• 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.
• 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.
• Sponsors range from FTSE100 companies to SMEs. You can see all of them on our Thanks pages.
The YOPEYs in five minutes!
Ideal to show in school assemblies, this short film is about the kinds of young positive role models that YOPEY promotes and how to nominate.
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Typical YOPEY awards ceremony
Founder Tony Gearing opens Bedfordshire YOPEY
For more on these awards click here
Weren’t the Olympics and Paralympics marvelous, amazing, or as the young would say AWESOME. Well, welcome to the Olympics for young people who give to the community. Just like the medal winners at the Games, I believe every young person here can be role models for today’s younger generation, and a source of pride for the older generations.
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YOPEY writes to all Police Commissioners
Following the first elections for Police and Crime Commissioners, YOPEY founder Tony Gearing has written to all the successful candidates to invite them to join forces to hold a YOPEY in their police service area. We list all their names and areas below. Watch this space!
Mrs Sue Mountstevens – Avon and Somerset
Mr Olly Martins – Bedfordshire
Sir Graham Bright – Cambridgeshire
Mr John Dwyer – Cheshire
Mr Barry Coppinger – Cleveland
Mr Richard Rhodes – Cumbria
Mr Alan Charles –
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YOPEY condemns unfair TV ad about youth crime
FACT – 30% of adults aged 16-24 were victims of crimes covered by the CSEW, compared to 21% of all adults.
FACT – 15% of adults aged 16-24 were victims of personal crime (e.g. violence, robbery, theft from the person), compared to 6% of all adults.
YOPEY founder Tony Gearing was interviewed on Radio 5 Live on October 10th condemning a TV ad that is promoting the elections for Police and Crime Commissioners. He also appeared on BBC Radio Suffolk and BBC Radio Kent. The story was also reported in national newspaper of the year, the
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Why YOPEY needs sponsors...
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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Organise a YOPEY fundraiser
YOPEY is now an official charity and donations can be given via
https://www.localgiving.com/charity/yopey
For one day only this year – Monday 14 May – donations made to YOPEY through our Localgiving page will be doubled by Cambridgeshire Community Foundation – up to a maximum of £1000. So any fundraiser, small, medium or large, will help and could raise YOPEY double whatever you donate!
To take advantage of this double-your-donation offer, we are
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When Jack met Ed...
Buckinghamshire’s Young Person of the Year has met top politician Ed Miliband – and given him the benefit of his advice.
Jack Elderfield, who won last year’s top Bucks YOPEY for helping to run a Chesham charity, joined a delegation of invited YOPEY winners and other young people, to meet the Labour leader and discuss politics.
Mr Miliband wanted to know how to engage young people in politics and his office had approached YOPEY founder Tony Gearing asking him to put forward some young people for the discussion at Westminster, which included
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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 the country, including other YOPEY winners, to meet the Labour leader and discuss politics.
Mr Miliband wanted to know how to engage young people in politics and his office had asked YOPEY founder Tony Gearing to put forward some young people for a discussion at Westminster, which included
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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 work with our young people in the East of England and across the country.
"For too long, too many young people have been poorly represented, both in the media and in the halls and chambers that make up our democracy. Too many young people still feel that decisions are made for them,
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