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ABOUT THE AWARD
THE INTERNATIONAL AWARD FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
The Award Programme was first introduced in the United Kingdom in 1956 as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. The aim was to motivate young people aged between 14 and 25 years to become involved in a balanced programme of voluntary self-development activities to take them through the potentially difficult period between adolescence and adulthood.
The Award’s concept is one of individual challenge, giving young people a balanced, non-competitive programme of voluntary activities which encourage personal discovery and growth, self-reliance, perseverance, responsibility to themselves and service to their community. Those who participate in the Award are expected to follow its requirements in a non-competitive manner with a determination to succeed, either individually or as part of a team. The Award therefore is challenging, and can be undertaken at your own pace.
The Participation Age is between 14 and 25 years. The basic structure of the Award consists of 4 mandatory sections Voluntary Service, Adventurous Journey, Skills and Physical Recreation. There are 3 levels of the Award – Bronze, Silver & Gold. Participants must complete the four mandatory sections of Voluntary Service, Adventurous Journey, Skill & Physical Recreation.
Participants can undertake all three categories of the Award programme or enter directly at any of the three levels in the following age group; Bronze Award (for those over 14), Silver Award (for those over 15) and Gold Award (for those over 16 years).
The minimum period of participation is 6 months for Bronze, 12 months for Silver and 18 months for Gold. For each of these levels a participant is required to undertake activities under each of the four sections. At Gold level, participants undertake a Residential Project in addition.
The Award
Available to all.
Participation is voluntary and offers a wide choice of activities.
An individual challenge as it is non-competitive.
Achievement focused – only positive remarks are recorded.
A marathon, not a sprint. Successful completion calls for persistence and commitment.
An enjoyable experience for both participants and adult volunteers.
All about teamwork and the building of interpersonal skills.
Non-political; no considerations of religion, caste or creed are relevant.
LEVELS OF AWARD
Levels of Award | Minimum Duration | |
|---|---|---|
 | Bronze | 6 months |
Silver | 12 months | |
Gold | 18 months | |
ADVENTUROUS JOURNEY
Aim: To encourage a spirit of adventure and discovery
Exploring the natural world
Exploring historic land use
To investigate the evolution or extinction of a language
Exploring human impact
Personal artistic expression or aesthetic appreciation
To carry out health surveys or health education in remote areas
To complete a demanding journey
To investigate group dynamics in challenging conditions
Why Adventurous Journey?
To encourage a spirit of adventure and discovery whilst undertaking a journey in a group.
This Section seeks to provide participants with a unique, challenging and memorable experience.
The journey, with an agreed purpose, should be undertaken in a small team in an unfamiliar environment, requiring determination, physical effort, perseverance and cooperation to complete.
Examples of Adventurous Journeys
Exploring the natural world
Exploring historic land use
To investigate the evolution or extinction of a language
Exploring human impact
Personal artistic expression or aesthetic appreciation
To carry out health surveys or health education in remote areas
To complete a demanding journey
To investigate group dynamics in challenging conditions
SKILLS
Aim: To encourage the development of personal interests and practical skills.
Music
Sports related
Crafts
Arts
Nature
Communication
Hobbies
Games
Life skills
Vocational skills
Performance skills
Why Skills?
To encourage the development of personal interests and practical skills.
This Section should stimulate new interests or improve existing ones.
These interests are typically of a non-physically demanding nature and may be hobbies, vocational or job-related skills, social or individual activities, cultural activities or life skills.
Some examples of Skills
Music – playing of a musical instrument, etc.
Sports related – umpiring, refereeing, etc.
Crafts – basket weaving, bookbinding, etc.
Arts – painting, photography, etc.
Nature – agriculture, dog training, etc.
Communication – film and video making, sign language, etc.
Hobbies – coin collecting, model construction, etc.
Games – snooker, chess, etc.
Life skills – political studies, event planning, etc.
Vocational skills – accounting, hair dressing, etc.
Performance skills – drama and theatre skills, etc.
PHYSICAL RECREATION
Aim: To encourage participation in Physical recreation and improvement of performance
Ball sports
Athletics
Water sports
Winter sports
Martial arts
Animal sports
Fitness activities
Adventure sports
Dancing
Miscellaneous
Why Physical Recreation?
To encourage participation in physical recreation and improvement of performance.
This Section should encourage participants to improve their personal physical performance through training and perseverance in their chosen activity.
Involvement in physical recreation sh
ould be an enjoyable experience, regardless of physical ability.
Examples of Physical Recreation
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Ball Sports – football, etc.
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Athletics – running, jumping, etc.
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Water Sports – Swimming, water polo, etc.
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Winter Sports – skiing, snowboarding, etc.
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Martial Arts – karate, judo, etc.
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Animal Sports – horse riding, polo, etc.
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Fitness activities – aerobics, jogging, etc.
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Adventure Sports – rock climbing, mountaineering, etc.
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Dancing
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Miscellaneous – cycling, gymnastics, etc.
GOLD RESIDENTIAL PROJECT (Gold level only)
Aim: To broaden experience through involvement with others in a residential setting by choosing a purposeful activity with people who are not usual companies, in an unfamiliar residential setting. Minimum 5 days and 4 nights.
The Award’s Management
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The work of the International Award Association (IAA) is carried out by an International Secretariat, which is based in London.
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The IAA is financially supported by The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award International Foundation, a charitable company in the UK.
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The International Award Association (IAA) is made up of 62 National Award Authorities (NAAs) and over 200 Independent Operators (IOs) in more than 143 countries.