Gambling Harms: Two intitiatives making a difference
Two innovative initiatives are making strides in supporting vulnerable communities. From empowering the Roma community with resources on gambling harm to offering a safe digital space for women affected by gambling, these projects foster meaningful change.
Photo of gambling support stress balls by Karen Gordon
Developing resources for the Roma community
By Francesca Howard, programme manager at the Scottish Gambling Education Hub
Fast Forward, the charity which runs the Scottish Gambling Education Hub has teamed up with The Space in Govanhill to raise awareness and educate Roma Community members on gambling harm. Having identified a gap in knowledge, we decided to set the scene by creating a short video in the Romanes language.
With the help of two community members who gave voice to this video, we focused on the realities and impacts of gambling that the community might encounter. Alongside this, we created two interactive activities that we could use to facilitate conversations around gambling and the impacts gambling can have.
With these resources in place, we set about holding an in-person event at The Space to premier the film, test the activities and begin discussions. To make the event fully accessible, the entire session was translated into Romanes, allowing everyone to engage fully and comfortably.
Fast Forward was on hand to help any attendee who might indicate a need for support throughout the event. Staff from The Space also provided people with practical advice on budgeting, planning and safer ways to build financial security.
The open discussion at lunchtime was the highlight of the day, where people shared their personal stories and reflected on their own experiences or those of someone close to them.
These discussions highlighted how many people’s lives are impacted by gambling and that there is a need for continued awareness and support. The event was such a success we are planning to hold more in the future and tackle some of the more nuanced challenges.
As a next step, we are excited to announce that we have developed a toolkit tailored to specifically help support the Roma community around gambling harm. It will address some of the impacts of gambling that are more prevalent in this community, with advice on how to address any concern and where to go for support.
All resources will be available for free on The Space and Fast Forward websites. This ongoing partnership is working towards building a better-informed community and hopes that other groups will think about joining us on this journey together.
Introducing: Aila
By Lauren Heaney, policy and practice lead for gambling harms at Simon Community Scotland
Photo of Aila presentation at Roma Cultural Centre by Karen Gordon
Simon Community Scotland has worked in partnership with RCA Trust (which provides community-based alcohol and gambling related prevention and treatment services) and a steering group of women to co-design a website for women affected by or experiencing harm from gambling in Scotland.
Aila has been created by women with lived experience of gambling harm as a safe, psychologically-informed digital environment to provide support and elevate female voices in Scotland. Each organisation that provides support in Scotland has recorded a video to introduce themselves to provide a welcoming and warm environment. It means you can meet some of the people from the service before you phone or meet them in person.
Come meet us online on live chat to speak to someone who understands. You can look at all the options for support that suit you, visit our Lived and Living Library to listen, read or watch other Scottish women’s stories, and assess if you are experiencing harm from gambling.
Read more: “We must ensure the protection of public health before the interests of private betting companies”
This is an evolving digital space where we want to raise awareness in our communities by working together to contribute to research, share women’s stories and link people in with support that works for them. You can be involved either anonymously or not – the choice is yours.
If you are a professional, we have created a separate part on the site for you to upskill yourself and learn how you can further provide support for people in your services. This section has e-learnings, toolkits, in-person and online training, plus handy hints to support your practice.
You are not alone on your journey.
Come meet us at Aila – we’re a friendly bunch!
Are you or a loved one struggling with gambling? There’s a lot of different kinds of support out there. We listed them all, including how to contact them in our ‘Hidden Lives’ issue of the magazine, now on our website. You can find out more here: Gambling Support