The Duke of Edinburgh’s AwardTHE INTERNATIONAL AWARD FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Siv atmicca Yoganathan BA BSc MA (Development Studies) (Melb)

Projects Officer (Tertiary and Vulnerable Youth Sectors) The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Victoria, Australia

A unique approach to youth development

When the mind is stretched by new experiences it can never return to its former dimensions

Dr Kurt Hahn

Dr Kurt Hahn German Educationalist 1886-1974joint founder of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

Believed it was crucial for young people to prepare for life by facing it directly and experience it in ways that would demand courage, generosity, imagination, principle and resolution.

Round Square

Outward Bound (1941) The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (1956) United World Colleges (1962) Round Square (1967)

Initiated schools and youth development programs such as:

Theoretical Frameworks

Positive youth development through• Experiential learning

– Outdoor Education– Sports Education

• Applied learning• Service learning

Positive Youth Development

Based on belief that all young people: have the potential for positive developmental

change are a resource to be developed rather than a

problem to be solved(Roth et al 1998)

The Award’s holistic structure fosters positive youth development by developing the essential facets of a young person’s wellbeing.

Experiential Learning Model

REFLECTION

LEARNINGPRINCIPLES

APPLICATION

LEARNING EXPERIENCE

(Stenho 1986; Gass 2003)

The Award in the Experiential Learning Model

Example: ADVENTUROUS JOURNEY Exploration of impacts of tourism on the ecosystem of the local national park.

Experiential Learning Model The Award – Adventurous Journey (AJ)

1 Learning experience Exploration - planning

- conducting data collection

2 Reflection on the action and experience

Reflect, report & make recommendations to national parks authority

3 Abstractions/ Key learning principles drawn from the reflection

Increased awareness of environmental conservation issues

4 Application/ Transferral/ Integration of learning

Take learnings back home – take initiative to improve environmentally protective actions in household/ school – eg recycling

You are not comparing yourself with anyone; you are not competing with anyone; what you are actually doing is creating yourself.

Brendan Kelly, Irish poet

Service Learning Model

Dynamic interrelationships between 4 types of learning and service

Service Learning

The purposefulness and reflection required for The Award illustrates the distinction between simple volunteerism and service learning, which takes a holistic approach to youth development.

Core Aim: Valuing Young People

Fostering young people’s• Leadership• Empowerment• Confidence• Action• Resilience• Initiative

Reward, recognise and celebrate their achievements and

therefore the young people themselves.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is perfectly suited to university students.

University is peculiar in that the majority of students will know very few peers from outside their respective courses. By mixing with different groups of students through expeditions, skills, sport and serving the community, university students are likely to benefit not only from making new friends but also being exposed to new situations.

Gold Awardee, University of Melbourne

The Award in the Tertiary Sector

The University is committed to developing graduates who are leaders in communities, attuned to cultural diversity and active global citizens. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, being an internationally recognised leadership program contributes to these endeavours.

Professor Peter McPhee,

Provost of the University of Melbourne

It is wrong to coerce young people into opinion but it is our duty to impel them into experience.

Dr Kurt Hahn

Multiple Layers of Support

Vice Chancellor&

Provost

Manager(Internal partner)

Manager(L.I.V.E Unit)

Managers(Internal partner)

Front-line staff (Coordinators)

Front line: Award Coordinators

The Award

• Adds depth & dimension to staff–student relationships

• Improves quality of pastoral care

• Opportunity to impact young people’s lives towards their positive self development

Leadership Involvement & Volunteer Experience (LIVE) Unit

LIVE Programs:

• Leadership programs, (one of which is The Award).

• Volunteering opportunities and resources.

Value of Partnership

Effective partnerships

• are essential for the sustainability of the program.

• provide the support network to ensure young people’s opportunity and ability to achieve their Award

Tertiary Partnerships

CAREERS & EMPLOYMENT

AIESEC

STUDENTSERVICES

STUDENT UNION

SIFE

SPORTS CENTRE

FACULTIES

LIVE

STUDENT

University Of Melbourne Award Participants

Career Enhancement:

The Award ensures you ALWAYS have something to talk about in interviews. It isn't just The Award itself, but rather a hermeneutic key to interpret the things you have done in the past. It guarantees life experience, teamwork and commitment- all things employers look for.

Gold Award Participant , University of Melbourne

University Of Melbourne Award Participants

Recreational Approach:

The Award has given more structure and purpose to all the endeavours I have taken outside an academic arena. It has helped me discover my passion for trying new things, seeking new challenges and helping others along the way.

Gold Award Participant , University of Melbourne

University Of Melbourne Award Participants

Broadening Horizons:

The experiences that flow from participating in the different sections of The Award shape our own experiences and consequently shape participants as global citizens and leaders; and this is what the Melbourne Model aims to achieve.

Gold Awardee, University of Melbourne

Lessons Learned

Key to fostering the success of any positive youth development program lies in strong partnerships.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award offers a unique opportunity and approach to foster the growth of our young people to become responsible, engaged, resilient members of society.

The Award teaches its participants that we must serve our community, that we must learn new and different skills, that we must be open to new ideas and that we must have an understanding of ourselves and others.

For the youth of today to be a vehicle for change and the betterment of society we have to be able to dream and ensure that these dreams can become reality.

Gold Awardee, University of Melbourne.