Gambling harm prevention effort reaches two million people
Launched in 2020, the four-year programme aims to deliver evidence-led education, training and help to young people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as collaborating with other organisations in Scotland.
To date, the charities said an estimated two million young people have used the educational resources and intervention training, while gambling harm awareness workshops have been directly delivered to over 48,000 young people.
The programme has also trained more than 24,000 professionals who have care or influence over young people in gambling harm prevention, including 10,000 teachers, with resources being used to deliver lessons as part of the latest PSHE curriculum in schools.
Other data collected by YGAM revealed that 99% of delegates now feel confident about spotting the signs of gambling harms after completing the training, while 97% said they felt confident talking to young people about the topic.
Some 97% of those who took part in training said that they were confident talking to young people about the topic, while this figure was the same for delegates who felt they could now signpost and support young people if they have concerns.
In addition, 97% of professionals who received the GamCare training said they now have a better understanding of how gambling harm impacts young people.
“It’s another fantastic milestone reached for the programme,” YGAM’s head of the National Education Programme, Kyle Riding, said. “The team delivering this programme includes former teachers, safeguarding leads, youth leaders and individuals with lived experience of gambling harms, so it is so rewarding to see the impact of their hard work.
“There continues to be huge interest and demand for the training and resources and I’m confident we will continue to achieve our objectives to effectively safeguard and support millions of young people.”
GamCare senior manager, Alexa Roseblade, added: “Alongside YGAM, we passionately believe that education on the risks associated with gambling is an essential part of tackling gambling-related harms and that every young person in the UK should receive at least one education session on it.
“The key to helping young people make informed choices about their participation in gambling and preventing gambling harms is to give them the facts about gambling and gaming and build their critical thinking skills and digital resilience.”