Young consumers In this feature l Playsafe l yCoy l creative campaigns CONFERENCE 2015 GIRAFFE WINS PLAYSAFE The winning Go! George the giggling giraffe was announced as the overall winning entry in the national toy design competition Playsafe during CTSIs Conference in Bournemouth. The design was the brainchild of Sophie Lazenby, 14, a pupil at TheHayfield School in Doncaster. Its creativity and clever safety features impressed the judges sufficiently to beat off competition from more than 250 other entries from across the UK. After coming top in the 12-17-year age category, Sophies entry was also chosen as the overall winner. As a result, she took home 100 for herself and 1,000 for her school. Dr Ellie was the winning entry in the category for six- to 11-yearolds. It was created by Jessica Walker-Selfe, 11, and Georgia Wright, 10, from Minster C of E Primary School, in Ramsgate, Kent. UltraTech Ted 2020 by Jack Williams, 14, from LalehamGap School in Margate, Kent, won first place inthe special needs category. CTSI chief executive Leon Livermore, said: Every year I enjoy seeing the fantastic fruits of childrens imagination as they dream up a toy for Playsafe Imso impressed with the creativity that we see and theattention to detail. This competition is a great way to engage children and young people in a fun way, while making them aware of what to look out for in terms of safety. Weare grateful for the support we have received from the British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA), for more than 20 years, in making this competition happen. BTHAs director of communications Natasha Crookes, said: There were some amazingly creative entries this year and the judging panel had a hard time picking out the winners from a very strong field. We all thought the ideas were some of the most imaginative and, importantly, fun ideas for toys we had seen for a while. The overall winner Go! George the Giggling Giraffe won the vote for the amazing research and artwork of the entry. We could imagine this toy on the shelves this Christmas. Sea Shore Manner, created by Bethany Newton, nine, from Painters Ash Primary, Northfleet, Kent, came a close second in the younger age category, while nine-year-old Katie Wises entry Trampoline Bubble Machine was highly commended. Katie is also from Painters Ash Primary. entries to Playsafe, plus the runners-up in each age category Porthcawl teenagers are national champions Students from Porthcawl Comprehensive School beat off tough challenges from six other teams to win the Young Consumer of the Year competition, which for the first time was held at the House of Commons. The national finals are usually fought out at CTSI Conference, where the level of competition has always been high and intense. It was no different this year as hundreds of schools from across the Uk entered the knock-out competition, which aims to find Britains bestinformed young consumers. Seven teams of four 14 to 17-yearolds made it to the finals after coming top in qualifying and regional heats. The winning team from Porthcawl was made up of Jack Bridger, Nat king, Matthew Dang and Felicity Williamson-Sarll, who each took home a 50 gift voucher and a goody bag of prizes. They also received the College of Fellows trophy and 1,000 for their school. Sarah-Jane James, business studies teacher at Porthcawl Comprehensive, said: The team has been independent and committed, and have worked extra hours, putting a lot of time into the competition. I am amazed by their knowledge and understanding of the subject. Young Consumer of the Year is a fantastic competition that students can gain a great deal from. Porthcawl Comprehensive beat Ayr Academy, from Scotland, into second place, while Chepstow Comprehensive School, from Wales, were third. Abbey Grange Academy, from Leeds, came fourth. Young Consumer of the Year, organised by CTSI with the kind support of Experian, the British Toy & Hobby Association, Consumer Codes for Homebuilders, BSI, the Financial Ombudsman Service and CTSIs College of Fellows, offers young people the chance to show their awareness of their environment, and their ability to be streetwise about what they eat, what they buy and how they manage their money. This years competition was an impressive two-day event, with television and BBC radio personality Charlie Higson the guest host, leading each round as quizmaster. Youngsters get creative! Hebburn Comprehensive School created a video campaign aimed at their peers The 5th Tilehurst Guides with their winners certificate and cheque for 1,000 CTSIs Create a Campaign competition resulted in two entrants being crowned national winners at this years Conference in Bournemouth. Create a Campaign was launched at Westminster in February, by thethen Minister for Public Health, Jane Ellison. The initiative encouraged schools and youth