His Royal Highness Prince Edward, The Duke of Edinburgh, enthralled an audience of talented school pupils who have participated in one of the world’s most inspirational programmes to encourage young people to find their purpose, passion and place in the world.
Prince Edward enthrals pupils of top schools
The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation, which has more than 160,000 volunteers globally, hosted a prestigious event at the British School of Bahrain (BSB) campus in Hamala.
BSB pupils were joined by fellow students of St Christopher’s School who have participated in the highly-acclaimed, non-formal education and learning framework, and aspiring children attending Nadeen International School who will be taking part too in the near future.
BSB executives said they were ‘honoured’ to welcome The Duke of Edinburgh and together with high-level dignitaries including Education Minister Dr Mohammed Mubarak Juma, pupils and faculty celebrate the positive impact of the award within the kingdom.
The Duke of Edinburgh met a host of students and also members of the Bahraini and expatriate community during his visit to the school, and he offered his ‘huge congratulations’ to all the young people who had been actively engaged at all levels of the programme, adding he was ‘truly impressed’ with those reaching the gold award standard.
“As you will discover, life is full of challenges and opportunities, as they say, and those who have participated may find it a bit easier to overcome those challenges as they come along and also be able to seize those opportunities,” he added.
BSB students were also pleased to show the Duke of Edinburgh their leadership skills on the school’s newly-refurbished sports pitches, alongside key activities such as their use of Virtual Reality in the Inspired Metaverse School, built to aid interaction with other students around the world.
A highlight of the tour was the introduction to BSB’s first-ever Gold Award cohort, and the display and short video from the participants’ recent residential visit to Zanzibar, where they supported the International Volunteers Charity.
Two golden teenagers, Haniyah Motara and Natasha Rashid, told the audience how they had benefited from their participation.
“For me, this Award has pushed me, challenged me, reshaped me and given me opportunities, friendships and skills that will stay with me forever,” said Haniyah. “Thank you to the International Award organisers, to my school, and to Your Royal Highness for creating these opportunities for students like me around the world.”
And Natasha added: “One core lesson we all learned and one that is consistent across the Award levels is that we are all different, and through our diverse differences, we have learned to respect each other and work together for the betterment of our community. One thing that unites us all is our passion for helping others and making a difference in the communities we serve.”
The Duke of Edinburgh also spoke to students from St Christopher’s School and their parents about their successful Gold Award participation, proudly watched on by principal Dr Simon Watson and his senior colleagues.
Nadeen International School pupils were also introduced to the visiting royal, along with senior staff and executives, including director Shanee Puri.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award operates in more than 120 countries and territories. Through developing transferable skills, increasing their fitness levels, cultivating a sense of adventure and volunteering in their community, the Award helps 14- to 24-year-olds to build essential skills such as resilience, adaptability, communication, teamwork and problem-solving.
Around a million young people are currently completing their own unique programme, via hundreds of thousands of youth-focused partners and operators.
The Award, which has been running in Bahrain for nearly 30 years, currently operates in two organisations, the BSB and St Christopher’s School, supporting more than 320 young people every year.
Nadeen International School, now catering for senior students at its new campus home in Dilmunia, has also started to introduce the programme.
The royal visit was designed to enable greater growth and awareness of the Award and the importance of non-formal education so that even more young people have the opportunity to develop fundamental soft skills that will help them make a lasting difference in their communities.
Dorothea Gorman, director of IAC Operations at The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation, said: “We’re thrilled to be able to celebrate the achievements of Award participants and Award leaders at our two existing Award centres, and grateful to The British School Bahrain for hosting this special event.
“This great showcase of Award activities is also an opportunity to demonstrate to other schools and youth organisations the positive impact the Award can have on young people as part of a holistic education in Bahrain.”
John Maguire, executive headmaster of the BSB, which is part of the Inspired Education Group that educates 70,000 students in schools located across six continents, added: “We are immensely honoured to host this prestigious event, welcoming His Royal Highness, Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, in celebration of such a key award, which empowers youth, builds their resilience and confidence, and encourages global citizenship.
“We are a school whose ethos is built on its values and these are reflected in the outstanding Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award.”
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