By Brenda Odhiambo

On Friday, September 29, 2023, representatives from the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award (known as the President’s Award in Kenya) took 120 Award participants through an induction training designed to introduce the participants to the Award activities, fellow Award participants as well as sharing of information required for them to attain the Gold Award.

In his comments, the training manager, Mr. Christopher Barak, noted that participation in the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award was designed to equip students with additional skills outside the classroom that would make them all-rounded individuals capable of making a difference in their communities.

“Taking part in the Award will help you stand out from your peers because it will demonstrate your individual prowess outside the technical prowess you have in your area of study. The award will be evidence that you have developed critical life skills, including confidence, a sense of purpose, resilience, problem-solving, compassion, and respect for diversity, which are important for navigating the world,” he said.

“The Award will help you discover your capabilities fully, thus making you capable of bringing about change in your communities,” he added.

The Award participants, who include 100 Scholars drawn from the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at USIU-Africa will be taking part in the Award at Gold level. The combination of technical expertise and the skills acquired in the pursuit of the Gold Award will mean that the students will be recognized as transformative leaders.

Gold Award participants will be expected to take part in activities focused around four sections, comprising physical recreation, voluntary service, skill development and challenge through Adventurous Journey. They will also complete the Gold Residential project, which is a community service activity designed to broaden the participants’ experiences with their community as they work towards a common goal that they will have identified at the beginning of the Award.

Upon completion of the Award after 18 months, the participants will receive the Gold level certificates from the patron of the President’s Award- Kenya, H.E. Dr. William Ruto.