How the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award can support innovation outside the classroom

Hani El Taher – The Award Leader, Dubai College, 9 November 2015

How the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award can support innovation outside the classroom Who? Secondary school teachers, activity coordinators and

leaders.

What? An introduction to how the International Award can provide life changing experiences for young people.

Why? To enable your students to boost their skills, develop leadership potential and exceed their own expectations

The Award framework

The Award is comprised of three levels and four sections. Participants complete all four sections at each level in order to achieve their Award. At Gold level, participants also complete a Residential Project.

At what age can participants enter the Bronze, Silver and/or Gold levels? What are the four sections of the Award?

The four sections of the Award

How can the four sections of the Award support innovation outside classroom and provide participants with life changing experiences?

Service “Challenge yourself to be a responsible,

caring member of the community.”

Participants are required to give service (volunteer) over a set period of time that enables them to experience the benefits that their service provides to others.

Service- related research findingsWhen: In 2013

Who: The Ministry of Youth Development in New Zealand

What: commissioned an evaluation of The Service component of the Award to improve understanding of the impact of the Service Section, and gain evidence of the outcomes achieved through participation in the Service Section of the Award, across a range of ethnicities, communities and Awards.

Results:

1- the Service Section of the Award as the most challenging, pushing them well out of their comfort zones and into roles they had not previously considered - encourage young people to take a somewhat courageous step beyond their everyday environment and regular networks and venture into the community, on their own - offers an introduction to community service for many young people who would not otherwise have found themselves involved in volunteering.

2- Growth in leadership through involvement in the Service Section was widely acknowledged by both participants and the adults. This increases as one moves up through Bronze and Silver, to Gold. Those still involved with the programme at Gold level are showing significant levels of leadership beyond the programme, in both school and community. 81% of young people felt the Service Section enhanced their leadership skills and this was confirmed by 83% of the parents and 83% of the Award Leaders

Skill“Challenge yourself to improve your skills and widen your personal

interests.”The Skills section of the Award encourages the development of personal

interests and practical and social skills

Physical Recreation“Challenge yourself to improve your performance, health and fitness.”

The Physical Recreation section of the Award encourages young people to participate in sport and other physical recreation for the improvement of health and fitness

Adventurous journey “Challenge yourself to journey with your eyes open.”

The Adventurous Journey section encourages a sense of adventure and discovery whilst undertaking a team journey or expedition. As part of a small team, participants plan, train for and undertake a journey with a

purpose in an unfamiliar environment.

Residential Project“Challenge yourself to experience life from a different perspective.”

The Residential Project, completed only at Gold Level, aims to broaden participants' horizons through involvement with others in a residential setting.

The impact of the Award on participants’ life- long acquired skills When: 2010

Who: The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Canada and McKinsey & Company

What: research in Toronto with 219 Award participants from all levels

Results: they identified 4 themes that arose from the value participants receive: Life skills, leadership, life enrichment and achievement. Participants reported they feel that they obtain a variety of life skills to prepare them for their adult life such as teamwork, commitment, organizational skills, motivation, time management, interpersonal skills. Participants also reported developing the core components of leadership, such as self-reflection, decision making, planning, taking responsibility and conflict resolution. Through their participation in the Award, young people took away lasting memories, relationships and lessons that provide them with new perspectives, which results in life enrichment. The series of accomplishments during their participation gave them a sense of achievement which motivates them towards further accomplishments in their adult lives.

The impact of the Award on participants’ Well beingWhen: 2007- 2009

Who: The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in the UK and the Centre for Children and Youth (CCY) – a research centre based at The University of Northampton

What: commissioned research

Results:

74% of the participants reported that the Award helped them develop self-esteem.

80% felt that doing the Award helped them understand their own strengths and weaknesses better.

Regarding the effect of the Award on mental aspects of participants’ well-being, the statements “Since starting the Award I believe in myself more” and “Doing the DofE means that I am less bored”, scored highest.

.

The impact of the Award on participants’ employability

When: 2007- 2009 / 2015

Who: The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in the UK and the Centre for Children and Youth (CCY) – a research centre based at The University of Northampton / UK HR professionals

What: commissioned research / CIPD survey

Results:

- The Award is the most recognised volunteering programme during the recruitment process of new candidates. More than a quarter of UK companies look for a DofE Award when reading applications, above any other recognition programmes. In addition, 67% of UK companies who participated in this survey believed that entry-level candidates with a volunteering background have more employability skills

- The highest levels of agreement were with the statements “Doing the DofE will help me get a job/career in future” and “Doing the DofE will give me an advantage over other people in the job market.” These results were also supported by an earlier research with 324 Gold Award holders where 58% believed that having an Award had helped them in their job/career.

Examples from Award leaders perspectives - The structure of the Award and innovation outside classroom

- Activities selection and the development of participants’ skills

- How can the Award develop participants’ leadership potential and help them exceed their own expectations.

Contact details:

Melek De-Wint | Regional Director: Europe, Mediterranean & Arab States (EMAS) |The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Foundation

T +44(0)20 7222 5323 | Skype melek.emas | melek.de-wint@intaward.org | www.intaward.org