• YOPEY is 'Creating Tomorrow's Great Citizens Today'. • YOPEY runs Befriender schemes where young people befriend lonely care homes residents, many living with dementia.
• YOPEY Befrienders take part in publicity to give the younger generation a fairer image in the media. • By doing this YOPEY improves relations between the generations, including reducing the elderly's fear of teenagers. It also reduces the stigma associated with dementia.
• YOPEY is supported by grants from charitable trusts and by care homes paying for their own YOPEY Befriender scheme. Other companies can sponsor schemes and be promoted in return.
• From 2005 to 2017 YOPEY ran over 80 Young People of the Year campaigns to give young people a fairer image in the media. Thousands of young people took part from charity fundraisers and youth leaders to young people who have turned their lives around – all being positive role models for the younger generation.
• All these campaigns and the positive press they generated are now archived on this website but can still be seen by the public and continue to promote the participants as positive role models.
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Bridging the generation gap
Teenagers make elderly friends – many with dementia
Photographs by Catherine Humphries, John Flynn and Tony Middleton
Teenager Kaylee Poloczek has a new ‘bezzy mate’ – 82-year-old Roy who she says ‘has done some cool stuff in his life’.
The 18-year-old met Roy at an old people’s day centre while taking part in a pioneering project uniting young and old people in friendship to help combat loneliness and isolation.
The ‘YOPEY
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Watch our first film specifically about YOPEY Befriender and the young people who volunteer to befriend lonely residents in care homes. Click on the film immediately below...
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Right to 'erasure'
• From 2005 to 2017 YOPEY ran over 80 Young People of the Year campaigns to give young people a fairer image in the media. Thousands of young people took part from charity fundraisers and youth leaders to young people who have turned their lives around – all being positive role models for the younger generation.
• All these campaigns and the positive press they generated are now archived on this website but can still be seen by the public and continue to promote the participants as positive role models.
• If
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Care trade press publicises YOPEY Befriender
Several publications in the media that serves the care home industry have published articles about YOPEY Befriender.
The Caring Times magazine gave YOPEY Befriender its front cover and ran a full-page feature inside. Care Home Management magazine ran a three-page feature.
Other care home trade press have published articles on their websites and in emails to subscribers.
YOPEY founder Tony Gearing and three teenage YOPEY Befrienders gave a presentation at the Care & Demenita Show at the NEC in October 2016 and this led to more publicity.
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UK leaders endorse YOPEY...
YOPEY has received endorsements from the leaders of many UK political parties.
The latest has come from Jeremy Corbyn, who was elected to lead the Labour Party by a lot of young people. He said about YOPEY: "I'd like to thank everyone involved for their dedication to their communities. The work you are undertaking locally is incredibly valuable. Thank you once again for all of the work you do."
Jeremy's predecessor Ed Miliband praised YOPEY when he was Opposition leader and even found time to judge the first London YOPEYs. Our
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Fundraising for YOPEY made easy
YOPEY has paid to register with Virgin Money Giving. This is just like JustGiving only cheaper for us and passes every penny of your fundraising – and GiftAid where appropriate – direct to YOPEY.
Anyone can set up their page in aid of YOPEY by clicking here although we would love to hear what you plan to do and may be able to help. So why not email us first with your idea by clicking by emailing
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