Ygam
Find out how Ygam is safeguarding young people against gaming and gambling harms, and how to earn the Scouts Sports Enthusiasts Badge.
We've joined forces with Ygam to bring awareness to the effects of youth gambling in sports and gaming.
We have co-designed some new interactive activities to help Scouts understand the intricacies of how gambling relating to sports can effect people.
Badges and resources
Have a look at our Ygam activities and get your Scout group working towards their Sports Enthusiasts Badge.
Try the activities
Reflect on how you use your time and see how you could improve your wellbeing. Location: Indoors, outdoors, at home, at camp | Takes: 20 minutes
Try healthy balance clock >
Use your drawing skills in this fun game to spot different sports and help your team win. Location: Indoors, outdoors, at camp | Takes: 30 minutes
Play sport pictionary >
Test your knowledge of what’s safe and what’s not in this quick game. Location: Indoors, outdoors, at camp | Takes: 40 minutes
Play risky or not risky >Did you know?
- 40% of young people aged 11 to 17 have had some experience of gambling over the last 12 months, with 1 in 4 spending their own money on gambling in the past year.
- 53% of young people had seen or heard gambling advertising via online platforms with 15% saying that they followed gambling companies on social media.
- 54% of young people reported that someone had spoken to them about the potential harms of gambling.
- 91% of UK children aged 3 to 15 play video games on some type of digital device.
- 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.
- 21% of young people aged 11 to 17 had spent money or virtual currency to unlock loot boxes, packs or chests to acquire in-game items when playing video games over the last 12 months.
- 49% of children believe online games are only fun when you spend money.
Free City & Guilds Assured training for volunteers and youth workers: Ygam provides online or face-to-face workshops for those in positions of influence or care of children and young people. Delegates gain access to 1000+ resources and tools to equip them with the knowledge, skills and confidence to support and safeguard against gaming and gambling harms.
Contact us at training@ygam.org to find out more about running a bespoke session for your group, district or county.
Following the training, you’ll have free access to help with a wide range of badges across the sections:
Try our resources to fit into your programme and work towards the Money Skills Badge. Use our topics surrounding in-game spending to help make decisions between what they want and what they need.
With the advance in technology, gaming can be a great hobby, but it’s important to have a healthy balance. Use our activities for their gaming to work towards the Hobbies Badge and chat about the safety rules and what they enjoy.
As well as sponsoring the Sports Enthusiast Badge, we also have activities that can help programme for the Global Issues Activity Badge. Interest in esports can be used to discover an international sporting event and how the inclusivity can contribute to better understanding across the world.
Our resources surrounding mental health, finance and understanding the gaming and gambling industries can be used as part of the ‘skills’ element of the top awards to learn about money management or digital resilience. Alternatively, they could run some of the resources for younger sections to help their Young Leader Award.
Volunteering opportunities for students
Each year we recruit for Student Ambassadors within our University and Student Engagement Team, visit the Ygam Student Hub to find out more about these opportunities which can help towards Top Awards.
About Ygam
Ygam’s vision is for every child and young person to be resilient to and safeguarded against gaming and gambling harms.
The charity was established in 2014 as a result of the lived experience of the founders. After suffering for over 25 years with a gambling addiction, Alan Lockhart died by suicide in 2010 at the age of 40. His mother Anne, a former teacher, founded the charity with her husband Keith and Lee Willows. Together they were determined to use education as a tool to raise awareness and help safeguard future generations against gaming and gambling harms.
As part of the initiative, Ygam also delivers free awareness workshops to parents, foster carers, and social workers. The Ygam Parent Hub supports families with lots of practical advice, guidance, and tips to help keep children safe online and prevent harm related to gaming and gambling.