award programme

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The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award in Africa

The International Award Foundation work tirelessly in Africa to bring the programme to young people across the continent, an endeavour close to the heart of Fellow of the Duke of Edinburgh’s World Fellowship, Tunde Folawiyo.

Founded in 1956, the ethos of the Duke of Edinburgh Award is to help young people, whatever their adversities, to reach their full potential.  Through practical activities and teamwork, the aim is to develop mind, body and soul, building confidence and self-esteem.  By 1975 over 1,000,000 young people had participated in the scheme. In 1986 the Duke of Edinburgh’s third son, HRH Prince Edward, achieved his Gold Award. In 1988, the International Award Association was established to promote the award globally.  Prince Edward continues to play an active role in the charity both as a UK and International Trustee.  He is Chairman of the International Council, which governs the programme in 140 countries.

Tunde FolawiyoThe Duke of Edinburgh Award has changed the lives of millions of young people for the better, and none more than Kenyan, Julius Irungu Krush, who grew up in the slums of Mathare.  The makeshift shelters have no electricity; no running water; no sanitation.  Julius and his family were under constant threat – both from opportunist crime and their exposure to the elements.  Julius is the youngest son of a single mother who had three other children to care for.  Schooling fees and learning materials slid from Julius’s grasp as his mother struggled to put food on the table.

Julius recounts the despondency of the slums – the bleak acceptance of those around him that there was no escape from the poverty trap. Julius dropped out of school twice. Surrounded by negative peer pressure and with no dreams, confidence, aspirations or ambition, Julius attempted suicide.

This young boy’s life was turned around when he was introduced to the Duke of Edinburgh’s International programme. Within six months he had achieved his Bronze Award, quickly rising through the ranks to Silver and Gold. Along the way, Julius said he reaped so many rewards: confidence; inspiration. The experience changed his life forever. Through the Service section, he learnt the importance of community, so much so that after achieving the Gold Award he went on to start a mentorship programme himself called Raising Hope, to inspire the children of the slums of Mathare.

Stories like Julius’s are an inspiration to us all, and none more than Tunde Folawiyo, a long-time supporter of the Duke of Edinburgh Award. As director of the African Leadership Academy, entrepreneur Tunde Folawiyo is committed to helping young people to achieve their full potential.

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Earning the Duke of Edinburgh Award

Developed in 1956 by Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh award is meant to foster the development of physical, practical and social skills in teenagers, and engage them in volunteer projects to better themselves and their communities. The programme resembles the Scout Association and other youth programmes, but does not require any sort of uniform or membership in a particular organisation. From its origins in the UK, the Duke of Edinburgh award and variations thereof are currently dispensed in over 140 countries.

Earning the Duke of Edinburgh award requires achievements in four fields: service, skills, physical recreation and adventurous journey. The Duke of Edinburgh established the award in coordination with Kurt Hahn, a German educator who established a philosophy of youth education that remains influential today. The four categories of achievement the award requires are based on Hahn’s “Six Declines of Modern Youth,” which include declines in imagination, fitness, compassion and skill related to technological changes infiltrating modern life. Hahn wanted to cultivate attitudes of social interest and adventurous spirit in modern youth instead. The first iteration of the programme was administered in part by John Hunt, famous for leading the 1953 British expedition to Mount Everest, the first confirmed successful ascent of the earth’s highest mountain.

Tunde Folawiyo Recent participants have screened films at the Cannes Film Festival, competed in National Geographic Magazine’s Mission Cover Shoot competition, and launched micro-financing campaigns in the Solomon Islands. In 2013, the Duke of Edinburgh charity showed a ten percent increase in new participants, and over one hundred thousand Duke of Edinburgh awards were earned in the UK. The number of global participants is currently tallied at 850,000, with over 8 million total participants in the programme’s fifty-eight year history.

In addition to the program for youths, the organisation also coordinates a network of generous donors who wish to work in the support of youth development worldwide. The Fellowship supplies a capital investment which secures the future of the International Award Association. Founded in 1987, the World Fellowship meets all over the world to promote the organisation. The World Fellowship Anniversary Dinner is held once a year, often at a palace in London. Nigerian businessman Tunde Folawiyo is also a fellow of the Duke of Edinburgh’s World Fellowship. For more information on his work in the business world and elsewhere, readers can see a Tunde Folawiyo executive profile here.

