1921-2021

HRH THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH, KG, KT,
CHAMPION OF YOUNG PEOPLE

As members of the global Award family, we are deeply saddened by the death of our founder, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh KG, KT. A committed champion of young people, His Royal Highness leaves the world and its young people with an extraordinary legacy.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is the world’s leading youth empowerment framework.

The Award is available to young people 14 to 24 years old, regardless of background, circumstances or abilities. Established by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1956, the Award today is a 100 per cent charitably funded initiative supported through donations by caring individuals, foundations, corporations and other organizations concerned about youth development. For participants, pursuing the Award is a personal challenge and not a competition against others.

The Award provides young people with opportunities to challenge themselves by setting and achieving goals and garnering recognition in four key areas:

“It’s been an incredible five-year journey with the Award. Throughout my time, I was able to learn more about myself and found the courage to try activities that I never knew existed. From acting in my very first school play to trying dragon boating and winning first place at the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival, I am very grateful that I chose the Duke of Edinburgh. I know I will bring the memories I’ve made from the past five years to my next adventures.”

- Jason - Bronze, Silver & Gold Achiever

“In the process of completing this award, I have pushed myself beyond what I thought I was capable of, both physically and mentally. It helped me decide that I wanted to pursue a career in veterinary medicine.”

- Micayla - Bronze, Silver & Gold Achiever

THANK YOU TO OUR AWARD LEADERS

Amid one of the most unprecedented challenging years of our lifetime, the ability to keep our Award participants and over 145 Award Centres in BC and Yukon active wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication and perseverance of our extraordinary Award Leaders.

Undoubtedly, their commitment to not only the youth in our communities, but to the Award and our National training standards through education and resources, has improved the overall delivery of the Award to the thousands of participants who are passionately overcoming obstacles during this time. Their commitment has proven that the spirit of the Award is the ultimate achievement.

To our dedicated and caring Award Leaders: thank you for representing the Award in the best possible light and for doing what you could, when you could, to keep the spark alive!

With humble appreciation and hope for a brighter future,
TERESA LINDSAY
Program Coordinator BC & Yukon

MORI HAMILTON
Award Coordinator, Point Grey Mini School, Vancouver, BC

Mori Hamilton is an educator and co-head of Point Grey Mini School, a district enrichment program in the Vancouver School Board. He is a graduate of UBC Education and UBC Arts where he majored in International Relations and English Literature. He teaches Humanities and English, and also coaches hockey at school and in the community. His involvement with the Award began in 2015 as an Award Leader. He is an avid snowboarder, mountain-biker and hockey player, all of which he says he does more slowly and cautiously every passing year.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Program has been an important part in many Point Grey Mini School students’ lives for decades. At any time, about a third of our students are enrolled in the program. Our Mini School program fosters community-building and leadership development, and the Award opens up our students to so many ways to give back and challenge themselves. The Award provides opportunities for our students to demonstrate communication, problem-solving and social awareness – competencies that are the foundations of the BC core curriculum. We are grateful for the ongoing effort and support of the Awards Office and the opportunities that the Award offers.”

DEANNE NIELSEN
Volunteer Award Coordinator

Deanne Nielsen has been involved with the Award since 2017. She received training to be an Adventurous Journey supervisor and Assessor in Barcelona in June. While living in the United Arab Emirates, Deanne supported participants at an Award Centre with their Adventurous Journey. When she returned to British Columbia, she set up an Award Centre at her school and co-ordinated the Award for her participants. Today, she is volunteering as an Award Leader and looking forward to supporting Metro Vancouver area youth with their Award pursuits.

The Award is a great opportunity to learn more about the students and their interests. Supporting them with their non-academic goals has helped me develop a stronger relationship with them. The participants gained skills such as time management, organization and resiliency as they worked towards their goals. The skills and attributes they gain through the process of completing the Award support their development of the BC Core Competencies. By completing the Award, they develop into community-oriented citizens we want representing our school. They learned new skills, such as navigation, where most of the participants overcame challenges and reflected about how they can improve. It is a rewarding experience, and I am thrilled to be part of it as their teacher and as their Award Leader.”

SHANNON TONG
Award Coordinator, Claremont Secondary, Victoria, BC

Shannon Tong has been an English and Science teacher in the Saanich School District for 22 years. In 2012, she co-created Claremont Secondary’s Pursuit of Excellence Program, which requires students to complete the Award’s Bronze level prior to graduation. Over the past eight years, the Pursuit of Excellence Program has supported hundreds of students to achieve the Award at Bronze, Silver and Gold levels.

