The Duke of Edinburgh Award

The Duke of Edinburgh Award is a leading youth development program for young people aged 14-24 years. The program aims to empower all young Australians to explore their full potential and find their purpose, passion and place in the world, regardless of their location or circumstance. It’s the largest structured youth development program in Australia, adopted in more than 130 countries.

To achieve the Award, each young person must learn a skill, improve their physical wellbeing, volunteer in their community and experience a team adventure in a new environment. There are 3 levels - Bronze, Silver and Gold, each progressively more challenging.

Alex, Year 11, has recently completed his Silver level after sailing on the South Passage up the East Coast of Queensland from Manly to Urangan over 5 days. “The 4.00am starts were hard, but I was with a great team of students from other colleges, and we learnt everything there is to know about sailing, including knots, navigation and steering. We had lots of laughs and were able to explore the Great Sandy Strait, as well as Moreton and K’gari Islands. I’ll shortly be commencing my Gold level and hope to do a residential project as well.” shared Alex

Alex recommends the program to anyone looking to learn new skills, have fun and meet new people.

The Duke of Edinburg Award offers adventures and activities to develop community-mindedness, perseverance, communication, problem-solving, showing initiative and the ability to work independently and as part of a team.

If you are interested in learning more about this award for possible application next year, please contact Mrs Lisa Muir (lmuir@pacluth.qld.edu.au).

Alexander Lee, Pacific Lutheran College student