1. Write down on some flip-chart sheets the letters of the word Gambling.
2. Ask the group to write down next to each letter any word related to gambling they can think of.
3. Once they have finished, help them to discuss what they have written and clarify any terminology they haven’t met before. This should give you an overview of their knowledge and thoughts about gambling. Encourage them to say what they think of gambling – some may be keener than others who, perhaps, think it’s rather a waste of money. Be ready to introduce terms they haven’t thought of, and that you judge relevant to their needs and stage of understanding, explaining each.

Alternative options:

With bigger groups, you can split participants in 3 teams and use the whole alphabet instead of just the word Gambling. Use a flip-chart paper each (A-H; I-O; PZ) and with 1 felt-tip pen each (3 different colours). Rotate the flip-charts every 3 minutes, so that all the groups have a chance to add their ideas on the whole alphabet. At the end, the different colours on the flipchart should let you identify which team wrote what: this might be helpful if you are focusing the discussion on their views and opinions of gambling.