Young Consumers of the Year
Young Consumers of the Year is a unique competition that involves hundreds of schools from across the country, who rise to the challenge to become the nation's top 'Young Consumers'.
Co-ordinated by the Trading Standards Institute, it invites teams of four, aged between 14 and 18 years old to compete in a knockout quiz which tests them on a range of consumer issues including:
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Consumer Rights and Responsibilities
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Money and Finance
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Food & Health
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Safety and the Environment
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Europe
The competition is separated out into three stages, from local finals to regional competitions culminating in the fiercely fought Grand National Final which is held during the Trading Standards Institute annual conference.
Wales Young Consumers 2010
A team of pupils from St. Albans R C High School in Pontypool have been crowned the Welsh Young Consumers of the Year.
In a hotly contested final held recently at The Pavilion in Llandrindod Wells the winning team beat off the challenge of thirteen other teams from all over Wales. The team of four pupils, Liam Cowles, Katie Porter, James Fenn and Oliver Cross, who had already won the Torfaen heat of the competition, had to show off their knowledge on a range of subjects including Consumer Law, Health and Social Responsibility, Food, Safety, Environment, Legal Matters, Money and Finance and Europe.
Jacqui Morgan, Chair of Wales Heads of Trading Standards (WHOTS)said, "Pupils from all over Wales were a credit to their respective authorities and the knowledge displayed by these pupils shows the merit of educating young people about their consumer rights and good citizenship at a very early age."
St.Albans will now represent Wales, together with the runners-up Ysgol Gyfun Emlyn (Carmarthenshire), at the National Finals of the competition which take centre stage at the Trading Standards Institute conference being held in Edinburgh in June.
The competition which is organised nationally by the Trading Standards Institute and locally by Torfaen County Borough Council Trading Standards Team was supported locally by His Worship the Mayor, Councillor Bob Jones, Councillor Gwyneira Clark, Executive Member for Planning and Public Protection and Councillor Sarah Richards, Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
Alan Branch-O`Neill (Chairman of the Welsh YCOY Organising Committee) said "A team from Wales were UK champions in 2003 and staff from Trading Standards will be giving all the help they can to both St.Albans and Ysgol Gyfun Emlyn in the hope that they can bring the trophy back to Wales again".
The competition is designed to make young people aware of their rights and responsibilities and gives them essential life skills as they prepare for the world of work. The questions asked, at all levels of the competition are an excellent grounding for pupils who are or may wish to study Law, Economics, Food Technology, Business Studies and General Studies. Students who have participated in previous competitions, have stated in their UCAS personal statements that they have been a member of a participating team, which has been of great interest with admission tutors.
Those schools who wish to participate will find a huge amount of support from local Trading Standards Services and teachers will discover that there is very little work involved, for what can be – great rewards!
For further information you will need to contact your local Trading Standards Service 'Young Consumers' co-ordinator.
Alan Branch-O'Neill
Trading Standards Team
Planning and Public Protection Service
Torfaen County Borough Council
Floor 4, County Hall
Cwmbran
NP44 2WN
Tel: 01633 647274