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House of Commons
London, Wednesday, 13 June 2007: Bebo, the UK's leading social network and UnLtd - The Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs, today launched the Be Cause Awards, an innovative new awards scheme aimed at encouraging young people with vision, passion, drive and commitment to change the world for the better.
The aim is to use the phenomenon of online social networking as an agent for positive social change by allowing Bebo's more than 8.8 million users in the UK and Ireland to choose projects each month that they believe are deserving of financial support.
Winning projects could include anything from a recycling initiative to a community radio station or a health awareness campaign. All they need to get started is a Bebo profile and the determination to turn their vision into a reality.
Each month a panel of experts from UnLtd and Bebo will select five Bebo users' projects that have the potential to make a positive impact on society. The entire Bebo community will then have two weeks in which to vote for projects they like best.
The project that receives the most votes will receive a �1,000 award, as well as ongoing support and advice from UnLtd in order to help it on its way.
Every year an additional Judges Choice Award of �5,000 will be bestowed on the project considered to have the best ongoing potential. In addition, everyone who takes part in the Be Cause Awards will be eligible for further support and funding from UnLtd if their project shows enough promise to be expanded and developed.
Joanna Shields, President-International for Bebo, said: "With such a large and growing network of people connected online, Bebo really has the potential to act as an engine for grassroots social change. The Be Cause Awards demonstrates that social networking is about much more than chat and being entertained. It is a perfect platform for people to share and generate support for their passions and enthusiasms and will give people the opportunity to make a difference within their local community."
Cliff Prior, UnLtd CEO said: "The Be Cause Awards will inspire people to be creative, share ideas and create real change. UnLtd is working for a world where people act to make it better. Through the Be Cause Awards we will be able to take this to a much larger scale, reaching more inspirational individuals and engaging an even wider number of people in voting for them and supporting their work."
Political backing
The awards will be launched today, at the House of Commons, as part of Politics 2.0, a Bebo-sponsored seminar on how the internet is transforming politics which includes a keynote speech by Joe Trippi, Senior Advisor to John Edwards for President. The seminar is sponsored by John Whittingdale MP, Chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee.
In addition, three Members of Parliament themselves offered their backing for new scheme. Andy Reed (Labour) MP for Loughborough, Lynne Featherstone (Liberal Democrat) MP for Hornsey & Wood Green and Douglas Carswell (Conservative) MP for Harwich and Clacton, have each entered the Be Cause awards and established their own Bebo profiles as a way of raising awareness of local community campaigns in their regions.
Lynne Featherstone, Liberal Democrat MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, said: "I'm excited about the potential of social networks to become a force for grassroots action. Politicians are beginning to understand the importance of campaigning online. The Bebo Be Cause Awards programme enables ordinary people with a cause to get their own campaigns going and potentially reach large numbers of people at very little cost."
The Be Cause Awards are supported by Bebo and funded by Bebo and UnLtd. UnLtd receives its income from a legacy of �100 million granted by the Millennium Commission. This legacy is carefully invested so that the income can be obtained for awards for the future.
BEBO AND UNLTD TEAM UP TO LAUNCH 'BE CAUSE' AWARDS
June 13, 2007
Awards programme for social entrepreneurs launched atHouse of Commons
London, Wednesday, 13 June 2007: Bebo, the UK's leading social network and UnLtd - The Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs, today launched the Be Cause Awards, an innovative new awards scheme aimed at encouraging young people with vision, passion, drive and commitment to change the world for the better.
The aim is to use the phenomenon of online social networking as an agent for positive social change by allowing Bebo's more than 8.8 million users in the UK and Ireland to choose projects each month that they believe are deserving of financial support.
Winning projects could include anything from a recycling initiative to a community radio station or a health awareness campaign. All they need to get started is a Bebo profile and the determination to turn their vision into a reality.
Each month a panel of experts from UnLtd and Bebo will select five Bebo users' projects that have the potential to make a positive impact on society. The entire Bebo community will then have two weeks in which to vote for projects they like best.
The project that receives the most votes will receive a �1,000 award, as well as ongoing support and advice from UnLtd in order to help it on its way.
Every year an additional Judges Choice Award of �5,000 will be bestowed on the project considered to have the best ongoing potential. In addition, everyone who takes part in the Be Cause Awards will be eligible for further support and funding from UnLtd if their project shows enough promise to be expanded and developed.
Joanna Shields, President-International for Bebo, said: "With such a large and growing network of people connected online, Bebo really has the potential to act as an engine for grassroots social change. The Be Cause Awards demonstrates that social networking is about much more than chat and being entertained. It is a perfect platform for people to share and generate support for their passions and enthusiasms and will give people the opportunity to make a difference within their local community."
Cliff Prior, UnLtd CEO said: "The Be Cause Awards will inspire people to be creative, share ideas and create real change. UnLtd is working for a world where people act to make it better. Through the Be Cause Awards we will be able to take this to a much larger scale, reaching more inspirational individuals and engaging an even wider number of people in voting for them and supporting their work."
Political backing
The awards will be launched today, at the House of Commons, as part of Politics 2.0, a Bebo-sponsored seminar on how the internet is transforming politics which includes a keynote speech by Joe Trippi, Senior Advisor to John Edwards for President. The seminar is sponsored by John Whittingdale MP, Chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee.
In addition, three Members of Parliament themselves offered their backing for new scheme. Andy Reed (Labour) MP for Loughborough, Lynne Featherstone (Liberal Democrat) MP for Hornsey & Wood Green and Douglas Carswell (Conservative) MP for Harwich and Clacton, have each entered the Be Cause awards and established their own Bebo profiles as a way of raising awareness of local community campaigns in their regions.
Lynne Featherstone, Liberal Democrat MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, said: "I'm excited about the potential of social networks to become a force for grassroots action. Politicians are beginning to understand the importance of campaigning online. The Bebo Be Cause Awards programme enables ordinary people with a cause to get their own campaigns going and potentially reach large numbers of people at very little cost."
The Be Cause Awards are supported by Bebo and funded by Bebo and UnLtd. UnLtd receives its income from a legacy of �100 million granted by the Millennium Commission. This legacy is carefully invested so that the income can be obtained for awards for the future.
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