Duke of Edinburgh Award

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a fantastic program for youth between the ages 14 to 25 who aim to develop their sense of character, leadership, and personal discipline.  This program is known throughout the world and allows the youth to challenge themselves to new things and work at activities they are passionate about.  The program is subdivided into three levels; Bronze, which takes 26 weeks to complete, Silver, which takes 52 weeks to complete, and Gold, which takes 78 weeks to complete.  Through the extended timeframes necessary to complete the individual levels of the program, applicants for the award learn discipline in completing tasks over a long period of time.  Last year, I was given the opportunity to start this amazing program and currently, I am working on my Silver level.  Completing the Bronze Award was not easy, but it was definitely one of the most fun and enjoyable times of my life.  I was able to meet and befriend incredibly amazing people through volunteering and giving service to the community. 

It also made me realize that as a member of the community, I am responsible to give, and aid others when help is needed.  I also had lots of fun doing the Skills portion of the program.  The topic that I chose for my skill was trumpet; Duke of Ed gave me the opportunity to practice with my trumpet in a daily schedule and allowed me to become a more advanced player of the trumpet. Physical Recreation was also something that I enjoyed tremendously.  It helped me participate in physical activities not just in school, but outside of school as well. However, to me, the most interesting topic of all is the Adventurous Journey.  I am not a person who enjoys camping in the wilderness, especially in the cold. However, it changed my perspective of outdoor camping completely.  I finished my outdoor expedition at Manning Park for a winter FTX.  It was a blast.  Almost every part of the FTX was amazing, but the most favourable part about the FTX was being able to socialize with lots of others who are aged around the same as me.  The part that makes Duke of Edinburgh’s Award so fantastic is the feeling of satisfaction that comes when you achieve your goals after you have put in lots of hard work for the award.  Completing my Bronze gave me an inexplicable sensation of glee and joy and the feeling of happiness has, and always will continue to motivate me to challenge and set goals for myself.  Even after the completion of your Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award, the real prize is not the award itself; it is having the opportunity to participate in new activities, and the astonishing experiences you gain throughout the program.
 
-Sgt. Joseph Jeon