Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Scheme

DUKE OF EDINBURGH'S INTERNATIONAL AWARD SCHEME and PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

"When the mind is stretched by new experiences it can never return to its former dimensions"
Dr Kurt Hahn, German Educationalist

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

A Wednesday afternoon will find all grade eight students participating in a personal development program. The program is designed to challenge and stimulate students, allowing them to accumulate experiences and develop greater self-knowledge whilst fostering the development of leadership and team building skills. Community service and physical challenge elements form the basis of the program.

The community service element involves all students in a team effort to raise funds for our main charity, School of New Hopes in Nepal. The 2007/8 grade eight group raised 3500 CHF for the charity through running a school-wide Christmas card project and organising bake sales. All supported the small group leading the highly successful Operation Christmas Child project that resulted in 370 gift boxes being sent to orphaned children in Belarus.

Physical challenge forms a large part of the program. There is opportunity for all to experience such diverse activities as snow-shoeing, winter hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, swimming, ice hockey, climbing and fitness training. Ultimately there was the opportunity to experience the physical rigours of a three-day expedition in the Swiss Alps.

DUKE OF EDINBURGH'S INTERNATIONAL AWARD SCHEME

Those students who wish to take on a greater challenge can elect to work towards the bronze level of the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Scheme using the Wednesday afternoon activities as the basis of their challenge.

This scheme, inspired by Dr Kurt Hahn, headmaster of Gordonstoun School, was initiated in 1956 with the Duke of Edinburgh as its chairman. The scheme soon became international and now challenges thousands of young people in 52 countries worldwide. The scheme operates on three levels; bronze, silver and gold, providing increasing degrees of challenge. It presents a balanced, non-competitive program of voluntary activities that encourages responsibility, self-reliance, personal discovery and perseverance. In gaining the Awards students learn by experience the importance of self-discipline, enterprise and effort.

The Bronze Award Program comprises four sections; service, skill, physical activity and expedition and takes a minimum of six months to complete.

The service section allows the students the opportunity to make a contribution to their immediate or the wider community. Many of our students followed a first aid course, gaining their certifica

te and then working with and supporting the school nurse. Some students worked with staff running school clubs whilst others experienced the challenge of planning courses and teaching younger students a variety of sports and skills such as dance, cookery and art. This provided an invaluable opportunity for interaction between the students at the upper and lower ends of our school. Many grade eight students take away treasured memories of the experience.

Four of our students worked with the coordinator of the Swiss office of Operation Christmas Child, promoting and collecting for this worthwhile aid organisation. This presents a challenging, moving and rewarding experience with life long impact for those students involved each year. As we enter our fourth year of involvement, and as a new group of grade eight students take up the challenge this autumn, we hope many students and parents will be willing and able to support and encourage their efforts.

Operation Christmas Child 2007

With the help of the families of the Zug Campus and the Luzern Campus we collected 370 boxes for poor children in Belarus. Many students and parents supported us in this community service for our Duke of Edinburgh's International Award. We thank you all for this. It was an amazing experience for us.

Elise, Ayellet, Lieke and Mathilde

The skill section encourages students to take the initiative to diversify their interests and experiences, to develop a new hobby or perhaps to discover a dormant talent. A wide range of skills is available both in and out of school. Possibilities range from writing a novel to learning a musical instrument, from art appreciation to fishing, photography to star gazing, film making to meteorology.

The physical activity section encourages students to accept a physical challenge whilst promoting the importance of physical wellbeing. Many students join a

club, in or out of school, experiencing a new activity or setting development targets to improve physical fitness or competence in an activity already enjoyed. The range of activities chosen by our students have included ballet, climbing, horse riding, kung fu, yoga, soccer, rugby and basketball.

The key principle of all three sections detailed above is that students are choosing their own activities and taking responsibility for participating for a sustained period of time, meeting requirements and achieving goals where appropriate.

The expedition section is perhaps the most challenging and certainly the most exciting part of the program. More than any other, this section develops team building and leadership skills. At bronze level the students are expected to reach a level of proficiency with the practicalities of map reading, route planning, outdoor cooking and catering, camping and first aid. They must then successfully plan and complete a minimum of two days and one night hiking and surviving outdoors for the final, qualifying expedition.

The 2007/8 program included three tough, mountain based expeditions, challenging the students both physically and mentally.
The first expedition took them on an adventure into the Swiss National Park where they hiked from Zernez to spend the night in the heart of the Park in Chamana Cluozza Lodge.
The second expedition was based at the School's newly acquired chalet in Wengen where a 40km bike ride to Grindelwald, a challenging rope course and building and cooking over open fires provided the highlights of the trip.
For the final and qualifying expedition, based in Lenk, the students were required to carry all camping and food requirements for three days. The toughest challenge was that of coping with the un-seasonal June weather conditions with heavy rain and even snow falling at higher altitudes. However, morale was good! The final day found us rafting down the Lütschine Valley in beautiful sunshine.

Completion of the Award requires considerable commitment and determination. It is recognised by many Universities and employers as it shows the holder to have the valued qualities of self- discipline and enterprise.

Student comments:

To sum up the most valued experiences in only two sentences will be a challenge but it is achievable!! I'd have to say the hiking was the best part of the Award as we were given the chance to act independently and manage our time, our own pace and our own way of getting lost!

The best part of the DOEIA was the hikes because we had to take our own responsibility about where to go and what to bring.
I also really enjoyed all the sports we did such as kayaking, snow shoeing, ice hockey, biking, and much more.

ISZL is now in its fourth year of offering the Personal Development Program and the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Bronze Level.
In the year 2005/6 six students achieved the bronze award, the year 2006/7 fifteen students were successful and from the last academic year, 2007/8, there was a further increase to twenty-two awards achieved.

As the school continues to grow and develop, so does the enthusiasm for the Award Scheme.

We are now pleased to be able to offer, for the year 2008/9, the Silver Award and Gold Award Programs for the older students at the Riverside Campus.