groups across the UK to design campaigns aimed at either their peers or local businesses, to raise awareness of the health risks associated with underage sales of tobacco and alcohol products. Entries were received from across England, Wales and Scotland. Year 10 students from Hebburn Comprehensive School, Tyne and Wear, were crowned national winners of Brief 1 with their Your life. Your future. Your choice video campaign, which was aimed at raising awareness of healthy choices among their peers. Meanwhile, girls from the 5th Tilehurst Guides, in Reading, were crowned the national winners of Brief 2 with their Responsible Retailer Award, aimed at local businesses. Both teams received a certificate and a 1,000 prize sponsored by Waitrose for their school and youth group respectively. Claire Moore, who supervised the project at Hebburn, said: The pupils really wanted to make something that mattered. They never thought for a single second they would win. We are all excited and delighted to win such an amazing prize. This is the second year running that 5th Tilehurst Guides have been recognised at CTSI Conference for their hard work and creativity. In 2014, the group were awarded a Hero Award for their loan shark awareness badge. Kim Jakubiszyn, leader of the 5th Tilehurst Guides, said: I was so excited when I found out that we had won this national competition. We wanted to teach the girls that even a small group could make a huge difference. Winning this competition has shown that with hard work, imagination, partnership and a lot of fun, we can achieve so much. CTSI chief executive Leon Livermore said: The Create a Campaign competition has been a fantastic opportunity to educate young people about the damaging effects of drinking and smoking under age, and the preventative work that trading standards does to tackle this issue. We were impressed with the high standard of entries and it was incredibly tough to pick just two winning entries from the shortlist. It is hoped that, in future, some of the ideas created in the competition will be captured by local underage sales campaigns across the country. YOUNgSTErS SPEND THE DAY AT CONFErENCE The importance of the Consumer Challenge Quiz (CCQ) cannot be underestimated. It has been designed for children with learning difficulties to increase knowledge of their rights and to help them become confident consumers. This particularly vulnerable group of young people often with physical disabilities as well as learning difficulties have their own particular challenges, and this quiz enables them to not only grow their knowledge, but also their confidence as young consumers. Their journey to Bournemouth was an exciting challenge in itself, with some 40 children from Wightwick Hall School in Staffordshire and Woodeaton Manor School in Oxfordshire coming along to enjoy a day full of new experiences and learning opportunities. The children made their way round the exhibition hall, meeting exhibitors who had participated in a treasure hunt to test the young peoples consumer knowledge. Judith Thurston, CTSI sales and business development executive, said: It was great fun and a delight to observe over lunch, where the young people were entertained by a magician and tested on what they had learnt from the treasure hunt and from speaking with exhibitors and the information they gleamed from visiting a number of exhibition stands was just unbelievable. Feedback from their visit has been very positive, with one child from Wightwick Hall School in Staffordshire saying: I have had a fantastic day and I want to thank you for bringing me on such a fantastic journey. This quiz wouldnt be possible if it wasnt for the hard work, dedication and organisation of the Consumer Empowerment Alliance (CEA), which helped CTSI run the event this year, plus the support and generosity of sponsors Currys/PC World, Experian, CTSIs College of fellows and Pertemps. Elliott Frazer, head of business standards at Dixons Carphone, of which Currys PC World is a part, said: As main sponsor we were privileged to be part of such a worthwhile event and to help these vulnerable young people on their educational journey. Lou Baxter, chairman of the CEA, said: CCQ is not only about teaching young people about consumer skills, but providing them with experiences and invaluable skills that we use every day. One student told me she would now never give her personal details to a stranger ever again. This is one of the most worthwhile things we support each year and it is a privilege to work with these young people. Happy young people left Bournemouth with their new found knowledge, fantastic prizes, magic wands and goody bags an emotional day for all. Credits Published You might also like Images: Sam Atkins Monday 3 August, 2015 Saving themselves March 2015 To share this page, click on in the toolbar