The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award - Canada

The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award is a self-development program available to young people ages 14 to 24. To date, over 500,000 young people from Canada, and over 8 million youth in 143 countries have been award recipients.

The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Canada
Founded1963 (1963)
FounderPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
TypeNational Award Authority
FocusInspire and promote lifelong improvement for all young Canadians by encouraging personal development and achievement.
Location
OriginsDuke of Edinburgh's Award
Area served
Across Canada in all provinces and territories and in 143 countries worldwide.
Members
42,494[1]
Key people
Stephen De-Wint, National Executive Director
Employees
50
Volunteers
2,690[2]
Websitedukeofed.org
Formerly called
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award - Canada

Concept

The purpose of The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award is to encourage young people to set their own goals and challenges, work towards achieving them, and then be recognized at the end for sustaining the commitment they have made. There is no competition between the participants. The only people with whom they compete are themselves. Self-motivation is fundamental to the framework. There are no set standards to achieve. The criteria for gaining an Award is based on each participant's individual improvement and potential at the starting point of the Award. There is no such thing as failure in the Award. Even if an Award is not attained, just being involved brings new friends, new knowledge and new adventures. The Award program has three levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold. Each requires an increasing level of commitment and effort.[3]

The Award Framework is designed to encourage youth to set and achieve goals. It is a journey of self-development, self-training, and personal achievement, and is based upon individual effort and improvement. To achieve an Award, participants must set goals in multiple program areas: service, skills, physical recreation, adventurous journey and an additional project.

History

In 1963 the Award was launched in Canada and opened up to all young Canadians between the ages of 14 to 24. Pilot projects were launched in various cities in Nova Scotia, Ontario and British Columbia. In 1964 one of the first Award Ceremonies was held, with 48 Bronze and 6 Silver Awards presented to participants.

In 1966, the first Gold Award Ceremony was held in Ottawa. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, presented 18 recipients with their Gold Awards. By the early 1980s the Award was operating in Quebec, Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, the Yukon and Northwest Territories.

Once launched within the 10 provinces and 2 territories, the Award programme began to find roots in Canadian soil and by 1986, British Columbia, the Yukon and Quebec had been recorded as having the highest levels of participation.

In 2018 there were over 42,000 young Canadians participating in the Award. There are approximately 5 million young people in Canada between the 14 to 25 age group. Nationally the programme has developed a number of initiatives to expand the Award so it becomes more accessible to "at-risk" youth, inner-city youth, young offenders, youth with disabilities, as well as northern and aboriginal youth.

The Award in Canada is associated with The Duke of Edinburgh's International Foundation. In 1967 Canada hosted the first International Gold Event which brought Gold Award achievers from around the world to Canada. In 1988 Canada became a founding member of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award International Association and is currently one of the four largest National Award Authorities. In 2002, Canada hosted its second International Gold Event – Rendezvous 2002.

See also

References
  1. "National Fact Sheet". The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award - Canada. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  2. "Annual Report 2018" (PDF). The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award - Canada. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  3. "Get Started". The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
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