Achieving good grades is no longer enough in today’s highly competitive and technology driven world. Experts say employers value talents who beyond their paper qualifications have soft skills, can lead, as well as demonstrate skills in other technical areas.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s International (DofE) Award provides a platform for teenagers and young adults aged 14-24 to gain such skills and more. The programme gets them to commit to learning new skills and volunteering service. They also engage in sports for physical recreation, and embark on an adventurous journey.
They can be recognised for their efforts at three levels – gold, silver and bronze awards – after completing the four sectional requirements for each level. To earn a gold award, participants also have to undertake a residential project.
The award is named after Prince Philip, the Duke of Edingburgh, who started the programme in 1956 in the United Kingdom to help the development of young people.
“The object is to provide an introduction to worthwhile leisure activities and voluntary service, as a challenge to the individual to discover the satisfaction of achievement and as a guide for those people and organisations who would like to encourage the development of their young fellow citizens,” Prince Philip wrote in the Foreward of the programme’s handbook for award leaders.
Worldwide, over eight million young people in about 144 nations have passed through the awards which encourages them to set their own goals, record their progress, choose what voluntary service to undertake and learn skills in areas of interest, keep fit through sports, as well as go on trips.
Known locally as the International Award for Young People Nigeria, about 170 institutions, including schools and youth groups, pan–Nigeria are signed up for the award. Some of the schools include Greensprings School, Noble Hall Leadership Academy for Girls, Avi-Cenna International School and Caleb British International School.
To be licensed as an institution to partake in the award, an award leader said such school or group must be legally registered, regularly deal with people within the age bracket, and have adults who can serve as award leaders.
The award leaders get trained to guide the youngsters while undertaking the tasks. They can discuss progress, clarify questions, give advice, and cross check to ensure that the levels are appropriately completed.
The Chrysalis Youth Foundation, the parent charity of the International Award for Young People Nigeria also supports public schools to participate in the awards.
National Director of the award, Toyin Odu, said in the sixth edition of the body’s newsletter that the foundation embarked on a special project to enable 1,000 youngsters in the north participate in the awards.
She said: “One of the projects we are currently working on that is so dear to our hearts is the International Special Project. This project gives 1,000 ‘at risk and marginalsied’young people the opportunity to gothrough The Award. We are very excited about the impact this project will have on the lives of public school students in Northern Nigeria that are currently participating in it.”
The project is running in 20 public schools in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) of the Federal Capital Territory. Many teachers serving as award leaders as well as the award participants in these schools testified to the efficacy of the programme in building young people who become aware of their roles as responsible citizens.
Principal of Government Model Secondary School, Jikwoyi Abuja, Mr Yussuf Eseyin, said participants of the award became the natural choice to serve as prefects.
“Since the inception of the Award in my school, the Award leaders and students have been outstanding. I was deeply pleased to see students take up voluntary service activities in the school, which include cleaning the school compound and taking care of the school furniture etc. Even one of them, Grace Ogu, took it upon herself to water the school flowers during the dry season. When it was time to appoint prefects for the school, it was no surprise that most of the prefects appointed were already involved in the Award. This was because they had excelled not only in the classroom but also outside the classroom,” he said.
Grace Ogu, a pupil of the same school, said because of the award, she has learnt to bake cakes and play badminton.
“For my physical recreation, I play badminton and it has been interesting. For my skill acquisition, I attend a catering school. In many ways, the Award has given me the opportunity to affect the lives of people in my community,” she wrote in the newsletter.
Funding for the DOfE is supported by the World Fellowship, created by Prince Philip in 1987 to bring together individuals who share the ideals of helping the development of young people.
In February, a World Fellow, Mr Wale Edun, who also chairs the Board of Trustees of The International Award for Young People Nigeria, hosted a polo match to raise £30,000 in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the World Fellowship, and £20,000 to support the award’s activities in Nigeria.