YGAM and Caesars Entertainment help pioneer first degree course in Social Change

YGAM, the UK charity that works to inform, educate and safeguard young people against problematic gambling and social gaming, has joined forces with Caesars Entertainment EMEA and Queen Mary University of London to participate in a ground breaking apprenticeship degree course in ‘Social Change’ which has attracted six times more applicants per place than Oxford University. The four-year BSc course comprises two days of study per week with the remaining time spent working with the chosen charity. YGAM’s undergraduate apprentice is 22 year-old Nadia Tarik whose post as Development Officer is being funded by Caesars Entertainment EMEA.

Expanding on its involvement in the pioneering initiative, Sarah Sculpher, Chief Marketing Officer at Caesars Entertainment EMEA says, “Educating on the potential risks of problem gambling is a core facet of our business strategy. Caesars Entertainment has worked extensively with, and provided ongoing financial support to, the Young Gamers & Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM) to promote education and awareness around gambling since its inception. We are tremendously supportive of educating young people about gambling related harm to support the prevention of gambling related problems. Our £50,000 donation over two years will fully fund Nadia’s London living wage role and support costs with YGAM.

Sculpher continues: “Social responsibility is hugely important for all businesses, but particularly so in a business such as gaming, which is exciting but also carries an element of risk. Education is key. It is an integral part of our business strategy to educate and train all our front-line team members on the importance of social responsibility and to ensure that our customers enjoy their casino entertainment in a safe, welcoming and entertaining environment. Education is also at the heart of our long term partnership with YGAM. We support them with financial resources which enables them to recruit people to provide more education where needed in the community, making a real difference to people’s lives. We look forward to watching Nadia’s progress and the positive impact she has.”

Lee Willows, co-founder and CEO of YGAM is delighted the charity has been invited to help spearhead the first degree course in Social Change and that Caesars Entertainment EMEA is helping to facilitate the journey. He stated: “The partnership between the social sector, further education and the commercial world is invigorating and a force for really positive social change. I am extremely grateful to Caesars who share our vision and I am delighted that YGAM, which was formed just five years ago, is being spoken about in the same breath as fellow Social Change degree partners, the Scouts, WaterAid, Action for Children and the Alzheimer’s Society. It is a great privilege to help progress this important development which will help forge pathways into the communities that we serve thanks to the energy and dynamism of student/apprentices such as Nadia and the vision and support of progressive business leaders such as Caesars.”