Ayrshire, Scotland — young people and children throughout this south-west Scottish county will now undergo targeted education. This will serve as a means to highlight the extent of the risks of gambling.
GamCare is at the helm of this project. GamCare is an independent UK charity focused on problem gambling, with their practices being providing advice, information, and support to gambling addicts. The project named the Youth Outreach Programme will expand all over Scotland if things go according to plan. They have managed to find the funds for the next two years, which will allow them to reach out to all of the other Scottish regions.
The project will feature complimentary interactive workshops for children and teenagers aged 11–19. Additionally, they will also organize free training for professionals who are working with youngsters.
GamCare’s Viewpoint
GamCare’s Risk Reduction Programmes Manager Megan Pengelly said that the Programme had already reached out to over 7,500 young people. According to Pengelly, they have also managed to work on educating 2,000 professionals, including third sector representatives, youth workers, and teachers.
She said that the project represented a major opportunity to aid young people with building up their resilience, knowledge, and critical thinking skills. The combination of these will allow them to understand the risks behind gambling. Moreover, Pengelly said that the project would help create a network of professionals who would know how to support and educate the young.
GamCare CEO, Anna Hemmings, said that risk reduction programs the charity organized were there to provide support and engagement to groups with a higher risk of getting harmed by gambling. She concluded that the organization could be proud of what they had achieved so far and that they were satisfied they could extend their work even further. They’ve designed the programs to minimize the negative effect gambling can have on individuals, families, and entire communities.