For more than 60 years, we have been helping young people transform their lives and their communities. We empower young people to develop ‘soft’ – or universal – skills such as resilience, adaptability, creativity, problem solving, decision-making and communication. Developing these skills supports the achievement of long-term positive life outcomes, including educational attainment, employment and mental health and wellbeing. In other words, we help young people to achieve personal change in their lives, which itself can lead to positional change in their environments.
The Award contributes to both ‘human capital’ through the development of ‘soft’ skills, and ‘social capital’ through connection to communities and networks.
Today’s young people are bombarded by information, expectations and uncertainty. They are growing up with a mosaic of complexities and challenges unseen by previous generations. As a non-formal educational program, The Award can play a vital role in providing opportunities for young people to develop essential life skills, complementing their formal education. This enables them to grow in confidence and in their ability to contribute positively to their communities. Its success and flexibility is evidenced by the fact that it has spread to over 140 countries and territories. The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award has been equipping young people with the skills and experiences they need as individuals to succeed in life. The Award’s founders believed that learning through experience could transform young people and empower them to embrace life’s opportunities.
CHECK OUT our global World Ready Discussion Paper to find out what young people say about the challenges they face today and the types of experiences, learning and skills they think they will need to take on the world of today and tomorrow.
It has never been more important to equip young people with the skills and confidence to discover their true potential. They are the world’s richest resource and the biggest stakeholders in its future. On an individual level this can make a transformational difference to a young person’s life; on a collective basis, it has the power to bring significant change to wider society. To learn more about the impact being made by young Canadians doing the Award, check out our research
