Photos courtesy of Anxiety Gaming.
Anxiety Gaming, a nonprofit committed to providing mental health resources to the gaming community, partnered up with local Long Beach foster care group Families Uniting Families last week to officially launch their Consoles for Kids Program, which donates new video games and consoles to youth in foster care.
Consoles for Kids is a new program dedicated to improving the mental health and wellbeing of children in the foster care system by providing a healthy outlet to relieve stress, according to the release.
“Video Games really allow children, no matter what their position in the world, to really be children,” said Anxiety Gaming’s Director of Operations Marlo Miller in a statement. “It’s really great to see these children going through tough situations to light up and have fun.”
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 47.9 percent of foster care youth were determined to have clinically significant emotional or behavioral problems, according to the release.
“Consoles For Kids provides these disadvantaged children with gaming consoles and video games so that the games can offer the kids a safe and effective avenue to relieve stress, have fun, make friends and decompress,” stated Anxiety Gaming’s Director of Care Jason Docton.
Anxiety Gaming’s long-term initiative includes making a difference in the mental well being of troubled children in an effort to reduce the likelihood of a violent and troubled adulthood caused by a stressful upbringing in the foster system, according to the release.
The next round of Consoles for Kids will take place this December. Those interested in donating can contact Anxiety Gaming at [email protected].
For more information about Anxiety Gaming’s programs and mission, visit the website here.