Shady Grove is a narrative driven game that incorporates the storylines of three characters--Taylor, Lex, and Nicole. Each of these stories includes around 30 minutes of gameplay to help players understand the various ways in which youth may find themselves in unsafe or exploitative situations. By making decisions for their characters throughout the game, youth will build their own skills in identifying risk and accessing help from safe adults.

Shady Grove is designed specifically for youth involved with the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Children in these two systems often struggle to attend current anti-trafficking prevention programs due to the multi-week format of these programs, barriers to accessing locations where these programs are offered, difficulty finding transportation to attend consistently, and other programmatic obligations. This web-based game fills a critical gap in the field by offering an alternative model for human trafficking prevention education.

The game is evidence- and theory-informed. It builds building on the Not a Number curriculum and adapts its content and learning goals into an interactive experience where young people can practice protective skills within realistic situations, including recognizing potentially exploitative situations, making safer choices, setting and maintaining boundaries, identifying trusted adults, and seeking help when needed.