FITGMR, AOG and ShawMind strike esports youth partnership

Esports technology company FITGMR has announced a partnership with the Association for Online Gamers (AOG) and UK-based youth mental health charity ShawMind.

The partnerships aim to help young individuals by giving them tools and skills through gaming to develop personal growth.

The partnership is also tied to AOG’s new global esports development programme. The project hopes to combine game skills training with coaching for both mental and emotional learning. The target audience for this project is young people between the ages of 8 and 18, and whilst this is currently running within the UK the aim is to push this programme worldwide in the future.

The deal will see AOG gain access to FITGMR’s app, designed to address the physical and mental demands of esports athletes. The companies hope that learning these important skills through gaming will positively impact children’s wider lives.

This is not the first time that FITGMR has partnered with educational groups within the esports space. Towards the end of last year, the company teamed up with NECC to give students access to the aforementioned app. The year prior FITGMR partnered with the IESF to give all the teams present workshops on health and well-being.

Kristin Anderson, CEO of FITGMR, commented on the deal: “This partnership will not only enhance the technical skills of young gamers but also equip them with the tools necessary for mental resilience and physical fitness, ensuring they thrive both in-game and in life.” 

The Association for Online Gamers was founded in 2023 with one of the co-founders being the CEO of Shawmind, Peter Wingrove. The AOG and Shawmind run an esports development programme together. The two companies have a joint mission statement as part of said programme that states its aim to enhance ‘the mental fitness, social and technical skills of young people’.

Peter Wingrove, CEO of ShawMind and Co-Founder of AOG, said: “ShawMind championed children’s mental health education in the UK by forcing a Parliamentary debate on the issue in 2017, now we are pleased to contribute our experience and skills to this exciting partnership with the Association For Online Gamers and FitGMR, helping young people to build their self-confidence and resilience to cope with life’s challenges.”