The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Foundation

As we near the end of the 2024, we’re reflecting on a very busy year here at the Foundation, including some key moments: 🤝 We were delighted to welcome Martin Houghton-Brown as our new Secretary General. It’s been a busy year for Martin as he’s been getting to know Operators across the world, meeting our fantastic supporters, and strengthening our partnerships with global advocates for young people. https://lnkd.in/gmtjsFPk   🌍 We held Regional Conferences in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Americas and EMAS regions, bringing together our Award Operators to develop strategies to get more young people taking on the Award in every region. 📢 Our Emerging Leaders represented the Award at many high-level events around the world, including at European Youth Forum, at the EU Global Gateway Youth Event, and joined forces with DofE UK Award Ambassadors in Edinburgh, UK.   💪 We celebrated the amazing Adults who support young people to do the Award with a brand-new film, highlighting all of the incredible work they do: https://lnkd.in/ggy8p_gR 🎉 We celebrated 25 years of the Special Projects grant-giving fund. It’s been amazing to reflect on the life-long impact these projects have had on young people from countries, including Nepal, Germany, India, Bahamas and Zambia! https://lnkd.in/gg-i3QYA 🌟 We continued to witness the incredible achievements and skills of our Award’s participants, and their valuable contributions to their communities – helping to generate $1.4 billion in Global Social Value. https://lnkd.in/g4d3_rZY 🙏 Whether you are a participant, volunteer, staff member, supporter or partner – thank you to everyone involved in the Award around the world. We can’t want to see more next year! #WorldReady

The Award's impact can be seen not only in the young people taking part - but in their communities for years to come. Using a robust analysis model, our research team are able to calculate the global Social Value the Award has. In 2023 alone, $1.4 billion (£940m) in Social Value was generated. ✍ Find out more about these figures, and the Award's impact, in this article.

🎉Today we celebrate International Volunteer Day! And here at the Award, we could not be more thankful for our volunteers. We simply could not do it without them. We are lucky to have over 169, 860 Adults who support Award delivery around the world - and 98% of them are volunteers. A huge thank you to each and every volunteer for giving your time to support and encourage participants throughout their Award journeys. And to our dedicated Global Training Panel volunteers who deliver vital training to Adults within our Operator network - thank you. ➡️In this video, hear from some of the inspiring Adults in the Award about what it means to them. 🔗Find out how you could become an Award volunteer here: https://ow.ly/Rx6150Ul16n #InternationalVolunteerDay #WorldReady #Volunteers #Volunteer #VoluntaryService #SupportingYouth #EmpoweringYouth

✨ This year, we celebrate 25 years of our International Special Projects grant-giving programme. Started in 1999, it grants funding to Award Operators for projects that aim to improve access to the Award, extend reach; including to at-risk and marginalised communities, and sustainably grow the number and diversity of participants. To mark this milestone, we commissioned a special film to showcase just some of the incredible stories from over the past 25 years - featuring projects from The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Zambia, The International Award for Young People, India, The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award - Germany, The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award - Nepal and The Governor General's Youth Award Bahamas. Hear directly from Award holders, participants, volunteers and staff about how Special Projects funding has impacted them. To find out more, and to discover how you could support Special Projects visit: https://lnkd.in/eBddXXmK #WorldReady

Last week, The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Emerging Leader Representatives and The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Youth Ambassadors came together for two days of collaboration, exploration and discovery in Edinburgh, UK. ✨ From interactive sessions with Young Scot and Scottish Youth Parliament, to visiting Balfour Beatty plc and seeing first-hand the Award's profound impact on young people who work there, and then heading to the Scottish Parliament to meet Natalie Don-Innes MSP Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise, to share ideas around equal opportunities for young people and promoting the Award globally – it's been truly inspiring! A huge thank you to all the young people and staff who made these few days so memorable. #WorldReady #YouthWithoutLimits

