Pride of Jersey Awards 2015: Young Star of the Year

Celebrating everyone from grandparents and neighbours to community champions and teachers, the awards’ aim is to mark some of the wonderful day-to-day activities and achievements of Islanders who help make Jersey such a special place to live.

And in order to keep the community at the heart of the awards, Islanders will be asked to nominate potential winners and be involved in the voting and judging, via the newspaper and online.

11. Young Star of the Year

The award:

Helping in a clean-up operation could qualify for this award

THIS award sees the JEP team up with Variety to find six deserving young stars who best represent the youth in our community and the excellent work they do.

In a slight change in format from the other categories, Islanders are asked to nominate youngsters for one of six categories.

At the end of the process, the JEP’s Pride of Jersey Awards, with the help of readers, will narrow the field down to three finalists for each category, with each going forward to the Variety Young Star of the Year finals in the autumn.

Nominations for this awards can be made through the JEP, through a soon-to-be-launched Pride of Jersey website or by picking up a nomination form from any branch of the Co-op.

The young Islanders we want to honour must be under the age of 18.

Perhaps they have battled against a serious illness, without letting it get in the way of their daily routine, or they may have been an inspiration to others by dedicating time and effort to help people.

Alternatively, they could be a leading light in their sport or hobby, gaining recognition for their efforts and putting Jersey on the map, or simply excelling at every level.

Children are our future, and this award will help us to celebrate them.

The six award categories for Young Star of the Year award are:

  • Courage: Someone who has overcome or dealt with a debilitating illness, or who may have shown courage in other ways – for example, dealing with an emergency in the home or elsewhere.
  • Community: Someone who has given up their time to help, either with charity or youth club work, or just helping others in the community.
  • Carer: Someone who may have a parent or sibling with special needs and who has gone that extra mile to help, sometimes foregoing their own activities.
  • Sport: Someone who has achieved a great deal for their age, not necessarily a child with special needs.
  • Arts: Someone who has excelled in either dance, drama, singing or other arts.
  • Academic: Someone who has excelled at school. It might be because they have had to face adversity or challenges with language or with special needs, or that they show particular excellence in the academic world.

The sponsor: Variety, with added sponsorship of the Co-op

IN a special award, the JEP’s Pride of Jersey Awards are joining forces with children’s charity Variety to find the Island’s Young Star of the Year.

Working together, with the added sponsorship of the Co-op, the search for Jersey’s deserving youngsters will be bigger than ever.

Now in its sixth year, the Variety Award (previously Child of the Year) celebrates six areas of youth achievement: courage, community, carer, sport, arts and academic.

Islanders are asked to nominate any youngsters who they think fit into any of these categories by using the forms printed in the JEP, using the soon-to-be-launched prideofjersey.com website, or by picking up a voting form in any branch of the Co-op.

Joining forces: Sandra Auckland of Variety and Colin Macleod of the Co-operative Society

The Pride of Jersey Awards,- along with the help of JEP readers, will then shortlist three youngsters for each category who will go forward to Variety’s Young Star of the Year Awards in the autumn.

The charity’s chief barker, Sandra Auckland, said: ‘The search is now on to find Jersey’s most deserving children.

‘We need lots of nominations, so please help us to reward young people who don’t get the recognition they deserve.’

Colin Macleod, of the Co-op, said: ‘Partnering Variety on this has been one of the biggest privileges I have had as chief executive.

‘To hear the stories of the incredible children in our community, to understand their courage, their creativity, their unabashed hope, is a special thing.’

WHY THESE AWARDS?

‘By working with the JEP, we are going to get more recognition for the event,’ Mrs Auckland said. ‘And Variety in general will know more about us and what we do in the Island.’

Mr Macleod added: ‘One of the things we have been aware of is not necessarily being able to generate the reach to develop all those stories.

‘We hope we will be able to celebrate many more children with the added reach and power that the JEP brings to this event this year.’

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN THE WINNER?

‘It could be a child who helps a neighbour, or someone who is disabled,’ Mrs Auckland said. ‘They might be overcoming an illness, or be someone who helps in the community.

‘They do it because they want to do it. And we want people to nominate them and get them noticed.’

Mr Macleod added: ‘We have had a wide range of nominations in the past and it’s very difficult to pitch one type of nomination against another.

‘Clearly some will be very touching, but it is also important to recognise those children who are trying to find their place in society, in helping, caring for others, going out of their way to support the community.

‘I am expecting heartbreaking, triumphant and touching stories of the roles that our children play in our society.’

  • Ambassador of the Year
  • Volunteer/Fundraiser of the Year
  • Grandparent(s) of the Year
  • Community Champion(s) of the Year
  • Environmentalist(s) of the Year
  • Jersey Angel of the Year
  • Teacher of the Year
  • Unsung Sporting Hero of the Year
  • Customer Service Employee of the Year
  • Young Star of the Year
  • Neighbour of the Year
  • Inspirational Leader of the Year[/breakout]

We are searching for the Islanders who make our community so special.

There are many things which contribute to make Jersey such a wonderful place to call home, from the fabulous beaches and cliff-path walks to our safe and healthy environment. They all play their part.

But above all, it is the amazing people in our community who are responsible for making this small rock, measuring just nine miles by five, stand out as such a wonderful place to live.

And that is why, as the JEP celebrates its 125th anniversary, we feel it is time to honour Islanders who make a difference, many of whom devote hours every day to make this a better place.

Often the achievements of these community heroes go unrecognised, their efforts beneath the radar of most.

Being part of that community means that the Jersey Evening Post and, more importantly, its readers, are best placed to find and honour these selfless Islanders.

It is our readers who will nominate worthy individuals and it is our readers who will be the judging panel, making the Pride of Jersey Awards unlike any others.

From grandparents and neighbours to community champions and teachers, we want to celebrate all aspects of life in the Island.

Over the course of the next few weeks, we will be featuring each of our 12 categories in detail, speaking to 12 local businesses who have teamed up with us to become our awards’ partners and, most importantly, explaining how people can start voting.

These awards will become an annual celebration of those who bind our community together and we are extremely proud to be in a position, after tewelve-and-a-half decades of serving this Island, to be launching the Pride of Jersey Awards.

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