YOPEY Awards

 

 

Young People of the Year or ‘YOPEY’ is the contest that aims to improve the image of young people by ‘revealing, recognising and rewarding young unsung heroes’ .

At least £10,000 can be won across Hertfordshire as YOPEYs are held in the county for the third time. Dacorum young people will be competing in this YOPEY with young people from St Albans City and District for £2,000.

The SkillsTrain Young People of the Year winners will be announced at an exciting awards ceremony to be held in Hemel Hempstead in March 2008.

After a series of awards ceremonies across Hertfordshire, winners from all 10 districts of the county will then go on to the Hertfordshire YOPEY Final – hosted by Hertfordshire County Council at County Hall in May 2008.

Among the judges will be 17-year-old Andy Salter, from Church Lane, Colney Heath, and 13-year-old Devon Glasford, of Sparrowswick Rise, St Albans, who won the last local YOPEY. Andy, a sixth-former at Verulam School in St Albans, is organizing a concert to raise money for a cancer charity, and Devon, a pupil at Townsend School, cares for his sick mum.

Also judging will be the teenage members of Berkhamsted Youth Town Council, who were prize-winners in the last Dacorum YOPEY and went on to win Hertfordshire Police Authority’s Youth Community Safety Award at the last YOPEY final.

YOPEY founder and Hertfordshire resident Tony Gearing is hopeful of finding more sponsors to add to the prize pot and take it above the £10,000 already raised. “If more organisations come forward there can be even more money to win,” said Tony.

In Dacorum, YOPEY is being supported multi-millionaire Flamstead resident Jan Telensky, who owns by international training organisation SkillsTrain. The county final is also being sponsored SkillsTrain with support from Connexions Hertfordshire, the youth advisory service, and Hertfordshire Police Authority.

Tony stressed: “The YOPEY volunteers, professionals and myself wouldn’t be able to put on these competitions without sponsors’ help. The money is the icing on the cake and the young winners share the cash with the community. More important is recognising young unsung heroes and promoting them as positive role models for other young people to copy.”

The former national newspaper journalist set up YOPEY in Royston, Herts, three years ago because he was fed up with the negative image of young people and felt it was unfair.

Click below for an entry form to enter or nominate someone: