YGAM Publishes Impact Report

YGAM has published its latest social impact report, detailing a year of success throughout 2022. The charity focuses on educating and safeguarding young people against gambling harms through its accoladed series of training workshops. YGAM has also unveiled an ambitious new three-year strategy with an emphasis on digital innovations.

Dedication Praised

YGAM has unveiled its latest social impact report, recounting increased growth, reach and impact in 2022. The report shows that the charity’s evidence-based education programs are proving valuable in helping to safeguard millions of children and young people across the UK. Speaking on behalf of YGAM, Chief Executive Officer Dr Jane Rigbye said:

“The findings of this report are a source of pride, and I want to thank the team, our partners, and supporters for their dedication and effort during this year. Our focus was to consolidate and build on the impact of our existing work, whilst looking to the future through the development of a new strategy to guide us from 2023.”

Rigbye was keen to praise the efforts of the YGAM team, whom she described as flexible, inspiring and creative. She added that her colleagues have enabled the charity to deliver programs that meet the needs of those who work to safeguard children and young people. Standards are continuously improving and the programs are having a real impact on communities.

YGAM was founded in 2014 by Lee Willows, Keith Evans and Anne Evans. All three individuals had personally experienced the devastating consequences of gambling-related harm. After suffering from a gambling addiction for 25 years, Keith and Anne lost their son to suicide. Lee himself tackled a severe gambling addiction that had a huge impact on his life.

Both Lee and Anne had had successful careers in education. They decided to put their skills to good use, establishing the charity with the mission to inform, educate and safeguard young people against gambling and gaming harms. YGAM has since grown to become the leading youth-focused harm prevention organization in the gambling sector. The charity’s strategy is guided by the Gambling Commission’s National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Related Harms.

Effective Workshops

The report detailed a number of key findings illustrating the success of YGAM’s educational programs throughout 2022. An estimated 1,857,895 young people were reached and 4,819 delegates were trained. A further 2,994 teachers and youth workers were also trained.

YGAM’s programs have proved popular with users. The charity’s report stated that 99.6% of delegates would recommend YGAM workshops to colleagues. 96% of teachers and youth workers trained said that they felt confident about talking to young people about gambling and gaming. Before taking part in training workshops, only 33.3% of participants felt comfortable discussing the subject.

98.1% of teachers and youth workers agreed that could signpost and support young people if they are concerned about gambling or gaming harms, versus 25.8% pre-workshop. 94.9% of parents felt confident about spotting signs of gaming and gambling harms compared to 14.9% before taking part in a workshop.

In partnership with GAMSTOP and RecoverMe, YGAM visited 24 universities on the University Gambling Support Tour. 352 university staff were trained, with an estimated reach of 75,275 students. 99.3% of staff trained said that they would recommend the workshop to others, while 70% of students said that they felt better prepared to deal with gambling-related harms.

Outside of schools and colleges, YGAM’s workshops were offered to community sports programs. 336 academy players from twelve professional football clubs completed training workshops on gaming harms through the League Football Education program.

Announcing the publication of the report, YGAM reiterated its commitment to understanding and demonstrating the impact of its programs through independent evaluations and academic studies. The charity has continued to review and improve its systems so that it can offer the best education programs and make a real difference to young lives. YGAM has passed a number of audits and assessments that have shown that the charity is operating above all statutory and regulatory requirements.

Three-Year Strategy

Last month, YGAM published its ambitious new strategy for 2023 at a Parliamentary Reception. Titled ‘Safeguarding Our Digital Generation’, the strategy sets out the charity’s plans for the coming years. To coincide with the announcement, YGAM unveiled its new branding. The event was hosted by MP Damian Collins and featured a broad range of guests, including MPs, government officials, regulators, charities, policy makers and key stakeholders.

Speaking at the time, Chief Executive Dr Jane Rigbye explained the importance of collaboration in the charity’s continued success. YGAM’s latest strategy will extend to the next three years and brings a new focus on the impact of digital innovations in the gambling sector on young people. YGAM is keen to stay ahead of emerging risks and bridge the gap between the digital knowledge of those that can educate young people and the digital lives that children are already living. Rigbye stated

“YGAM are committed to effective prevention of both gaming and gambling harms. This can only be done by engaging and collaborating with those who have lived experience, ensuring our programs and resources are coproduced with both our direct beneficiaries – those that we train – and the ultimate beneficiaries; young people themselves.”

YGAM’s latest report and new strategy comes as the government prepares to publish its Gambling Act Review white paper. The long-awaited white paper promises to bring the UK’s gambling laws up to date with the digital age. One key idea that has been heavily discussed is the introduction of a mandatory levy, which would fund research, education and treatment.

YGAM has emphasized the importance of education in tackling gambling harms, and would support such a levy. MPs Damian Phillips and Jeff Smith have also shown support for improved education on the subject. However, with further delays likely before the white paper will be published it remains to be seen whether the levy will be adopted.