Claremont Secondary School has been supporting students with the Award for the past eight years through the Pursuit of Excellence Program (PEP). All of our PEP students start with the Bronze level in grade nine [and in total support 120 students]. Every year, we also have students who complete their Gold level before they graduate from high school, which is quite the accomplishment! Overseeing the program is incredibly rewarding. The Award challenges students to move out of their comfort zone and springboard to mentoring youth who become lifelong volunteers, who challenge themselves to try new skills, and experience nature in a way that they never have in the past. The Award also gives them the extra edge when applying for jobs and scholarships. It’s highly rewarding to see students reach their potential become incredible citizens.”

SUPPORTING PARTICIPANTS AND AWARD LEADERS THROUGH THE PANDEMIC

Facing unexpected events in 2020, and as part of our COVID-19 recovery efforts, the BC & Yukon team leveraged new online resources and remote communication tools to support stakeholders, Award Leaders and participants. In order to better support participants during COVID-19, the BC & Yukon Division hosted over 200 online meet-ups between participants and Leaders for remote guidance and support. This included the introduction of Virtual Adventurous Journeys to support youth in remote areas, lockdown or extenuating circumstances such as famiies with immune-compromised members and front-line workers. New resources to better support Award Leaders were also developed, including the launch of self-guided training modules, a resources portal and one-on-one support scheduling with staff.

NEW RESOURCES DEVELOPED IN 2020

• Online Award Leader Community Hub selfguided training modules
• Leader Resource Portal for Adventure Journey guides and resources
• Participant Portal for Journey templates and Level guides
• Expanding our French resources
• One-on-one support scheduling with staff

“This program has made me realize I should live a healthy life. Since I started running to get the physical activity hours, I’ve completed four half-marathons. I thank the Award for giving me a goal to stay active.”
- Manuel - Gold Achiever

“While completing my Gold project, I was constantly going outside my comfort zone. Now I’m not afraid to speak a new language.”
- Olivia - Bronze & Silver Achiever, Gold Participant

“The Award taught me the importance of community. Volunteering in my community is a habit that I formed during the program and is something that will forever be integral in my life!”
- Albert - Bronze Achiever

CELEBRATING DIVERSITY IN THE AWARD – CHILLIWACK SOCIETY FOR COMMUNITY LIVING

Finding ways to keep Award activities going during the pandemic was a challenge for participants across the country. More often than not, our youth tackled that challenge head on. Through hard work, perseverance and dedication, they achieved their Awards despite pandemic challenges and restrictions.

In 2020, the CSCL BRIDGE employment program for youth with developmental disabilities saw four of their youth achieve Bronze Awards and gain valuable employable skills. This group of Achievers took the challenges presented by COVID-19 in stride by finding ways to stay active at home and partaking in the newly launched Virtual Bronze Exploration, which substituted for the typical Adventurous Journey requirement.

The group’s Award Leader, Susan, said, “The participants enjoyed learning new skills and the social aspect of the Adventurous Journey. My favourite part of the Award was watching the participants learn from all their hard work.”

One of the Achievers, Adam, found that he gained confidence and employable skills from his Award experience. Throughout his Award, Adam kept active by swimming, developed his money management skills, and gave back to his community by volunteering at a not-for-profit thrift shop and helping the elderly. The highlight for Adam was finally earning his Award and receiving his certificate. “I felt really proud of myself when I was done,” he says.

“I had to go apply for jobs and I gained confidence doing that, saying hi to people, and I got a little less shy after awhile.”
- Adam - Bronze Achiever

A NEW PATH FOR THE AWARD IN CANADA

In early 2021, a new path for The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Canada was announced. Over the course of this year, the British Columbia & Yukon Division, alongside all other regional divisions in Canada, will begin the process of merging into one national unified entity. This new model will allow us to expand our impact, reach and youth’s access to the Award in Canada.

In our new national structure, Award Leaders and Award Centres play a vital role in mentoring and shaping Canada’s greater resource, our young people. This will enable us to streamline the way we operate, allow us to build robust platforms, centralized support centres and a resource portal to help set you up for success in delivering the Award. While our structure is changing, we will still be operating regionally with a local council here in BC and will continue to provide regional support.

We thank you for your continued support as we navigate this exciting next phase of the Award in Canada.

Platinum ($20,000+)

Silver ($5,000-$9,999)

Bronze ($1,000-$4,999)

Friends of the Award

“My Duke of Edinburgh experience has encouraged me to view the world as my classroom.”

– Kaya - Bronze Achiever