The Award Program was first introduced in the United Kingdom in 1956 as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. The aim is to motivate young people to become involved in a balanced programme of voluntary self development activities to take them through the potentially difficult period between adolescence and adulthood.
The presidents award is an exciting personal challenge to young people. It is a balanced, non competitive programme of voluntary leisure time activities which encourage personal discovery and growth, self reliance, perseverance, responsibility and service to the community.
This programme helps students to build self-confidence, a self motivating attitude, new and improved interests, skills and abilities, friendships, team skills, communication, presentation and planning skills. Today the Award Programme is offered in more than 120 countries with 20 in Africa. The Presidents Award has strong international links through the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and it is a full member of the International Award Association (IAA).
There are 3 levels of the Award, Bronze, Silver and Gold. At each level participants should set themselves personal challenges in each activity.
There are four sections designed to provide a balanced programme of personal development:
Service
To learn how to give useful service to others.
Skills
To encourage the development of personal interests, creativity and/or practical skills
Physical Recreation
To encourage participation in physical recreation and improvement in performance
Adventurous Journey
To encourage a spirit of adventure and discover whilst understanding a journey in a group
For Gold there is an additional section
Residential Project
To broaden experience through involvement with others in a residential setting.
