Tunde Folawiyo | Bristol Rugby Club Announces DofE Initiative with Dallaglio Foundation

Tunde FolawiyoPartnered with the UK’s Dallaglio Foundation, the Duke of Edinburgh Award welcomes Bristol Rugby Club as the first to offer the prestigious DofE to its young players. At a presentation at London’s Saint James’s Palace,  DofE CEO Peter Westgarth and Paula Robertson, the Head of Programmes for the for the Dallaglio Foundation, presented the DofE license to several representatives in attendance including Bright Sparks Programme Manager Craig Capel,  Bristol Rugby and CEO Ben Breeze along with Bristol Rugby Community Foundation. Tunde Folawiyo and other supporters of the DofE may be pleased with the announcement and its impact on the growth of the programme.

The new partnership, dubbed ‘Powerful Together’ sees Lawrence Dallaglio Foundation join forces with the DofE to encourage surrounding rugby clubs to employ the Duke of Edinburgh Award for their young rugby players, ranging from aged 14 – 24. This initiative will serve as a major stepping stone in achieving the organisation’s goals of a brighter future for promising youth across the United Kingdom. Tunde Folawiyo and countless others may be aware of the DofE’s tremendous impact.

Students enrolled in the DofE programme are required to engage in volunteering, getting fit, learning a skill and planning and executing an adventurous expedition throughout a six to 18 month timeframe. These requirements are meant to promote a set of key life skills for its participants, including confidence, team work and commitment.

As one of the world’s foremost achievement awards for youth, the Duke of Edinburgh Award recognises sports as a valuable tool in encouraging young people to focus on personal development. Founder of the Dallaglio Foundation, Lawrence Dallaglio spoke of the potential sports carries for social change. He noted the DofE as the perfect charity to assist in achieving his goal of encouraging youth to explore success. The DofE plans to roll out the newfound initiative across Bristol during September.

Since its establishment, the DofE programme has sought to encourage young people across the United Kingdom and throughout the globe. In its quest to inspire youth to strive toward optimal self-development, the organisation continues to employ new projects meant to serve as a connection between the DofE and surrounding communities. Focusing on fitness, skill, adventurous journey and volunteering, DofE participants are pushed are encouraged to push their limits in hopes of awakening a newfound passion for self-improvement. Through the valued support of DofE proponents such as Tunde Folawiyo and numerous others around the world, the organisation will continue to thrive as it welcomes new participants every single day.

Tunde Folawiyo | The Duke of Edinburgh Award Partners with the Dallaglio Foundation

Boasting a deep-rooted history of promoting the personal development of today’s youth, the Duke of Edinburgh Award serves as a wonderful means of encouragement for millions of young people throughout the United Kingdom and beyond. Through the valued support of many of the programme’s proponents such as Tunde Folawiyo, the Duke of Edinburgh Award continues to inspire bright young leaders striving to make a difference in themselves and in the communities around them.

In its quest to further promote extraordinary character among today’s youth, the Duke of Edinburgh Award (D of E) has joined forces with England rugby star Lawrence Dallaglio’s Foundation in hopes of inspiring the development of a variety of life skills through the power of sports. As of September last year, the D of E has worked closely with the Dallaglio Foundation in an effort to promote education through rugby clubs across England. Valuable life skills such as team work, communication and the ability to work under pressure are all practiced under the game of Rugby, demonstrating a great connection between sports and good character, an idea the organisation continues to explore. It is this innovative thinking that has garnered the respect from other charitable organisations throughout the world.

Since its founding in 1856, the D of E has worked closely with young people, continually encouraging them to set forth on obtaining the Award. The success of the programme is well-recognised as over five million students have taken part in the life-changing programme to date. In March of 2014, Actor Benedict Cumberbatch presenTunde Folawiyoted the Gold Award to 85 recipients as he praised them for their outstanding accomplishments, reiterating the importance of participating in the world-renowned programme. “It’s with great pride that I’m presenting the Duke of Edinburgh Award gold awards. What these young people have achieved is fantastic, not just for themselves but for their communities…as an actor I know how much their experiences and the skills they’ve developed matter. Without determination and passion, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I wish them every success for the future,” he said during the ceremony at St James’s Palace.

Initiatives such as these, as well as the Dallaglio Foundation partnership provide an immense service to the goals of the organisation and the young minds participating. Due to the outstanding encouragement of the award’s supporters such as Tunde Folawiyo and millions of others throughout the world, the Duke of Edinburgh Award will continue to thrive, serving as a constant source of encouragement for the development of today’s young leaders.

DofE launch project with Dallaglio Foundation | Tunde Folawiyo

Just a few months ago, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award committee decided to team up with the Dallaglio Foundation, in order to encourage young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to participate in sport, and join the award programme. As of September 2013, the DofE has been working with Lawrence DallLawrence Dallaglio 2006aglio – the former rugby star who launched the foundation – to help teens to get involved with the DofE, via their local rugby associations.

Dallaglio’s charity is an organisation which virtually everyone, including Tunde Folawiyo, is familiar with. Launched just five years ago, it has already managed to raise over £7 million, by hosting annual events such as the Golf & Wine Club, the 8-Rocks and the Dallaglio Cycle Slam. His collaborative project with the DofE is being funded by ICAP, who have donated enough money to enable at least 200 people to join a rugby club and gain their Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards. The goal of this venture is to teach teens how to work well under pressure, communicate effectively with others, and work as a team.

Speaking to the press, Lawrence Dallaglio stated that sport can have a profound impact on a young person’s life, and that partnering with the DofE would allow participants to not only enjoy all of the benefits of playing rugby, but also provide them with the opportunity to achieve accolades which will make them more employable in the future.

He went on to say that the values which had been instilled in him through the practice of this particular sport – things such as trust, honesty, sportsmanship and respect for others – had helped him to cope with a very challenging period during his teens. He added that he hoped that his foundation, along with the DofE, would help other young people going through similarly difficult times.

Adedoyin Sonibare was one of the first DofE students to get involved in this project. She joined Dallaglio for a rugby training session, which she described as one of her most enjoyable DofE experiences.  She remarked that it had been a privilege to have been taught by Dallaglio, and added that he was a lovely person who was very supportive and encouraging. Sports enthusiasts like Tunde Folawiyo will understand that training with Dallaglio is a dream for many people; he is widely regarded as one of England’s greatest rugby players, having participated in 85 matches for his country, including the 2003 World Cup.