Our Workshops And Training
Ahead of the Game offers workshops and training on gambling harms for young people, professionals, parents, carers and guardians.
Sessions can be delivered online or in person, depending on the audience and setting.
We are currently commissioned to deliver free youth workshops in the Bristol City Council area. We may also be able to support work in other areas, depending on funding, commissioning and team availability.
Our workshops are educational and preventative. They are not a replacement for specialist support, but they can help people recognise harm earlier and know where to get help.
FREE SESSIONS & Local Delivery
Ahead of the Game is currently commissioned to provide free young people’s workshops, professional training, and parent/carer sessions for settings in the Bristol City Council area.
We also run regular open online sessions for professionals, parents, carers and guardians. These sessions are open to anyone, regardless of location.
If you are outside the Bristol City Council area, you are still welcome to contact us. We may be able to support training, partnership work or future delivery, depending on setting, funding and team availability.
We Work With
Workshops for young people from Year 5 through to age 24, helping them understand gambling harms, gaming-related risks and where to find support.
Sessions can be adapted for schools, colleges, youth services, community settings and targeted groups working with young people.
Training for professionals working with children, young people, families or communities, helping them recognise gambling harms, ask helpful questions and know where to signpost for support.
Organisations can contact us to discuss tailored training for their staff, service or wider team.
Sessions for parents, carers and guardians who want to better understand gambling harms, gaming-related risks and online safety.
These sessions help adults feel more confident starting conversations, noticing concerns and finding support for young people and families.
YOUNG PEOPLE’S WORKSHOPS
Where We Deliver
We can deliver sessions for different age groups, from Year 5 through to young adults aged 24.
Our young people’s workshops can be adapted for a range of settings, including:
- Schools
- Colleges & Post-16 Settings
- Additional Learning Needs Settings
- Youth Services
- Alternative Provision
- Community Organisations
- Wellbeing Days & Awareness Events
- Targeted Groups Who May Benefit from Additional Support
What We Cover
Sessions can be adapted to suit the age group, setting and level of need. We regularly update our content to reflect emerging risks and trends.
Topics we cover include:
- What gambling is and how it can affect young people
- Gaming, loot boxes and gambling-like features
- Social media, influencers and advertising
- Money, risk and decision-making
- Gambling myths, odds and chance
- Peer influence and pressure
- How gambling harms can affect mental health, relationships and family life
- How to recognise when gambling or gaming might be causing harm
- Where to find support
Workshop Formats
Sessions can be adapted to suit the age group, setting and level of need. We regularly update our content to reflect emerging risks and trends.
Topics we cover include:
- What gambling is and how it can affect young people
- Gaming, loot boxes and gambling-like features
- Social media, influencers and advertising
- Money, risk and decision-making
- Gambling myths, odds and chance
- Peer influence and pressure
- How gambling harms can affect mental health, relationships and family life
- How to recognise when gambling or gaming might be causing harm
- Where to find support
Curriculum, Wellbeing & Safeguarding
Our workshops can support wider curriculum, wellbeing and safeguarding priorities in schools, colleges and youth settings.
They add specialist input on gambling harms, gaming-related risks and the ways these issues can affect young people, families and communities. This helps schools and organisations take a proactive approach to prevention and early support.
England
For schools in England, our workshops can support learning linked to the RSHE guidance from September 2026, including online safety, financial education, media literacy, personal development and safeguarding.
Relevant themes include online gaming, gambling sites, video game monetisation, gambling-like content, scams, fraud, debt, targeted advertising, misinformation and other online financial harms.
Wales
For schools in Wales, our workshops can support the Curriculum for Wales, particularly the Health and Well-being Area of Learning and Experience.
Although gambling-related harms are not currently named directly within the statutory guidance, the themes of resilience, emotional awareness, critical thinking, decision-making and social influence provide clear links to prevention education.
Ahead of the Game’s workshops can support these areas by exploring:
- Risk awareness and decision-making
- Gaming, gambling-like features, micro-transactions and mystery boxes
- Online safety, cryptocurrency and scams
- Mental health, resilience and coping strategies
- Probability, chance and gambling myths
- Media literacy, advertising, sponsorship and social influence
- Where to find support if gambling or gaming starts to cause harm
Online Learning Portal & Follow-Up
After an in-person workshop, schools and colleges can use our online learning portal to help young people review and reinforce what they have learned.
The portal is designed for computer-based lessons with low teacher input. It includes video-based modules, short summaries and quiz questions, with age-adapted content for KS3 and KS4 learners.
Students can choose which modules to complete. At the end of each module, they can receive a certificate to show they have completed the learning and answered the short questions.
This can be useful for:
- Follow-up lessons after an Ahead of the Game workshop
- Low-supervision computer room sessions
- Students who missed the original session
- Reinforcing key messages over time
- Helping schools evidence learning and engagement
The portal works best when used after a workshop, as a recap or plenary-style session. Access is password protected, and login details are shared after delivery.
We offer direct youth delivery, adapted to your setting, your young people and your needs.
In-person delivery is our preference, but we can work with you to find the format that best suits your setting.
Our sessions are led by staff who stay up to date with emerging trends, research and youth culture, so we can respond confidently to new risks and questions. Professionals who attend youth sessions often tell us they learn a lot too.
PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
Ahead of the Game offers training for professionals who work with children, young people, families or communities.
Gambling harms are often hidden and can be easily missed. They may sit behind financial stress, emotional distress, family conflict, school or college difficulties, or wider safeguarding concerns.
Our training helps professionals understand gambling-related harms, recognise possible signs, ask helpful questions, reduce stigma and know where to signpost people for support.