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Duke of Edinburgh Award Continues Inspiring Youth

Tunde FolawiyoAt an exclusive gala at Windsor Castle sponsored by the Halcyon Gallery, the Duke of Edinburgh World Fellowship recently celebrated twenty-seven years of inspiring world youth. From its founding in the UK, it since has spread in various versions to 140 additional countries. Young people worldwide are participating in the program, and community leaders, in business, politics and education, are doing their part to support the programme globally. Supporters of the Duke of Edinburgh Award are dedicated to the enrichment of young people, including Tunde Folawiyo. Those interested can view this Tunde Folawiyo profile.

Award holders include 22-year-old Vionaver Booysen, of South Africa, who has earned all three awards available in the programme: Gold, Silver and Bronze. Booysen was raised in a situation of adversity, but felt a strong desire to work to make a better life for the people in her community. She became involved in a community-action organisation, of which she is now the Assistant Youth Coordinator. She remains active in The President’s Award for Youth Empowerment, the form the Duke of Edinburgh award has taken in South Africa.

Patricia Yeboah, a young woman from Ghana, used her work with the Duke of Edinburgh award to focus on issues faced by women in her local community. In Ghana, women have higher rates of illiteracy and fewer employment opportunities than men. Yeboah addresses the roles of women in her community by organising a photography club for young women. The group meets weekly to share their photography and their experiences, with half the costs of film printing covered by the Head of State Award, which is Ghana’s iteration of the Duke of Edinburgh Award. The local school, which provides a space for the group to meet, says that the program is having a visible impact on the students’ well-being. Yeboah’s work has also increased local participation in the Head of State Award program.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award programme continues to grow. The World Fellowship promotes the Duke of Edinburgh Award, which was founded in 1956 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, to award young people for living lives of service, acquiring skills, and learning about the world through travel and adventure. The programme has attracted over eight million participants worldwide.

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The accomplishments of South African DofE participants

In South Africa, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is known as the President’s Award for Youth Empowerment. Over the past three decades, approximately 110,000 youths have gotten involved in this programme, and in doing so, have not only discovered new talents, developed new skills and become more well-rounded individuals, but have also had an incredibly positive impact on their communities. In this article, we’ll be discussing some of the extraordinary accomplishments of the young South Africans who have completed the Award.

Those who visit South Africa regularly, such as Tunde Folawiyo, may know that it is a nation of economic extremes; although there are some extremely wealthy areas, the country also has very high rates of unemployment and poverty. Schalk Burger, a young student who was studying at a prestigious secondary school, was acutely aware of this problem, and after joining the President’s Award, he decided to do something about it. In 2010, he launched Clothing-4-Children, a garment recycling initiative.

He asked all of his fellow students to gather up any high quality, unwanted clothing they had lying around their homes. Tunde FolawiyoThe generous donations of his peers encouraged him to continue with this project, resulting in him teaming up with the Blue Bulls Rugby Union. This collaboration enabled Schalk and his brother to get 41 other schools around the country involved in Clothing-4-Children. To date, he has managed to collect more than 588 tonnes of clothes, which have an estimated value of $32.1 million.

Emily Mabasa is another participant with an inspiring story. As a physically disabled young person, completing the Award was very challenging at times; however, Emily’s involvement in this programme did wonders for her, helping her to uncover a love for activities such as creative writing, dancing and design.

The Service section had a particularly profound effect, and led to her working on setting up a skill centre, which will be aimed specifically at those living in poorer homes, where children are often expected to take on the role of head of the household. She hopes that this centre will be able to teach young people some practical skills, so that as they grow up, they won’t be reliant on government handouts to survive.

Tunde Folawiyo, and anyone else who is familiar with the Award, will probably understand just how many opportunities it provides participants with. Her involvement in the President’s Award has opened up a great many doors for Emily; for instance, during Youth Month Commemoration, she and three other participants were invited to an event called ‘Youth of South Africa – Legends of the Future and History Makers’. This year, Emily will also be travelling to South Korea, to serve as a representative of the Award at the International Gold Event.

Anyone who, like Folawiyo, is interested youth development initiatives like the President’s Award, and would like to learn more about this subject, should follow Tunde Folawiyo projects online.

