Join the Scotland Reducing Gambling Harm to shape action to reduce gambling harms in Scotland. The ALLIANCE Scotland Reducing Gambling Harm programme are recruiting people with lived experience to help shape action to reduce gambling harms in Scotland by sharing their expertise and priorities. Gambling-related harms are the adverse impacts from gambling on the health and wellbeing of individuals, families, communities, and society. This includes financial, employment, and relationship issues, physical and mental health problems, criminal activity, and in the most severe cases suicide as a direct result of gambling harm. People can experience gambling harms to different degrees, and the Scotland Reducing Gambling Harm programme are interested in speaking to anyone who feels they have experienced harm as result of their own, or a loved one’s gambling. Working with people with lived experience, the programme helps to identify key areas of importance in reducing gambling harms in Scotland. These key areas help shape the focus for the Scottish Implementation Group of the National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms and put the voice of people affected by gambling harms at the heart of action to reduce those harms. The programme also provides people with lived experience with new perspectives, advice and information on other matters related to gambling harm. For example, shaping awareness raising campaigns and helping inform the focus of future research on gambling harm. How can you get involved? You can: • Become a Forum Member We support a forum of people with lived experience of gambling harms to come together on a regular basis with policy and decisions makers in Scotland. Forum Members commit to attending regular, evening meetings roughly every six weeks for one and a half hours. • Contribute on an individual basis For people who are unable to commit to the regularity of the Forum, we are able to speak to people on a more ad hoc basis as topics or opportunities they are passionate about arise. We are keen to hear from people with experience of gambling harms or people who have a loved one(s) with experience of gambling harms. Sometimes, we call these people “affected others” and they might be a partner, parent or guardian, child, or sibling of a person with lived experience of gambling harms. Having views from a diverse range of people is important to us. We particularly welcome speaking to: • Older People • Younger People • Women • People from a range of cultural backgrounds • People from a range of religious backgrounds • People from a range of ethnic and racial communities • Anyone who views themselves as a member of a minoritised community What are the benefits of being involved? • Networking opportunities and building relationships with others affected by gambling harm as well as people who work within health and social care. • Developing new skills via training or attending events and conferences. • Contribute positively to society. • Contribute to influencing gambling policy. • Positive mental health benefits from volunteering, including increased confidence and feelings of self-worth. • For many of those with lived experience, contributing to systems change is an important part of their life and contributes to their recovery. • Work experience which can be included in CVs. If you are interested in getting involved, or would like to hear more about our work please get in touch via email at: gamblingharm@alliance-scotland.org.uk or on Twitter: @ScotRGH.