There are just two days left to apply for our Global Advocacy Manager and Communications Manager roles. Both roles offer lots of opportunities to develop strategic areas of work for the Foundation, working in our Communications and External Affairs team. Applications close on Thursday 28 November, 1700 GMT.   Find out more and apply via the links below: Global Advocacy Manager https://lnkd.in/ezwsZ36F Communications Manager https://lnkd.in/e37FxJCv

As COP29 draws to a close in Baku, it serves as a timely reminder of how the Award inspires young changemakers to act – and for many, that means innovating and forging new paths for climate solutions. 🌱 In 2023 alone, Award participants dedicated a staggering 182,000+ hours to activities that support the environment. Whilst 82% of Award holders now say it's more important than ever to contribute to their communities and wider society. ❇️ Among our inspiring alumni is Shanjeevan, a Bronze Award holder from Sri Lanka, who has embarked on a personal mission to raise awareness for the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals through mountaineering - to summit the highest peak on each continent! 🏞️ Shanjeevan’s story began with his first-ever hike on his Bronze Award journey, which sparked a passion for mountaineering. This year, he’s taking it to the next level, not only conquering mountains but also documenting the stories of other like-minded young changemakers, teaching sustainability to the next generation to raise awareness, and creating a carbon footprint calculator to help measure and offset emissions. 🤲 One of his main inspirations is Anish Luitel, a Gold Award holder from Nepal, who encouraged him to take on these challenges. 🗣️“Sharing the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award journey with him [Anish] sparked a mountaineering spirit in me. And the recognition I received through my Award journey, has empowered me to share my environmental concerns with my community.” One mountain down, six more to go. Next on the list is Mount Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe! 🌎💚 ➡️ Inspired to find your own adventure? Start your Award journey today: https://ow.ly/3SPM50UbGfs ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ #COP29 #TheAward #WorldReady #Mountains #SDGs #Sustainablity #Youth #Changemakers #Climate #Baku #Environment #Community #COP29 #ClimateAction #GreenFuture #Sustainability #YouthPower #AwardForChange #TogetherForThePlanet

Earlier this month, Peniel Boye, one of the Award's Emerging Leader Representatives, participated in the EU Global Gateway High-Level Youth Event in Brussels. 🌎🌟 Alongside other Global Youth Mobilization Youth Reps, Peniel engaged in discussions on topics such as understanding EU External Action youth initiatives and pioneering climate solutions. And together, they also delivered a powerful 3-minute talk on the Youth Empowerment Fund! 💪 ✍️ Read Peniel's blog for more on how the event served as an important reminder of how youth voices are vital to achieving a sustainable and equitable world. 🔗https://bit.ly/3YnoEOj #YouthLeadsTheWay #YouthMobilize #YouthEmpowermentFund

Last week, the Award in Canada marked Award Awareness Week. As part of the a week-long celebration, each day was dedicated to showcasing the impact of the Award that helps empower young people to thrive across the country. From celebrating the power of teamwork to taking an opportunity to thank supporters, the week marked just how the Award can truly making a difference. 🎇 Head over to Award Canada to see more from their #AwardAwarenessWeek highlights! 👀 #awardawarenessweek #theAward #WorldReady #youthempowerment #awardcanada #canada

✍️ NEW BLOG Gold Award holder Cecilia went along to the United Nations and Shared City’s Townhall event in Sweden as part of the intergenerational series rolled out worldwide, designed to engage, empower, and elevate young people's voices. Climate, AI and youth engagement were front and centre of topics raised by youth representatives, with key local and international figures, politicians and climate and human rights activists present. 📢 "Today’s youth are not the leaders of the future; they are the leaders of today’. This sentiment echoed throughout the day as speaker after speaker emphasised the critical role that young people play in shaping the present and future." 🗎 Read more from Cecilia’s blog here: https://lnkd.in/e2-ETE5Q #Intergenerational #Townhall #UN #YouthVoice #Blog #TheAward #WorldReady