Practising for the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Awards

The Duke of Edinburgh Award (DofE) is a youth development program founded by Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, in 1956. The program aims to help young people develop skills, get physically active, give back to their communities, and experience adventure.

The DofE program is divided into three levels: Bronze, Silver, and Gold, with the Bronze level being the first and most commonly pursued.

To achieve the Bronze Award, participants must complete four sections:

• Physical - This involves participating in a physical activity for at least one hour per week for three months.
• Skills - Students are required to learn a new skill over the course of three months.
• Volunteering - This section involves doing at least three months of volunteering for a community organization.
• Expedition - The Expedition section requires planning, training for, and completing a two-day, one-night expedition with a group.

On Tuesday the 2^nd and Wednesday the 3^rd of May a group of six Grade 9 students headed to the Parc Mercantour with Mr Martin and Feli for their International Bronze Award Practise Journey. Jack, Talal, Alix, Andrea, Saige and Leo took part in the two-day trek, including a night camping in the outdoors. The essence of the Journey lies in the fact that they need to be self-sufficient, and plan ahead in order to achieve that goal. They carried their own food, water and camping equipment throughout the two day hiking experience. 

Alix Grant San Jose said, “I enjoyed being outdoors camping, it was a novelty to me. I really liked being part of this new experience.” 

“We congratulate the students for having made such an important effort, challenging their physical and psychological skills. They were super successful in the process and learnt many important life experiences,” Feli, ISN School Counsellor.