GamCare’s Youth Outreach Programme Receives Additional Funding

At least 1 in 9 young people in the UK engage in some form of gambling each week (IPSOS Mori 2017). The financial, social and mental health impacts of gambling are a major area of safeguarding concern for young people, as many engage with gambling while lacking context around these activities.

GamCare’s Youth Outreach Programme aims to raise awareness of youth problem gambling and educate young people and the professionals working with them about the risks associated with gambling, helping young people to make safer choices around gambling.

GamCare’s Youth Outreach programme has so far delivered free, interactive workshops to more than 4,600 young people aged 12-18, and free training to over 1,100 professionals in London, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Liverpool and Hull.

The programme is also supported by a dedicated information website for young people at www.bigdeal.org.uk. More than 22,000 unique users have accessed information about gambling and problem gambling, plus interactive resources and forums where young people can share their own experiences, since the site relaunched last September.

Anna Hemmings, CEO at GamCare, says: “We are delighted to receive funding from GVC to expand our Youth Outreach Programme, as this will help us to reach considerably more young people across a wider geographical area. Encouraging more conversations about safer gambling and gambling-related harm amongst young people, parents and practitioners is crucial so that young people are better protected in the future.”

For more information or to register for free workshops and training, click here.