Hello everybody, thank you for joining us this afternoon for our chat on The Spotlight Awards. Tracy is unfortunately unable to attend today so we are joined by Vicky Hatchett from Common Purpose. So on with the chat...

Moderator
Our first question is from Charlotte and she wants to know, what exactly are the Spotlight Awards?

Vicky Hatchett
Hi Charlotte. The Spotlight Awards aim to recognise and reward young people who have spoken out or taken action to change something in their school, community or club. The Spotlight Awards are a joint collaboration between Deutsche Bank and international leadership organisation Common Purpose.

Moderator
Our second question from Sarah asks, who can be nominated?

Vicky Hatchett
Hi Sarah, we want to hear from amazing young people who have campaigned for something they believe in. You can nominate yourself or you can get an adult to nominate you such as a friend, family member or school teacher. To nominate yourself visit our website www.commonpurpose.org.uk/spotlight

Moderator
Michael asks, what attributes will the judges look for when choosing a winner?

Vicky Hatchett
Hello Michael. Campaigns can be really big or really small, but what the judges look for are the amount of effort the young person has put into it and whether it is a long term campaign. For example, Hannah from Weston-super-Mare won a Spotlight Award last year for her campaign to create a cafe for young people. The cafe opened and this was a result of over two years campaigning by Hannah.

Moderator
David would like to know who won the awards last year and what set them apart from the other finalists?

Vicky Hatchett
Hi David. One of the things that set Hannah apart from the other finalists was the length of time she had spent campaigning for the cafe to be opened and the fact that now the cafe is up and running for the young people of Weston-super-Mare to enjoy.

Moderator
We have a question from Mark. He asks, in a fairly cynical world are you surprised by the amount of inspirational young people and their stories?

Vicky Hatchett
Hi Mark, Not at all! Last year we had over 2000 entries from young campaigners across the UK and the judges had to make a really difficult decision which campaign to choose. Everyone involved in the awards is inspired by just how many young people are doing such amazing things and that's why we have an award scheme to recognise this.

Moderator
Lee says, this sounds like a great idea, have you thought of promoting the awards through schools?

Vicky Hatchett
Hi Lee, we receive a lot of nominations from teachers whose classes have worked together, campaigning to change something. We work with schools to publicise the award scheme and on our website you can find lesson plans and teacher information to introduce campaigning into schools. The website is www.commonpurpose.org.uk/spotlight.

Moderator
James wants to know who judges the awards?

Vicky Hatchett
Hi James. The awards are judged by a panel of ten people including TV presenter Ben Shephard. He is a great supporter of the awards. Other judges include former winners of the awards and representatives of Deutsche Bank and Common Purpose. All the adults involved believe that it's really important to recognise and reward young people's achievements.

Moderator
Katharine would like to know what happens to the winning campaigns? Do they always get implemented such as the cafe for younger people?"

Vicky Hatchett
Hi Katharine. The winning campaigners receive £1000 each and are invited to an award ceremony in London. Often, they choose to spend this money on their campaigns. To win a Spotlight Award the judges are looking for young people who have made change happen. So we are looking for young people who have done something, not just those who have spoken out.

Moderator
Lynne tell us that her daughter would never let her enter her into a competition with such big publicity, is there ever an occasion where you keep the identity of the winner a secret?

Vicky Hatchett
Hi Lynne. We want to shout about the achievements of amazing young people and get them the recognition they deserve. We wouldn't keep their identity a secret because then no one would know what they had achieved.

Moderator
Naomi asks what is the most crazy entry this year?

Vicky Hatchett
Hi Naomi. We get so many different ideas. Big ones, small ones, crazy ones and more serious ones. We have had young people opening skate parks, campaigning for cleaner environments, launching campaigns to tackle anti-social behaviour in shopping centres using mobile phones and lots more. We are always amazed by the creativity and ideas that come from the young campaigners.

Moderator
14 year old Katie asks what is the age of the youngest winner?

Vicky Hatchett
Hi Katie. Anyone between the ages of 11 and 18 can enter. Last year, the youngest winner was 13 and he campaigned for a new skate park in his home town of Clitheroe.

Moderator
Jane wants to know are there any guidelines for the spending of the prize fund?

Vicky Hatchett
Hi Jane. What we find is that a lot of the winners use the prize money for their campaigns and it's always amazing to see young people's dedication and enthusiasm. However, it's your money and you can spend it how you want.

Moderator
Joey asks: It takes courage to speak out against anti-social behaviour, do you believe such awards help to encourage young people to involve themselves in their local community?

Vicky Hatchett
Hi Joey. These amazing young people are doing incredible things already in their communities. That's why we thought it was important to recognise this. I am sure the winners' stories do inspire other young campaigners to keep trying to change something they believe in.

Moderator
Louise says: I've never heard of the Spotlight Awards, when did they start?

Vicky Hatchett
Hi Louise. The Spotlight Awards are now in their sixth year. They started back in 2001 because Common Purpose wanted to reward young people who were leading change. Deutsche Bank also promotes active citizenship so we have been working together to run these awards for the past 6 years.

Moderator
Following on from that Kate asks, what other events do Common Purpose sponsor?

Vicky Hatchett
Hi Kate. Common Purpose is an international leadership organisation that runs educational programmes for leaders of all ages, backgrounds and sectors. Our 'Your Turn' campaign runs across the UK and brings together pupils from Year 9 from different schools to learn about how power works where they live. On our adult leadership programmes, participants visit prisons, schools and businesses to learn to become better leaders. For more information visit www.commonpurpose.org.uk

Moderator
Naomi wants to know, am I to late to enter this year? If so, how can I enter for next year’s awards?

Vicky Hatchett
Hi Naomi. The deadline for nominations is the 2nd February this year. So you're in luck! You can enter by visiting our website and filling in the entry form. If you have any questions about it e-mail spotlight@commonpurpose.org.uk and we can help you with your application.

Moderator
Jo from Bedford has an interesting question. She asks: I would love to make a difference to the world but just wouldn't know how to get started, where would someone like me who wants to do some good in the world begin?

Vicky Hatchett
Hi Jo. It's great that you want to do some good in the world. So you're already half way there. There are loads of ideas and a campaigning toolkit that can help you get started on our website. You need to think about what it is you want to change. It could be big or it could be small and then start talking to people about your ideas. That's how most campaigns start. Good luck!!

Moderator
Mandy asks, once I have nominated a campaigner, what is the process?

Vicky Hatchett
Hi Mandy. The deadline is the 2nd February. After that we carefully read all of the nominations and everyone receives a certificate of recognition. We then pass a selection of the best campaigns onto our panel of judges. They then choose the finalists. The winners are announced at an Award ceremony in London in May.

Moderator
Rose would like to know where she can go for further information?

Vicky Hatchett
Hi Rose. For more information visit our website www.commonpurpose.org.uk/spotlight or e-mail spotlight@commonpurpose.org.uk
We are really looking forward to receiving your nominations, so get them in by 2nd February...