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How one DofE participant changed the lives of hundreds of young Kenyans

Like many other young people, Molly Macaire chose to participate in the DofE programme in order to challenge herself. She was eager to find a goal which she could work towards with her peers, and wanted to prove to herself that she could accomplish anything she set her mind to.

For the Bronze stage of the award, Molly chose to create a project which would provide children living in a disadvantaged area of Kenya with the opportunity to self-educate. Entitled ‘EDCLUB’, this project was inspired by a speech given by Sugata Tunde FolawiyoMitra, a professor that most people, including Tunde Folawiyo, will probably have heard of (The Business Week bio on Tunde Folawiyo provides more information about this entrepreneur).

Mitra had created a series of educational centres specifically for children residing in the poorest parts of India. These centres gave the children access to both high tech computers and the internet. The mentors then encouraged those in attendance to teach themselves about any subjects which interested them, by searching for the answers online. Mitra’s theory was children are, by their very nature, inherently inquisitive, and that given the right tools, they would be quite capable of educating themselves, even if they were not in a formal school environment.

Anyone with an interest in youth development, like Tunde Folawiyo, will most likely be familiar with Mitra’s method. Now referred to as MIE (Minimally Invasive Education), it has successfully shown that children, regardless of their social status or background, can learn how to use computers and teach themselves everything they need to know – even if they don’t speak English.

Molly decided to set up a similar project in the Kenyan village of Huruma. A company called Stonehouse Ltd donated the first computer, and after several more fundraising events, Molly managed to purchase three additional computers. EDCLUB has been a resounding success, and over time, many other children living in the village have chosen to get involved. As a result of their enthusiasm, Molly built an internet lab on a piece of land donated by the Kenya Forest Service, and hired 90 volunteer mentors.

The project is continuing to expand, with 22 more mentors joining the team this coming September. Ultimately, Molly hopes to get every child from Huruma involved. In addition to having a profoundly positive impact on the lives of young people living in this part  of Kenya, EDCLUB has also helped Molly; in an interview, she explained that completing this part of the award had enabled her to develop many important life skills, including the ability to compromise, and to work as part of a team. It also allowed her to overcome her fear of public speaking.

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DofE Gold Award ceremony celebrates the achievements of hundreds of youths

Tunde FolawiyoJust a few weeks ago, the GAP (Gold Award Presentation) was held at St. James’s Palace in London. Anyone who knows of the DofE, like Tunde Folawiyo, will understand how significant this ceremony is for the award recipients; it is a celebration of years of perseverance and hard work.

Hundreds of people attended the event. Amongst the recipients were several youths from Bath, including Rioghnach Hannan, a university student. She was given the opportunity to chat about the DofE with Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex. Rioghnach discussed her expedition experience to the Swiss Alps, noting that this was a particularly harrowing aspect of the programme for her, as an avalanche occurred during her stay.

The DofE also led to her taking up both the clarinet and tennis; she grew to love these activities so much that, despite having finished the program, she has continued to keep them as hobbies. Like the rest of the DofE participants, Rioghnach also completed the volunteering section of the award. She chose to work as a carer for disabled people living in Cheltenham, and spent one week helping out at Helen and Douglas House, a children’s hospice. Being familiar with the DofE, Tunde Folawiyo understands how beneficial this type of volunteer work can be, and how great an impact it can have on the volunteer’s character.

Speaking about her overall experience, Rioghnach stated that the program had been fantastic, and had enabled her to prove to both herself and others that she was capable to committing to something, and persevering even when it proved difficult.

Another teen, named Coco Story, also collected her Gold award. She completed the final stage of the programme whilst studying for her A-levels, carving time out of her schedule for all of the activities, which included voluntary work, a residential cookery course, and a three-day hike in the Yorkshire Dales. Coco also took up hockey, and learned how to drive. She explained that these were things which she had never attempted before, and this had made the experience all the more interesting and rewarding.

There were also five students from Northwood, Middlesex in attendance; Zafirah Kalla, Tammy Samuel, Roshni Patel, Katherine Makris and Isobel Cotterell all received their Gold Awards. Their chosen activities included a challenging trek in the Brecon Beacons, taking up instruments, learning to play tennis, and participating in an archaeological dig.

