The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is a non-formal education program that inspires 14 to 24-year-olds to accomplish their goals in life.
Activities from the program comprises of physical recreation, voluntary service, skill development and challenge through adventurous journey.
Earlier this month, this newspaper covered the adventurous journey of a few youths in Sigatoka and this week those participants were awarded for their perseverance amongst other Duke of Edinburgh award recipients.
Youth and Sports Minister, Jese Saukuru congratulated 286 youths from around the Western Division during the Duke of Edinburgh International award graduation at the Fiji National University in Natabua last week.
Mr Saukuru according to a government statement acknowledged those who were present at the event and thanked them for their support and encouragement towards the participants of the Duke of Edinburgh program. He said Government would continue to provide advocacy program targeted at creating sustainable livelihood for each young person in the country.
He says programs like the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award targets to empower training, specifically in developing the young minds of future leaders.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Awards which was founded by the late Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip with a German educationalist Kurt Hahn in 1956 is now provided to over 130 countries and territories around the world.
Minister Saukuru congratulated 165 bronze, 61 silver and 59 gold recipients for the international award.
Since the early 1990s the Ministry of Youth and Sports has been the national award operator coordinating the program in conjunction with the Ministry of Education through the respective participating secondary schools and youth clubs.
“To the students who will be awarded with the bronze award, you are still two steps away from reaching the gold level,” Mr Saukuru said.
“I urge you to keep going and to complete the last hurdles of the challenge.”
He challenged students at secondary schools and youth clubs members to have more recipients sign up for the program and to apply the same concept of learning through the non-formal education system.
He reiterated to the youths that the Coalition Government will continue with their unwavering commitment to the development of youths in the country.
He added that Government recognises that in order for youth in our nation to reach the pinnacle of success and to maintain holistic and sustainable growth, government must channel substantive and consistent effort towards the development of young people.