YOPEY Befriender enters its 4th year
YOPEY Befriender grew greatly in the autumn of 2016-17. We started new schemes in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk – see stories below – as well as recruiting new YOPEY Befrienders for our established schemes in Watford, Nottingham and Bury St Edmunds.
Major health care company Care UK commissioned YOPEY to start YOPEY Befriender schemes in two of its care homes, including in Poole, Dorset, where three schools are sending over 50 young people to The Potteries care home.
We also started a new scheme at Mildenhall in Suffolk with a grant from the local council.
We also trialled a new style of YOPEY Befriender scheme for younger pupils with Year 10s from Watford Girls Grammar going into a care home for a half-day introduction to YOPEY Befriender in the hope that they will want to return regularly when they are sixth-formers.
YOPEY founder Tony Gearing was so inspiring at the girls' assembly that over 90 out of 150 girls asked to take part in this scheme and YOPEY is organising five half-day visits to Runwood care home Greenbanks to accommodate so many volunteers.
Care UK joins YOPEY in intergenerational work
A care home in Poole has teamed up with local schools and a charity to help build intergenerational friendships between students and residents.
To help build links and create new relationships with the local community, Care UK’s The Potteries care home on York Road has opened its doors to welcome local sixth-formers, with help from ‘YOPEY, the Young People of the Year charity.
Charity founder Tony Gearing MBE recruited 50 sixth-formers from Parkstone and Poole grammars, and Corfe Hills School to become ‘YOPEY Befrienders’.
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First photographs of befriending at The Potteries
Photographs by Defining Media
YOPEY has start to work with leading healthcare company Care UK. We have been asked to start trial YOPEY Befriender schemes at a few of its care home.
The first Care UK-YOPEY Befriender scheme to get off the ground is at The Potteries care home in Poole, Dorset, where YOPEY founder has recruited more than 50 young people from three local schools.
Tony said: "I'm really excited about this YOPEY Befriender scheme with Care UK as the
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Let's win some top prizes!
Let’s change this ‘never the bride, always the bridesmaid’ run of luck
YOPEY founder Tony Gearing has nominated a handful of YOPEY Befrienders for prizes this year. Most have won something but not a top prize as yet.
Mary Whittingdale and Milly Eddy of St Benedict’s School in Bury St Edmunds were runners-up in the High Sheriff of Suffolk’s awards for volunteers, Tilly Watts of County Upper School in Bury St Edmunds was a runner-up in Suffolk’s Raising the Bar educational awards and Rebecca Meggs of Ormiston Sudbury
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Nomination for a YOPEY Befriender to win an award – this could be YOU!
Rebecca Meggs, from Sudbury, is the outstanding YOPEY Befriender nationwide in 2017. A YOPEY Befriender is a young person who volunteers to visit lonely residents in care homes. The scheme started in 2013 and so far more than 500 young people from Suffolk and four other counties have been involved.
About half the young people find befriending elderly people with dementia too difficult and leave the scheme. Rebecca spotted this and recruited others she thought more suitable – not just from her friendship group
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Wymondham befrienders recruit their successors
Photographs by John Bulpitt
As the first year of YOPEY Befrienders from Wymondham in mid Norfolk come to the end of their scheme at a local care home, their replacements were being trained at the same care home.
Moreoever the outgoing year 13s recruited their replacements from year 12 by giving an assembly and chatting to those interested.
Thirteen were chosen to fill their shoes at Windmill House, although some of the year 13s expect to continue
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Nearly 50 girls from Watford Grammar to visit care home
Photographs by John Flynn
The first 15 of nearly 50 teenagers from Watford Grammar School for Girls have visited a care home in the town, learned about dementia and chatted with elderly residents.
At the end of the visit to the 80-bed Greenbanks – which also included learning about the role of care homes in the community – the 14-15 year-olds were given YOPEY Befriender badges by Marion Brown MBE JP DL, who represented the Hertfordshire Lieutenancy which in turns represents
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Second group of Watford Grammar girls visit care home
Photographs by John Flynn
A second group of 16 teenagers from Watford Grammar School for Girls have visited a care home in the town, learned about dementia and chatted with elderly residents.
At the end of the visit to the 80-bed Greenbanks – which also included learning about the role of care homes in the community – the 14-15 year-olds were given YOPEY Befriender badges by Marion Brown MBE JP DL, who represented the Hertfordshire Lieutenancy which in turns represents the Queen.
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My time as a YOPEY Befriender
Majella O'Riordan is coming to the end of her year during which she has clocked up a magnificient 110 hours, earning our top Platinum award. She has also been awarded our Special award. When you read her account of how close and how helpful she has become to residents you will know why.
At the start of my volunteering at the care home, I went round with a senior carer who empowered me to engage in conversation and or hand-holding to reassure the elderly residents. This also made me feel safe and that I could give back to
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Over 50 teens become YOPEY Befrienders at Poole care home
Photographs by Tony Gearing
These photos are from the first visit by more than 50 sixth-formers from three schools in Poole, Dorset, to local Care UK care home The Potteries.
YOPEY founder Tony Gearing MBE and care home manager Zita Turner led three training sessions for eight boys from Poole Grammar, 27 girls from Parkstone Grammar and 22 girls from Corfe Hills School.
If any of the newly trained YOPEY Befrienders would like to write about their visit YOPEY will add their words here and give them a 'byline'
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Dunmow school and care home join YOPEY Befriender
Photographs by Paul Sanwell
Teenagers from an Essex secondary school have been trained to make friends with elderly people living with dementia.
Once they have passed DBS checks, the aim is that once a week the 11 young people will walk from their school in Parsonage Downs to the care home in Cheques Lane and visit the home’s 83 residents, some of whom do not get...
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