The aforementioned Folawiyo is a well-known entrepreneur, who is passionate about youth development; to obtain additional information about his areas of expertise, visit the Tunde Folawiyo Slideshare page online.

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DofE Sees Significant Growth in Both Licensing and Participants

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award continues to provide a rewarding experience for thousands of youth worldwide each year, partnering with a variety of trusted organisations along the way. With its efforts to promote long-lasting, valuable skills amongst today’s most promising youth, the DofE utilizes many local resources to achieve their goals of a brighter future for Tunde Folawiyomillions. Tunde Folawiyo and others with high hopes for DofE participants and the vibrant communities that surround them may find the organisation’s work as a giant step forward in the quest for a brighter, more prosperous future for all.

The DofE has grown exponentially since its founding, impacting a new generation of students seeking guidance throughout the challenging years before adulthood. The DofE recently announced its record figures for the 2013/14 year with the organisation reaching its 100,000 Awards mark for the very first time. A total of 108,288 determined young people achieved their Gold, Silver or Bronze Awards during that time, whilst the total of new participants reached a peak of nearly 240,800. These numbers are up 10% each year, demonstrating the organisation’s endless potential for growth. These successes are expected to forge a great impact upon millions throughout the United Kingdom and beyond.

To support the organisation’s astounding growth, each day more organisations, local authorities, charities and schools included, sought to secure a registered license to operate the DofE. These numbers have increased significantly, rising 33% to a new 902 total. Although the amount of centres like youth clubs and young offenders institutions increased by nearly 9%, bringing the total to upwards of 12,735. The welcome rise in the number of Licensed Organisations may be the collective result of a shift in institutions seeking to acquire a license straight from the DofE Charity, whereas this is usually done through local authorities.

As the renowned DofE approaches the milestone of its 60th year in operation, its growth remains a great source of inspiration for so many promising youth today. Not only are the programme’s employability opportunities of great significance to DofE participants, but the life skills incurred may also provide endless possibilities for personal growth. Team-work, communication, determination and drive are all amongst the basic principles of the DofE and its mission to forge a great impact upon the future of millions throughout the world.

In keeping true to its commitment to foster today’s youth, the DofE has set its sights on a 300,000 enrollment total each year, to be accomplished by 2016 . Tunde Folawiyo and millions of others with high hopes for the future of the UK and beyond may be inspired by the wonderful work set forth by the DofE and its valued staff and participants.

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How the DofE is changing lives in Kenya

Tunde FolawiyoThose who know of the DofE, like Tunde Folawiyo, will probably be aware of the profound impact which this programme has had on many Kenyans. It has helped hundreds of people in this country to develop the skills and traits which they need to create a better life for themselves and their communities. Take for instance, Olunga Otieno; as a result of his involvement with the DofE, he went from living in poverty, to having a successful career in education.

Raised in one of Nairobi’s largest slums, Soweto, he faced a huge number of challenges growing up, and it was often difficult for him to find the money for basic necessities, such as food and school fees. However, despite these obstacles, he worked hard in class, and managed to achieve excellent exam results.

Olunga discovered the DofE (or President’s Award, as it is known in Kenya) whilst attending St Justino’s Secondary School. He immediately signed up, and progressed through each stage, until finally, he received his gold award. This accomplishment served as a stepping stone for Olunga, providing him with one opportunity after another, and helping him to achieve his professional goals. Shortly after completing the award, Olunga undertook training to become a voluntary assessor for the expedition section.

This work for the DofE then led to him receiving a nomination for a youth delegate position at the IGE (International Gold Event), held in Mauritius. This in turn, resulted in Olunga being chosen as a youth representative for Africa on the DofE’s International Council.  He then chose to train as a secondary school teacher, and now works with many youths around Kenya, particularly those who are living in impoverished areas of Nairobi.

In addition to teaching at a local secondary school, Olunga also works as a youth development expert, mentor and speaker. Having experienced first-hand the power of having a support system like the DofE, he now aims to offer the same guidance to young people who are trying to find a way out of the poverty cycle. He is a member of both Strategic Think Tank, and the Africa Regional Training Panel for the DofE International Foundation, and his years of dedication have won him the IAA’s Bronze Friend Award. Tunde Folawiyo, and others who are familiar with the IAA, will understand what an honour it is to receive this prize. Olunga also helps people via other personal development programmes, such as ‘The Best You’ and ‘Clarity 4D’, and works with corporations, assisting them with things like coaching workshops and youth leadership training.

