Students on the Esports course at East Sussex College created and ran a gaming fundraiser on Thursday 22nd February, in aid of local young people who are caring.
They raised funds and awareness through an Overwatch 2 online tournament, where spectators could donate for them to play the game in an ‘Over the Top’ way. Any donation they received, they then span a wheel for a player to take on a challenge- these included, playing with gloves, sitting on the floor, fingers taped together, and a bucket on their heads! Donors were able to watch the tournament unfold live and donate on the Twitch streaming site.
Students chose to raise funds for local charity, Care for the Carers, in recognition of the thousands of young people in the county who are looking after someone who could not do without their help, and the support that the charity provides them. These include young people like Luke, who says of the support he receives from Care for the Carers “It lessens the stress, provides me with an escape…coming here knowing a lot of people are dealing with the same things, it puts you at ease because you’re not being judged, because everyone knows, it’s familiar for everyone.”
Luke’s story was one of the videos that was played on the Twitch channel for spectators to watch during the tournament, alongside interviews with local Ambassador and Young Adult Carer, Josh, and Care for the Carers Team Leader, Rachel. They explained what a young carer is, how it feels to be a young carer, and how the charity can offer support- the charity hopes that this will help young people to recognise whether they are a carer, and where to go for support.
The fundraiser was supported by local games developer, Alex Downham, of Default Interactive, who offered his time pro bono in order to help the students set up the event. They were also delighted to have the support of College Principal Rebecca Conroy, and Lewes Mayor Matthew Bird- who visited students during the event.
You can watch the fundraiser on www.twitch.tv/care_for_the_carers and there is still time to donate on www.justgiving.com/yacgaming.
