Around 90 guests, including, MPs, Peers and a range of stakeholders, representatives from the government, regulators, academia, charities, trade associations and local authorities attended the event.
The new strategy reaffirms Ygam's commitment to teaching kids and adolescents aged between 7 and 25 years. By doing so, the charity will be able to adapt to the quickly changing environment in which it operates and continue to fulfill its vision and goal after 2025.
The event was hosted by Damian Collins MP, the minister responsible for gambling in 2022 and the Chair of the DCMS Select Committee for three years between 2016 and 2019. The event's opening remarks by the Conservative MP focused on the charity's efforts to protect children and teenagers from the negative effects of gambling.
This was followed by a speech from Mike Wojcik, Chair of the Ygam board of trustees for the past six years and Chief Executive of Queen Mary’s University London Student Union.
Wojcik said: “This year has been a transformative one for Ygam; we have defined our purpose, identified our unique remit and expertise, and worked to better understand the need so that we can offer the most effective programmes and services to those who have influence over the lives of young people, to enable them to safeguard against harm.”
Ygam’s Chief Executive Dr Jane Rigbye addressed the reception outlining the charity’s new vision, mission and ambitions. She said: “The digital world offers huge opportunities, but with those opportunities come risks, particularly for young people who live in an increasingly digitised world. We have a clear purpose, we deliver evidence-based programmes, and we are focused on understanding and continuously improving our impact.”
Shadow DCMS Minister Jeff Smith MP closed the event with a keynote address, calling for the Government’s White Paper to support education and prevention.
Daniel Bliss, Director of External Affairs at Ygam, said: “The charity has evolved significantly since 2014 so we felt our branding should reflect where we are now. The new strategy was the perfect opportunity to refresh our look and we’re confident our new branding will enable us to connect effectively with our audiences.”
