• Young People of the Year or ‘YOPEY’ is a campaign to give young people a fairer image in the media – and society as a whole – by ‘revealing, recognising and rewarding’ young unsung heroes and setting them up as positive role models for other young people to copy.
• By doing this YOPEY improves relations between the generations, including reducing the elderly's fear of teenagers.
• We also give free citizenship lessons in schools and are looking at giving micro finance to young people wanting to improve their community.
• National leaders have praised YOPEY. You can read endorsements from David Cameron, Ed Miliband and others on this page.
• YOPEY is mainly supported by commercial companies as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility. But it can also promote your business. YOPEY can train staff volunteers to give presentations on good citizenship.
• Sponsors range from FTSE100 companies to SMEs. You can see all of them on our Thanks page.
• We also receive support from public services – the police and councils have become big backers in recent years – and charitable trusts.
• Together with all these people YOPEY is building a better society.
'The YOPEYs' in five minutes!
A short film – made at the Bedfordshire 'Blue Light' Young People of the Year awards ceremony – that sums up what our awards are about, and why we need help from sponsors...
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YOPEY comment on riots
The image of young people today is unfair. If I was to lay out in front of you 100 articles from today’s newspapers about young people, the vast majority – 71 of them – would be negative. 15 would be neutral, neither good nor bad. Only 14 would be nice about the
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...and then Alex and Moses
Past Essex Police Young People of the Year Alex Penn and Moses Burrell met top politician Ed Miliband – and gave him the benefit of their advice.
Sixteen-year-olds Alex and Moses, who were the junior winners in the 2009 YOPEY, joined a delegation of young people from across
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Opposition Leader backs YOPEY
Ed Miliband, the new leader of the Labour Party, has become the latest political leader to back YOPEY.
Mr Miliband's letter is reproduce here. In it he writes:
"I am delighted to send my best wishes and support to Young People of the Year, which does extraordinary
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Deputy Prime Minister endorses YOPEY and highlights one entry
“YOPEY is leading the way in recognising the contribution young people make – to their families, to their communities and to our society as a whole," said Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.
"It can be extremely frustrating
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Chair of Youth Sport Trust praises YOPEY
British sports administrator Sue Campbell - otherwise known as Baroness Campbell of Loughborough CBE - has praised YOPEY by saying: "The Young People of the Year Awards are a wonderful way of recognizing the positive impact that young people can have on others in
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Prime Minister and Chancellor endorse YOPEY
Young People of the Year winners from Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Nottinghamshire have been to the Houses of Parliament as guests
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Gay YOPEY winner made Mayor
A 2009 Young Person of the Year has gone on to be elected as a district councillor and made Mayor in his home town.
Last December 23-year-old Ian Campbell won the third Nottinghamshire YOPEY for being a gay rights activist. He visited schools and colleges and ran workshops
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