ScoutsCymru is delighted to be collaborating with Ygam – the Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust – to offer free training courses and resources to Scouting volunteers in Wales.
The City & Guilds Assured training will enable volunteer leaders to run their own interactive sessions on gaming and gambling harms with young people aged 7 to 25, with a comprehensive bank of more than 1,000 resources available to support them. Ygam have also created a document detailing which Scouting badges the sessions can count towards too.
The first Ygam and ScoutsCymru courses are running online on Tuesday 19 March, 6pm-8pm, and Wednesday 10 April, 7pm-9pm – you can book via the links at the end of this article.
Research from the Gambling Commission’s Young People and Gambling Survey 2023 found that 26% of young people aged 11 to 17 had spent their own money on gambling in the last 12 months, and 34% of young people aged 11 to 17 had paid for in-game items in video games with their own money or virtual currency in the last 12 months. In Wales, the research found that 70% of 11 to 17 year olds had experience of gambling in the past 12 months and 23% had spent their own money on gambling.
Ygam’s free The Young People’s Gambling Harm Prevention Programme, delivered by Ygam and GamCare, equips delegates with the knowledge and understanding to identify the signs of harms, start safeguarding conversations and signpost to the support available.
Launched in 2020, the programme is the largest of its kind, working with hundreds of schools, colleges and community groups, training thousands of teachers, professionals and youth workers, and reaching millions of children and young people.
ScoutsCymru staff members – some of whom are also volunteer Scout leaders – recently took part in one of Ygam’s training sessions, with the organisation now keen to offer the training to as many of its volunteers as possible.
ScoutsCymru director Kerrie Gemmill said: “We are really excited to be partnering with Ygam, a fantastic organisation making a real positive impact on the lives of young people and their families. Ygam raises awareness and equips those involved in youth work to better understand the potential harms of gambling and gaming. To some, our partnership may not seem a natural fit, but as an organisation that works with more than 14,000 young people every year, understanding the challenges that young people are facing is integral to our work in equipping them with life skills.”
She added: “Having attended the ScoutsCymru staff team training session, I learnt so much, but what has stayed with me were the numbers, in particular that 26% of young people aged 11 to 18 had spent their own money on gambling in the last 12 months. We are happy to support Ygam and look forward to working with them to deliver training and information workshops in the coming months.”
Sacha Kent, Programme Lead for Education, Sports, and Youth at Ygam, said: “It’s been great to start our collaboration with ScoutsCymru, to increase awareness around these digital safeguarding topics. As a Scouter myself, I’ve seen first-hand how the training and resources can provide support across different sections.
“With volunteer time so precious, we’re really pleased to be able to offer ready-made badge activities and help with ongoing learning for leaders in their incredibly valuable work with young people across Wales.”
Find out more about the training here.
Book for the session on Tuesday 19 March, 6pm-8pm, here.
Book for the session on Wednesday 10 April, 7pm-9pm, here.
Visit the Ygam website here.
