A Golden Duchess

3 March 2013Rebekah P, Hope '13

Rebekah P, Hope ’13 recently earned her Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award. Below is an account of her journey.

“The Duke of Edinburgh Award program was started in 1956 by Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh, and came to Canada in 1963. The award is about being a well-rounded person who challenges himself or herself to participate in a specific skill, a physical activity, an adventurous journey, a service to others, and a residential project.

There are three levels to this award, Bronze, Silver and Gold. I have completed all three. By completing these awards, I have learnt a lot more about myself, met a ton of new people, gotten outside my comfort zone, and tried many things I probably wouldn’t have attempted if it hadn’t been for the award. For the skill portion of the gold award the requirements are “A minimum of 12 months following a skills program.” For the Duke of Edinburgh award, a skill can range from almost anything; I chose to play the violin.

For physical activity, the requirements for gold are “A minimum of 50 hours of activity over a period of 25 weeks.”  It is recommended to try different types of physical activity. For my physical activity I participated in rowing, cross country, sailing, ski racing, and Olympic weight lifting.

The adventurous journey requirement is “A minimum of 50 hours of activity over a period of 25 weeks.” I chose to do a canoeing trip in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario. I went with a group of 8 people and 2 leaders; we were on the trip for 4 days. These trips allowed me to meet a ton of people, explore the amazing outdoors, and learn more about myself.  

Another component of the award is service. “A minimum of 60 hours of community service over a period of 12 months.” It is recommended that the service is spread out over the 12 months. Some of the things that I did for my service include volunteering the my local humane society, volunteering at my ski club and at a special Olympics soccer tournament, as well as at school events, and selling 50-50 tickets at Toronto Maple Leaf and Toronto Raptors games.

The Residential Project undertakes some shared activity in the company of your peers, either through volunteer service or training away from home over a period of not less than five consecutive days.” I completed this portion of the program when I was 14 and I went on a 3 month exchange to Perth, Australia.

The Duke of Edinburgh program ties into the tripartite program at Brentwood really well with all of us being involved in the arts and athletics. Completing the award has helped me understand the importance and the value of good time management building, and communication skills, all of which are very important life skills.”

Rebekah P, Hope ‘13

Brentwood students interested in the Duke of Edinburgh program can seek advice from Mrs. Kate Coull in her University Counseling office.