GamCare & YGAM Expand their Youth Program to Northern Ireland

GamCare, UK’s premier charity institution for the gambling industry, and the Young Gamers & Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM) have expanded their education support program to North Ireland. Like GamCare, YGAM is a charitable foundation for the gambling industry, but its primary focus is on educating youngsters in the UK, and assist them with tools and information that will develop digital resilience.

Back in May, the two charity organizations for UK’s gaming sector joined forces to rolled out a £10 million gambling education and support program. The revolutionary initiative which goes by the name Young People’s Gambling Harm Prevention Programme was under the patronage of the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), the industry trade body serving the region. At that time, the program was released across England and Wales alone, and now, thanks to GamCare and YGAM, the education and support initiative has broken ground in Northern Ireland.

Raising Awareness, Training and Supplying Resources

Following the expansion into Northern Ireland, GamCare and YGAM reiterated their resolve to safeguard future generations from harms resulting from compulsive gaming and gambling. The Gambling Harm Prevention Programme will feature evidence-led sensitization workshops and resources to the youth, workers, and teachers to raise awareness of the adverse effects of irresponsible gambling.

Moreover, to assist the duo (GamCare and YGAM) in fulfilling their pledged mission, different community interest organizations have also joined the initiative. One such organization is the Belfast-based charity, the Youth Work Alliance which has given the duo access to City & Guilds resources for assured training and resources that offer insight on the curriculum and lesson plans for youngsters in primary and secondary education stages.

Stephen Hughes, the Youth Work Development Manager voiced his support of the program by saying; 

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“The work we are doing with YGAM, working alongside GamCare, delivering their training and resources on the ground here in Belfast and across Northern Ireland is going to be a huge benefit to our local communities.

Gambling-related harms have been presented as a hidden issue in Northern Ireland for many years, which makes it even more vital for us to ensure children and vulnerable people are informed, educated and safeguarded against the potential harms associated with gambling and increasingly, gaming too.”

Robbie Butler MLA, the Chairperson of Stormont’s All Party Group on Reducing Harm Related to Gambling and a representative of Ulster Unionist welcomed the move in the following statement; 

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“I welcome this social gaming and digital resilience initiative from Youth Work Alliance. When the APG launched our inquiry into how new legislation can reduce gambling related harms, we made it clear that prevention is better than cure.

The stronger gambling laws we are hoping for in Northern Ireland need to be backed up by better education to stop harm before it occurs. So therefore, it is hugely encouraging to see the Youth Work Alliance working with YGAM and GamCare to educate and support our young people.”

Mr. Butler is a known public figure known for his relentless campaign for new legislations that will help in protecting people from undergoing gambling related harms.

A Lot of Positive Change Has Been Realized Through the Program Thus Far

In light of the expansion into Northern Ireland, Lee Willows, YGAM’s Founder and CEO expressed his pride in the NI milestone and recapped how impactful the gambling education support program has been so far in England and Wales since it was initiated. He said; 

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“Having seen first-hand the impact that our work has had in the places we have already rolled out the National Gambling Education Programme in partnership with GamCare, I am thrilled that we are now able, with the support of Youth Work Alliance, to start delivering the programme in Northern Ireland. 

As well as educating, informing, and safeguarding, it is also vital that we raise awareness and start a conversation about those very personal experiences of gambling related harms in communities across Northern Ireland.”

Willows together with his YGAM co-founders, Keith and Anne Evans started the organization over 5 years ago in 2014, after going through the devastation of gambling harms on a personal level and with their families.