The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award

The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is the World’s leading youth achievement award, operating in over 130 countries around the globe, and has inspired millions of young people to transform their lives in the 60 years since its launch. The British Section has been licensed to provide the Award to pupils since 2014; it is available to all students at the British Section, age 14 and up, and regularly sees students from Troisième upwards hiking and camping in the Forêt de Fontainebleau, the Alps and the Auvergne. The Award has three levels, each progressively more challenging:

• The Bronze Award, for ages 14 and over
• The Silver Award, for ages 15 and over
• The Gold Award, for ages 16 and over

Participants are required to complete four Sections at each Award level: Service to the Community, Skills, Physical Recreation and Adventurous Journey. At Gold, participants also complete a Residential Project.

The Award concept is one of individual challenge, offering opportunities to set a personal goal and then work to achieve it. Through their participation in the Award, students must give useful service to others, develop personal interests and practical skills and participate in physical recreation at all three levels of the Award. The balanced, non-competitive approach to their voluntary activities encourages personal growth, self-reliance, responsibility to themselves and others and service to their community. Thanks to a dedicated team of British Section parent volunteers, our students have the opportunity to take part in this rewarding and enriching adventure.

You can find more information about the programme at www.intaward.org and below, including a video about the award scheme during lockdown and information on volunteering for the award.