The Duke of Edinburgh Award

The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is a global framework for non-formal education and learning, which challenges young people to dream big, celebrate their achievements and make a difference in their world.

The Canadian College Italy is very proud to be an official provider of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award.

The award, founded in 1956 by HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, is the world’s leading youth achievement award.

The out-of-the-classroom program creates unique opportunities for young people to develop skills, get physically active, give service and experience adventure.

It also allows their achievement to be consistently recognized worldwide, giving young people unique international accreditation of their experiences.

How it works

Students design their own program, set their own goals and record their own progress. In the words of the Duke of Edinburgh, the “award is basically a do-it-yourself kit in the art of living."

Personal goals can be designed from the following categories:

• Service.

• Physical Recreation.

• Skills activity.

• Adventurous Journey.

The only person they compete against is themselves, by challenging their own beliefs about what they can achieve. 

The benefits

The award allows young people to challenge themselves and discover the world around them.

Since its launch over sixty years ago, millions of young people have been transformed by their participation in the award, with millions more benefiting from its impact in communities around the world.

Young people who do the award:

• Become more confident and resilient.

• Develop skills in:

  • Communication

  • Problem solving. 

  • Leadership. 

This in turn impacts members of their communities, who see improvements in areas such as employability, health and wellbeing, and educational attainment.

The framework

The award comprises three levels and four sections and is designed to provide a balanced program of personal development and challenge. Participants complete all four sections at each level in order to achieve their award. At Gold level, participants also complete a Gold Residential Project.

• Bronze - For those over 14 years old.

• Silver - For those over 15 years old.

• Gold - For those over 16 years old.

Time requirements

Bronze – for those over 14 years. At least 6 months minimum participation required. The Adventurous Journey is two days and one night; average of six hours of purposeful effort per day; minimum 12 hours of purposeful effort in total;

Silver – for those over 15 years. At least 12 months minimum participation required (or 6 months if a Bronze Award holder). The Adventurous Journey is three days and two nights; average of seven hours of purposeful effort per day; minimum 21 hours of purposeful effort in total;

Gold – for those over 16 years. At least 18 months minimum participation required (or 12 months if a Silver Award holder). The Adventurous Journey is four days and three nights; average of eight hours of purposeful effort per day; minimum 32 hours of purposeful effort in total. Gold Award participants must also complete a Gold Residential Project.

For more information, please inquire or see the official Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award website.