SEGA Europe Delivers Fourth 'Intro to Gaming Workshop' to At-Risk Teenagers
London, England – 12 December 2025 – SEGA® Europe’s cultural and ethnicity Employee Resource Group, RISE, have partnered with youth intervention specialists, The Safety Box® CIC to host the fourth annual 'Intro to Gaming Workshop' on Monday December 15 at SEGA Europe’s HQ in Chiswick.
This year’s workshop will welcome at risk teenagers from Black, Asian and other marginalised groups, for a behind the scenes introduction to the Games industry. This will involve a coding session with Coding Black Females, the largest network of black female developers in the UK, who have been commissioned to help build games in Scratch, and a chat with members of the SEGA Europe team that highlights the range of career opportunities available in games.
SEGA Europe selected The Safety Box® CIC as a partner due to its strong record engaging disadvantaged youth through early intervention and diversion support, including participants from the London VRU Stronger Futures Programme.
Charlene Strachan, Chair of RISE and Head of Technology Projects at SEGA Europe said “This workshop matters to me on a personal level. As a Black woman in the Games industry, building this space where young people can create their own games is so powerful. When I was growing up, I didn’t have a lived example of representation in the Games industry, so I’d love these students to picture themselves in our SEGA offices and realise that they can absolutely belong here. I can’t wait to see how the next generation claims their place in the industry, and I feel so lucky to witness the start of some of their journeys.”
Nathaniel Peat, Founder of The Safety Box® CIC, said “This is absolutely amazing for The Safety Box again to have the fourth year in partnership with SEGA and Coding Black Females. By coming together, we do more than teach tech, we change destinies. This partnership is a commitment to young people who have been overlooked, written off, or caught in the grip of risk, exploitation and gang influence. Together, we are creating opportunities, training and real pathways into the tech world for those who need it most, ultimately helping to change lives.”
Charlene Hunter, Founder and CEO of Coding Black Females said “In 2025, it’s brilliant to see the Intro to Gaming Workshop continuing to create pathways into games for young people who are so often overlooked. Since we first partnered with SEGA Europe and The Safety Box, we’ve seen first-hand how a single day of hands-on coding and industry exposure can completely shift a young person’s confidence and sense of what’s possible. At Coding Black Females, we’re proud to keep showing Black, Asian and other minority young people that they not only belong in this industry, but that they have the creativity and talent to lead it.”
The Intro to Gaming Workshop will take place at SEGA Europe’s HQ in Chiswick on Monday December 15, 2025. For more information about this collaboration between SEGA Europe, The Safety Box CIC and Coding Black Females, please contact Ryan King, Head of Product PR at SEGA Europe (ryan.king@sega.co.uk).
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About SEGA Europe Limited:
SEGA Europe Limited is the European Distribution arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA CORPORATION, and a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe. SEGA wholly owns the video game development studios Two Point Studios, Creative Assembly, Sports Interactive and HARDlight. SEGA Europe’s website is located at www.sega.com.
RISE at SEGA Europe Limited:
RISE at SEGA is a staff-led Employee Resource Group at SEGA Europe Limited, committed to promoting a supportive environment for colleagues of minority ethnic origin while encouraging all colleagues to embrace diversity and inclusion.
As a collective, RISE embraces individuality, yet believes we are united through shared values of equality.
THE SAFETY BOX:
The Safety Box ® CIC is a multi-award winning enterprise which delivers a range of evidenced based AQA and CPD accredited holistic and trauma informed programs to not only those in prison, youth at risk, and young people; but also to their parents, caregivers, professionals working with youth at risk. Based in South East England, with an endless knowledge of working within the custodial and community setting, the company has helped thousands of troubled youth and also young adults too as well as delivering evidenced based early intervention strategies to schools and local authorities who are concerned. They also provide alternative programs and provisions for neuro-divergent children, young people and adults. Viewing violence through the lens of public health, The Safety Box employs an evidence-based model, proven to reduce violence in different cultural contexts. The Safety Box have had a measured impact of working with over 18,700 young people in the UK and have a proven methodology which works in both a custodial and community setting.
Coding Black Females:
Coding Black Females is the largest community of Black women in tech in the UK. Growing, educating and inspiring the community of Black women in tech. Created in 2017, they are a nonprofit organisation, and our primary aim is to provide opportunities for Black female developers to develop themselves, meet familiar faces, network, receive support and build relationships through having regular meetups.