Tabletop Role-Playing Games for All

Supported in part by funding provided by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library Services and Technology Act, through the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.

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Therapeutic Gaming Proviso Language: Budget Bill (ESSB 5187):

"(18) $83,000 of the general fund—state appropriation for fiscal year 2024 and $67,000 of the general fund—state appropriation for fiscal year 2025 are provided solely the office of the secretary of state to assist businesses and nonprofits providing therapeutic rehabilitation within Washington state's juvenile secure residential facilities. It is well established that providing outreach and therapeutic education among incarcerated youth remains critical to successful community reentry. The amounts provided under this subsection are subject to the following conditions and limitations: To be eligible for a grant under this subsection, a business must (a) apply for or have applied for the grant; (b) be registered as a Washington state business or non-profit; (c) reported annual gross receipts are no more than $1,000,000 in the most recent calendar year; (d) must have ability to conduct in-person business operations at one of Washington's juvenile correctional facilities; (e) of the total grant amount awarded, no more than 10 percent may be awarded for travel expenses; (f) agree to operate in-person, in accordance with the requirements of applicable federal, state, and local directives and guidance; and (g) at least one principal of entity must demonstrate the following educational credential, minimum masters degree in related field, and professional experience of conducting therapeutic gaming. The office of the secretary of state may use up to 10 percent of the amount provided in this subsection for administrative costs."

What is the Therapeutic Gaming Proviso?

Purpose and Background
 

The Washington Secretary of State, Washington State Library, (OSOS), is initiating this grant program to solicit applications from firms interested in facilitating a project to provide therapeutically applied role-playing games in OSOS-operated juvenile detention facilities. 
 

The Office of the Secretary of State (OSOS), through the Washington State Library’s (WSL) Institutional Library Services (ILS) and in partnership with Washington State’s Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF), ensures library access to the marginalized, underserved, and at-risk youth and teenaged populations of the Echo Glen Children’s Center, a medium/maximum security juvenile detention facility in the State of Washington. The responsibility created by having access to these populations is one the OSOS takes seriously due, in part, to the shared role library services play in promoting successful reentry of youthful offenders into the community. Community reentry, in turn, is more successful when the mental, emotional, behavioral, and social health of the patrons are nurtured. With these factors in mind, the OSOS seeks to boost successful reentry via Therapeutically Applied Role-Playing Games.
 

OSOS recognizes the benefits of Tabletop Role-Playing Games (TTRPGs) to players' mental, emotional, behavioral, and social wellbeing, particularly during adolescent development. Research indicates that TTRPGs encourage and enhance collaboration on common goals, reliance on others, sequential thinking, public speaking skills, and introduce the concept of nuanced success/failure. When applied therapeutically, TTRPGs allow players to explore social roles and behaviors within the framework of the Magic Circle of play, a physical and theoretical mind-space wherein players of a game may take risks without permanent consequences. TTRPGs can further this experimentation through the creation of a character that acts as an alternate self. This alternate self becomes the focus of narrative transference, allowing players to explore hidden or unrealized aspects of themselves—such as latent fears, past trauma, gender & orientation, and more—in a safe space.

Objective

OSOS is facilitating a grant for the planning and implementation of Therapeutically Applied Role-Playing Games in DCYF facilities (namely, Echo Glen Children’s Center), in conjunction with the Washington State Library’s Institutional Library Services housed within those facilities. The grant recipient(s) will plan and implement these activities, as well as document all work in a way that can be shared with other incarcerated youth and libraries who serve them. 

Available Grant Funds:

OSOS has budgeted an amount not to exceed $74,700 through June 30, 2024 and $60,300 for July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025 for this grant. Any grant award as a result of this is contingent upon the availability of funding. 

Who Can Apply?:

To be eligible for a grant under this subsection, a business must
(a) apply for or have applied for the grant;
(b) be registered as a Washington state business or non-profit;
(c) reported annual gross receipts are no more than $1,000,000 in the most recent calendar year;
(d) must have ability to conduct in-person business operations at one of Washington's juvenile correctional facilities;
(e) of the total grant amount awarded, no more than 10 percent may be awarded for travel expenses;
(f) agree to operate in-person, in accordance with the requirements of applicable federal, state, and local directives and guidance; and
(g) at least one principal of entity must demonstrate the following educational credential, minimum masters degree in related field, and professional experience of conducting therapeutic gaming.