The Duke of Edinburgh's Award
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is a youth awards programme founded in the United Kingdom in 1956 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, which has since expanded to 144 nations. The awards recognise adolescents and young adults for completing a series of self-improvement exercises modelled on Kurt Hahn's solutions to his "Six Declines of Modern Youth".
History
In February 1955, The Duke of Edinburgh's Award was first announced. It was at first "for boys aged 15 to 18". It was first administered, and largely designed, by John Hunt, who had led the first successful ascent of Mount Everest in 1953, and had retired from the army to run The Duke of Edinburgh's Award.It was designed to attract boys who had not been interested in joining one of the main British youth movements, such as the Scout Association. In the first 12 months, 7,000 boys had enrolled for the scheme. The programme borrowed from the Moray Badge, instituted at Gordonstoun School by its headmaster, Kurt Hahn, in 1936, and the County Badge adopted in Moray in 1941.
In November 1957, it was announced that girls would be invited to participate. On 19 June 1958, the programme was extended to girls, with the first girls allowed to join from 1 September 1958. The programme for girls was not the same as that for boys, and was for ages 14 to 20. The first girls received their Gold Awards on 3 November 1959 at Buckingham Palace. From January 1965, the Gold Award for boys and girls was made more similar.
The first Gold Awards were achieved in 1958, and the charity was established in 1959. A single programme for young people aged 14 to 21 was launched in 1969, and extended to those up to 25 years of age in 1980. In 2013, the Duke presented Awards at St James's Palace which included his 500th Gold Award Presentation.
United Kingdom
The first Duke of Edinburgh's Award ceremony was held in the United Kingdom in 1956. Participation in DofE programmes and the number of awards achieved has grown every year since 1956. Young people take part in Duke of Edinburgh's Award programmes run in designated DofE centres – including schools, youth clubs, Air cadets, Army Cadets and businesses – throughout the country. Over 6 million people have taken part in the DofE since 1956. The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is a member of the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services. In 2009, the old system of keeping track of progress through paper Record Books was replaced by the introduction of a major new online system – eDofE. Participants use this system to track their progress, while Leaders use it to oversee participants' progress.Award programmes
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award programmes take between one and four years to complete, and they must be completed by the participant's 25th-birthday. The programmes are at three progressive levels which, if successfully completed, lead to a Bronze, Silver, or Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award. With assistance from adult Leaders, participants select and set objectives in each of the following areas:- Volunteering: undertaking service to individuals or the community.
- Physical: improving in an area of sport, dance or fitness activities.
- Skills: developing practical and social skills and personal interests.
- Expedition: planning, training for, and completion of an adventurous journey nationally or abroad.
- At Gold level, participants must do an additional fifth Residential section, which involves staying and working away from home for five days, doing a shared activity.
Joint Award Initiative
In Northern Ireland, participants completing The Duke of Edinburgh's Award can choose to accept a certificate from the Gaisce or an International Award Certificate instead of a Duke of Edinburgh certificate.Other nations
Awards modelled on The Duke of Edinburgh's Award are presented by sponsoring organisations affiliated with the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Association in 144 nations: 29 located in the Americas; 36 in Africa; 32 in Asian Pacific countries; and 47 in Europe, around the Mediterranean, and in Arab countries. The prestige, scope and awareness of these awards vary from country to country and often – unlike awards programmes in Ireland and the United Kingdom – there is no connection to the head of state and awards are simply issued by private youth charities. In the United States, for instance, only about 7,000 of the estimated 47 million eligible persons age 14 to 24 annually participate in the programme.Australia
The Award was established in Australia in 1959 on the initiative of Sir Adrien Curlewis in 1958. By 1962 the award was available in all state and territories and today over 30,000 young Australians commence a Bronze, Silver or Gold Award each year. The Duke of Ed in Australia is a widely recognised organising and accrediting framework of non-formal education and learning. Over 775,000 young Australians have now completed their award and approximately 45,000 are actively participating in the award programme each year, supported by a network of 60,000 volunteers acting as award leaders, supervisors and assessors.The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award can be found in over 1,200 locations and institutions across Australia including cities, rural and remote areas, through Government and independent schools, universities, indigenous communities, refugee support programmes, detention centres, community organisations, disability groups and other youth programmes. The National Chairman is currently Gary Nairn, and the National CEO is Peter Kaye. The Hon Larry Anthony is the chair of The Friends of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award in Australia and Andrew Murray AM is the deputy chair.