What is the International Award?
The International Award is an exciting self-development programme available to all young people worldwide, equipping them with life skills to make a difference to themselves, their communities and their world. To date almost 5 million young people from over 110 countries have been motivated to undertake a variety of voluntary and challenging activities.
Who can take part?The award is flexible and can be done by anyone aged 14–25 in their own time. Mental or physical ability or social circumstances should never be a barrier. Moreover, the individual chooses what activities to do depending on his or her interests and resources. If you are over 25, you still have options! You too can get involved by becoming an award leader, the backbone of the award programme and the key to its success.
For many students, participating in the Duke of Edinburgh International Award can be life changing, as it gives them opportunities they never thought possible. Not only does the award give students an edge when applying for universities, it gives them the skills and confidence for a productive and prosperous future.
Nadeem Faisal, International Award Coordinator
The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is one of Doha College's largest co-curricular activities, with nearly 200 students taking part in the three award levels of Bronze, Silver and Gold. With a dedicated team of staff volunteering their time, students have the opportunity to really put themselves out of their “comfort zone”. This is done by undertaking Adventurous Journeys (AJs) and acquiring new skills and experiences through other sections of the Award: Service, Physical Activity, Skills and a Residential Project (Gold only). All these go towards developing a varied skillset of those participants who complete the Award. Expand the sections below to find out more.
Here are the thoughts of some of Doha College's DoE participants:
My experience with the Duke of Edinburgh Award has been extremely positive and rewarding; I've been able to achieve goals I would never have considered before. I've been given the opportunity to support my community while also making personal progress. The Award allowed me to solely focus in areas like physical activity, creative skill and voluntary service. Personally, I’m pleased that I signed up for such an enlightening experience, as its impact will last a lifetime.
Zainab Zaheer, Year 10
So far, I have found that the DofE international award is an informative yet fun experience where I am exploring activities and skills from a different perspective - working towards a SMART goal. The activity so far has enabled me to gain important organisational skills along with communication and role model-based skills from my voluntary service. In addition, I have gained excellent results in reference to the physical (strength and endurance training) component - which I have only obtained due to the motivation brought forward from the SMART goal that I am working towards. Overall, I am eager to procure the skills that will come from the Virtual Bronze Exploration, even though it is a bit unorthodox, I’m sure it will be carried out to a high standard giving us the illusion of being on the actual adventure journey.
Lillian Govender 10T1