefs, customs, and habits within households. This on-the-ground information will enable us to reflect on and adjust our interventions at the center and in the neighborhood. Objectives of the Quiz Dinners To ensure these events align with the overall project and to help make them a lasting tradition, we have defined specific objectives for the Quiz Dinners. - To facilitate interaction between families and program facilitators, as well as between families and experts on the various topics discussed during the meals, in order to create a supportive network that is accessible to the public - To provide safe, non-judgmental spaces for neighborhood families to discuss current events and/or topics rarely addressed within families - To develop a participatory approach to community health among families in the neighborhood, as well as among program facilitators and experts on the various topics covered during the Quiz Dinners - Raise awareness—not only among families but also among social workers and experts in the various topics—about the challenges faced by families in La Bourdonnette These objectives are rooted in our commitment to developing new family-centered spaces and integrating them into the center’s various activities. Furthermore, they define the role of program facilitators during these evenings, which is to build and develop relationships with participants, as well as to implement and test a facilitation approach that encourages participation from those directly affected and enables participants to be referred directly to resource persons (the experts). Since the Quiz Dinner is a certified project, we must complete the relevant training in order to develop this aspect. It is therefore planned that part of the Sociocultural Center’s team will undergo training to learn the methodology and subsequently apply it, while meeting the certification requirements. The project is presented in full in the attached documents.

January 2024 through June 2024—6 quiz dinners

3,000