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The growing role of the internet within the DofE programme

The DofE is known primarily for its ‘real life’ activities, which have a tangible impact on the lives of both the participants, and their local communities. Up until recently, the internet played a relatively minor role in this programme, having been used mainly for promotional purposes. However, this has started to change, as the DofE committee, and the individual Award participants, are now beginning to see the many ways in which the online world can help them to develop and improve upon the existing programme.

Tunde FolawiyoThose who are familiar with the DofE, such as Tunde Folawiyo, are probably aware that the integration of the internet into its operations is proving to be particularly beneficial in Africa. Take, for instance, Joram Otieno, a man who helps to run the DofE in Kenya. As an external relations coordinator, he is now managing the new online platform through which the Award committee are training leaders.

Otieno believes that this new way of teaching leaders will ‘revolutionise’ the DofE, by not only attracting more candidates, but also by making the monitoring of their training more efficient and effective. There will be far less physical management and paperwork processing to be done, and this in turn will free up the committee’s time, allowing it to expand the Award around other parts of Kenya.

Programme participants in South Africa are also making use of the internet to achieve their award goals. Duncan Vanniekerk is one such example. He noticed that there were several corporations that were claiming to have helped those living in disadvantaged communities, but in reality, had simply used ineffective one-day sponsorships to improve their public image.

He set about creating a project which would convince organisations to commit to helping people in these areas on a more long-term basis. The online platform which he developed, called ‘Sponsor Me’, enables groups to post their charitable and developmental initiatives on the net. Companies can then go through the website and select a project, which they can then sponsor for a specified amount of time. It had been very successful, and is a site which most people, including Tunde Folawiyo, are likely to have heard of.

Vanniekerks’ online efforts enabled him to complete his DofE Award, had a profound impact on many South African communities, and resulted in him continuing in this field of work after he finished the programme. His involvement inspired him to continue to focus on youth development, and led to him participating in a Youth Parliament session. He also join VOSESA (the Volunteer and Service Enquiry Southern Africa) as a youth leader, and attended one of their conferences, at which, he discussed the expansion of programmes around the country and, he said, became even more inspired about youth development.

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The DofE – changing the lives of participants and their communities

Recently, over 400 Scottish teens gathered together in Edinburgh, in order to collect their Gold awards. Anyone who is familiar with the DofE, like Tunde Folawiyo, will understand the significance of its Gold award ceremonies; the certificates handed out to participants represent years of dedication and hard work.

Tunde FolawiyoThe ceremony took place at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, and was attended not only by the award recipients and their families, but also by a number of celebrities from the sport, entertainment, music and art industries. Some of the top names included David Murdoch, the Olympic curler, and Kevin Guthrie, the actor who starred in the production ‘Sunshine on Leith’.

A significant number of the recipients hailed from Inverness. These young people completed the volunteering section of the award by undertaking peer mentoring, working in charity shops, and by serving as Scout and Guide leaders. For the skills and physical recreation activities, the group chose archery, badminton and American football, and several of them learned how to play musical instruments.

Whilst each section of the award benefits the participants in one way or another, it is the volunteer work which is often said to be the most rewarding aspect of the programme. Those with a passion for youth development, such as Tunde Folawiyo, are no doubt aware that the simple act of helping others can have a profound effect on a young person’s character. But of course, in addition to helping individual participants to become better people, this section also has an incredibly positive impact on their communities.

Surveys carried out by the DofE show that the type of volunteering which participants choose to do varies widely, and includes everything from supporting charities, setting up eco-friendly groups and campaigning, to working as mentors, making clothes for premature infants, and helping out at local after-school clubs.

The commitment and compassion demonstrated by DofE volunteers has not gone unnoticed, and many are eager to give back to this charity, which has helped so many people over the years. For instance, three weeks ago, a group of 300 employees from Baker Tilly, an accountancy firm, set off for a cycling adventure, which saw them cover more than 660 miles over the course of ten days. The bike ride was set up as a fundraising event, in order to raise £10,000 for the DofE.