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The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award: challenging young Bermudians for 40 years

Date Posted: Monday, October 22, 2007
Author: Christen Pears

Imagine trekking through the jungle for up to 10 hours a day, the Caribbean sun beating down on you, a heavy pack on your back. You are with a team of strangers, navigating with a compass and map and drinking water where and when you can find it from streams. This isn’t an army route march but the five-day Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expedition that recently took place in Trinidad & Tobago.

Berkeley Institute students Sherrita Arorash and Teleza Pitcher were among the young Bermudians on the expedition. “It was rough both mentally and physically. It was a real challenge,” says Sherrita.

“It was harder than I expected. I got through because of the people in my group. They encouraged me and kept me going,” adds Teleza

The expedition is the culmination of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award – the internationally-recognised programme designed to challenge young people and promote self-development. During the five days the participants are pushed to their limits and beyond. Because Bermuda is so small, students do their expedition in either a Caribbean country or at an Outward Bound Centre in Wales. Weeks of preparation are involved – getting up at dawn to do physical training, learning map reading and first aid skills. The girls recall stiff limbs, sore feet and the disheartening experience of getting lost but both say they benefited enormously from the expedition and from the programme in general.

Because the Award is so well-known around the globe, scholarship organisations and employers look favourably on it. It provides young people with focus and opens them up to new experiences, as well as providing an opportunity to meet new people both in Bermuda and abroad.

The Award celebrates its 40th anniversary in Bermuda this year. Around 275 young people take part on the island each year and in the last 10 years alone more than 1,300 awards have been handed out. A number of organisations across the island currently offer the programme, including The Angle St. Youth Centre, Berkeley Institute, Bermuda Girl Guides, Bermuda High School for Girls, Bridging The Gap Academy, Cedarbridge Academy, Ferry Reach (Co-ed) Correctional Facility, Mount St. Agnes, Saltus and Warwick Academy. But new executive Director, Erica Smith, who joined the organization from her previous post as director as sustainable development.

“It has been quite successful but we feel we can do more. We want to become the youth programme of choice,” she says.

“We are in discussion with a number of other organizations to set up partnerships such as YouthNet, Raleigh International and the Bermuda Sloop Foundation, which will enable us to  expand the opportunities available to the island’s youth.”

Ms Smith is particularly keen to increase participation among public school students. There are programmes at Berkeley and Cedarbridge but they don’t have the same level of participation as those at private schools.

“I think it’s a lack of understanding. It’s partly the name but it is seen as elitist. My role is to make the programme into an entity they understand and want to be part of. These children are already doing a large part of the programme on their own  such as volunteering or learning a skill so why not get recognized for it?”

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award operates in more than 120 countries. It provides young people, aged 14 to 25 to a challenging programme of activities. There are three levels – Bronze, Silver and Gold – and at each level there are four sections – Service, Skills, Physical Recreation and Expeditions. It is not competitive; individuals are not pitted against others but have their own goals. The Award has a reputation for being tough and success depends on perseverance and determination but the benefits can be enormous.

Ms Smith says: “Fourteen is the start of adolescence, the time for you to potentially lose your way. The Award gives young people direction and allows them to explore areas that they could potentially love.

“It’s a life skills programme that fills the gap left by formal education. The whole philosophy is an integration of mind, body and spirit to bring about self development and the wherewithal to overcome any challenge. It’s a journey about personal discovery.”

Having completed the programme, Teleza and Sherrita are in no doubt as to the benefits. Teleza’s older sister had done the Award so when she started Berkeley and was offered the chance to take part, she didn’t hesitate. Sherrita was attracted to variety of experiences on offer. “You get the chance to do things out of the ordinary that you wouldn’t otherwise get,” she says.

Teleza chose lifting weights as her physical activity, piano as her skill and service with the the hospital auxiliary while Sherrita played tennis, learned the piano and worked as a volunteer at the SPCA.

Teleza says: “I think it does make you more rounded. It’s just a great experience. It’s not easy. It’s a lot of hard work but you definitely feel a sense of achievement when you’ve done it.

"The expedition is the hardest  of all. When I was doing it I didn’t think I wanted to go back. Now that I’ve done it and I feel so wonderful about completing it I want to go back and be a leader  and see what I can do to help other people get through it.”

Her advice to potential participants is: “Have an open mind, try something different because you might just love what you have started. If you join the programme you will have great fun.”

Sherrita agrees. "It's an amazing opportunity. You should have a go and see where it takes you."

For more information visit www.theaward.bm

 

  

 

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