Training can be delivered online or in person, and can be adapted to your setting, service or audience.
Who The Training Is For
Our professional training can be useful for anyone working with children, young people, families, adults or communities.
This may include:
- Teachers and school staff
- College and university staff
- Safeguarding leads
- Youth workers
- Family support teams
- Social care professionals
- Local authority teams
- Health and wellbeing staff
- Sports organisations
- Community organisations
- Training can be adapted to reflect your setting, role, audience and level of contact with young people or families.
What We Cover
Training can be adapted to suit your organisation, but key themes may include:
- What gambling harms are and how they can affect young people, families and communities
- Links between gambling, gaming, sport, advertising, social media and online financial risks
- Why gambling harms are often hidden
- Possible signs that someone may be affected by their own or someone else’s gambling
- How to start calm, non-judgemental conversations
- How gambling can fit into screening, assessment or safeguarding conversations
- Where to signpost or refer for support
Safeguarding, Early Identification & Referral Routes
Gambling harms can affect safety, wellbeing, relationships, finances and emotional health. As with alcohol and substance use, gambling can also be relevant to wider safeguarding concerns.
Our training helps professionals feel more confident recognising where gambling might be part of the picture and knowing what to do next.
This includes asking simple questions, recognising affected others, following internal safeguarding procedures where needed, and understanding local and national support options.
Training Formats
We offer regular online training for professionals. Organisations can also contact us to discuss tailored training for their staff, service or wider team.
Our full training sessions for professionals tend to be 90 to 120 minutes.
Training formats may include:
- Online Sessions for Teams
- In-person Staff Training
- Bespoke Sessions for Organisations
- Short Briefings for Safeguarding or Wellbeing Teams
- Training Linked to Prevention, Public Health or Community Work
- Sessions for Conferences, Forums or Partnership Events
Many tailored sessions can be provided free of charge, depending on setting and availability.
Why This Training Matters
Gambling harms are often not included in routine conversations, screening tools or assessments. This means they can remain hidden until harm has escalated.
Training can help professionals build confidence, recognise possible signs earlier, respond in a calm and supportive way, reduce stigma, strengthen safeguarding responses and improve signposting into support.
The aim is to help professionals notice when gambling may be relevant, ask better questions and know where support is available.
Follow-Up Resources & Recap Content
After professional training, we can provide access to online follow-up materials to help staff revisit key messages and share learning within their organisation.
The professional area of the portal can be used to recap important content from the session and access digital resources, such as posters, flyers and display materials.
This can help teams keep gambling harms visible after training and support wider work around safeguarding, early identification, digital safety and signposting.
This may be useful for:
- Staff who want to revisit key points after training
- Safeguarding or wellbeing teams
- Professionals sharing information with colleagues
- Organisations developing awareness campaigns or display materials
- Keeping support information visible in staff areas or public spaces
Access is password protected, and login details are shared after training.
PARENTS, CARERS AND GUARDIANS
Ahead of the Game offers sessions for parents, carers and guardians who want to better understand gambling, gaming and online risks affecting young people.
These sessions are practical, calm and non-judgemental. They are not about blaming families or telling adults what to do. They are designed to help parents, carers and guardians feel more confident starting conversations, noticing possible concerns and knowing where support is available.
Sessions can be delivered online or in person, and can be adapted for schools, colleges, family hubs, community groups or other organisations working with families.
Who The Sessions Are For
These sessions are for parents, carers, guardians and other adults who support children and young people.
This may include:
- Parents & Carers
- Guardians
- Foster Carers
- Kinship Carers
- Special Guardians
- Family Support Groups
- School or College Parent Communities
- Community Groups
The session can be adapted depending on the age of the young people being supported, from primary age through to young adults.
What We Cover
Sessions can be adapted to suit the group, but key themes may include:
- How gambling can affect young people and families
- The links between gaming, loot boxes, micro-transactions and gambling-like features
- Social media, influencers, advertising and sport sponsorship
- How to talk to young people about gambling and gaming
- Possible signs that gambling or gaming may be causing harm
- How adult gambling can affect children and young people
- Where to find support for young people, adults and families
Session Formats
We run regular online sessions for parents, carers and guardians. Organisations can also contact us to discuss adapted sessions for their families or community.
Session formats may include:
- Online Sessions for Parents, Carers & Guardians
- In-person Sessions Through Schools or Colleges
- Sessions for Family Hubs or Community Groups
- Adapted Sessions for Foster Carers, Kinship Carers or Special Guardians
- Short Awareness Sessions Linked to Wider Online Safety or Wellbeing Events
Many tailored sessions can be provided free of charge, depending on setting and availability.
Follow-Up Resources for Families
After parent, carer and guardian sessions, we can provide access to follow-up resources to help families revisit key messages in their own time.
These resources can support conversations at home and help adults better understand gambling, gaming, online risks and where to find support.
The parent and carer area of the portal can include recap content and practical digital resources, such as posters, flyers and signposting materials.
This may be useful for:
- Parents or carers who want to revisit the session afterwards
- Families who want to continue conversations at home
- Schools or community groups sharing information with parents and carers
- Family hubs or organisations supporting wider online safety and wellbeing work
Access is password protected, and login details are shared after the session.
How to Book
1. Tell Us What You Need
2. We Agree The Best Format
3. We deliver the session
4. Keep the learning going
READY TO BOOK?
Whether you are looking for a session for young people, training for staff, or support for parents, carers and guardians, we would be happy to hear from you.
Tell us what you need and a member of the Ara team will get back to you.