Duke Of Edinburgh Award

What is the Duke Of Edinburgh Awards?

The Duke of Edinburgh Award is an international award designed for young people to equip them with life skills to make a difference to themselves, their community and the world. There are three levels which are Bronze, Silver and Gold. Each level has four sections : Skill, Physical Recreation, Community Service and the Adventurous Journey. In each section the young person chooses an activity that they are interested in and then strives to improve their ability and understanding of that activity.

The award gives all young people aged between 14 and 25, (regardless of their background, abilities or circumstances), an opportunity to experience challenge and adventure, and to acquire new skills.

How many people are involved?

At Yankalilla we now have over 40 students working on the award which is fantastic! This group of students is part of almost 6 million young people world wide in over 125 countries participating in the award.

10 Essential Philosophies

Non competitive

The Award is a personal challenge, not a competition against others. Awards are gained through personal improvement and achievement.

Available to all

The Award is available to all young people with no discrimination on the grounds of physical or mental ability, gender, cultural background, religion, political affiliation or lifestyle.

Voluntary

Award participation is up to the young person. It is intended that the majority of the Award is achieved in the young person's leisure time.

Flexible

The Award program can be adapted to fit local facilities and / or existing programs to best suit the needs of the participant.

Balanced

At each level there are four sections (five at Gold) each designed to complement the other and provide a balanced program. The challenge is to develop existing abilities or to try something new.

Progressive

Through three levels the Award demands more time and an increased degree of commitment, improvement and responsibility.

Achievement focused

The young person is encouraged to improve their own personal ability and celebrate their achievements. The record book's focus is on achievement and should only contain positive comments.

Marathon not a sprint

The Award demands persistence and commitment over time. All sections are based on minimum time requirement.

Process not a prize

The Award is not just a certificate. It is a process of personal and social development over time. It encourages participants to value their individual achievements and talents as they develop.

Enjoyable

It is important that both the young person and adult supporters find participation in the Award program enjoyable, exciting and satisfying.