Charities partner to tackle gambling harm among British youngsters

The arrangement will see YGAM deliver bespoke training sessions to help raise awareness and educate future generations about the potential risks of gambling.

Training will be offered across the StreetGames and YSF networks, while other organisations working with the two charities will also have access to YGAM’s youth-focused gambling resources.

“Working with sports clubs and groups is a natural progression for YGAM and something we have been making progress on for some time,” YGAM’s national education manager Sam Starsmore said.

“There is a clear alignment in our values and mission, to safeguard children and ensure each young person gets a healthy start in life.”

Halima Khan, area director for Humber and Yorkshire at StreetGames, added: “Ensuring the safeguarding of young people is a key area of work for StreetGames and using sport as a driver for these conversations can be a great way to engage openly and honestly with trusted community organisations.

“We hope this training will help raise awareness of the potential issues caused by gaming and gambling, as well as offering ways to prevent the harm this can cause.”

YGAM has this year rolled out a number of additional tools and resources to help protect young people from gambling-related harm.

These include a new training programme on gambling addictions for healthcare professionals, including general practitioners, in conjunction with Bournemouth University, the Responsible Gambling Council, and Betknowmore UK, which was announced in September.

YGAM in July also partnered research teams from Newcastle and Loughborough Universities to launch Parent Hub, a portal to educate parents and carers about the risks of so-called loot boxes in video games.

In addition, YGAM and GamCare announced in June they were to accelerate the digital transformation of their educational resources, in order to continue offering support throughout the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.