Duke of Edinburgh so happy to help out youngsters
A North East equality campaigner and community leader has expressed his eternal gratitude to Prince Philip following his death.
Race relations campaigner Dr Hari Shukla helped deliver the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme to hundreds of young people in Kenya.
The 87-year-old was responsible for the implementation of the scheme across the country from 1962.
Dr Shukla said he is grateful for the positive impact the Duke of Edinburgh has had on the lives of young people around the world.
He said: “On behalf of everyone involved with the Duke of Edinburgh Awards in Kenya, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to his Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh for setting up this scheme which has enabled thousands of young people to develop their character, confidence and work in activities which give them a strong moral purpose.”
Dr Shukla said his involvement in the scheme goes back to 1962 when Commander Payton-Jones, the overseas secretary of the award scheme, visited Kenya for its launch.
The Duke of Gloucester school, now named Jambhury High School, where Dr Shukla worked as a teacher, was appointed the headquarters of the scheme.
And he was asked to take responsibility for the implementation of the scheme across the country, which he said was received with great enthusiasm and a large number of people joined.
The grandfather-of-nine said: “The scheme is the only one in the world in which young people do not compete with anybody else apart from themselves.
“The scheme had been designed in such a way that a school could organise all of its extra-curricular activities though its implementation.
“In Kenya most of the village schools were able to participate because they did not need many resources.”
In 1963, when Kenya received its independence, Prince Phillip visited the country on behalf of the Queen.
At that time, four young people were ready to receive their gold Duke of Edinburgh awards and Prince Phillip gladly presented the awards to the “very thrilled and overwhelmed” young people.
As the scheme continued to flourish, the trust running the scheme in Kenya contacted the London office to request permission to change the name locally, as young people growing up in villages did not know who the Duke of Edinburgh was.
Prince Phillip replied and said
that “it is the scheme that matters and not the name”.
Dr Shukla added: “This showed how humble he was and was more keen to share the principles of the name rather than the focus on his importance.”
The trust then approached President Kenyata and asked if he would become the patron of the scheme. He agreed and the name was changed.
Later, the Kenya headquarters received a letter from the award office in London, requesting if it would be possible to organise a second commonwealth gold award expedition.
During preparations, Dr Shukla visited London to gain the necessary information and met people who would be able to help organise the programme in Kenya.
While in London, the award office invited participants from commonwealth countries to Kenya as part of their involvement in the scheme.
And 40 young people from 24 commonwealth countries accepted the invitation to participate in the programme and arrived in Kenya.
On the opening day, Prince Philip sent a message of encouragement
and in his introduction wished everyone success. Before Dr Shukla emigrated to the UK, he visited Mauritius to help them to reorganise their structure of the scheme.
He spent a month working with the Minister of Sports to set up the programme and encouraged young people to join the scheme. Today, young people from 140 countries all over the world have taken advantage of the scheme, not only to better themselves but also their communities.
Dr Shukla said that for young people in developing countries, the scheme was a passport into a career and Prince Phillip took a personal interest in the journeys of many of the individuals. Dr Shukla added: “We will always remember Prince Phillip for this lasting legacy, for his kindness and through his work giving young people the chance to better themselves and their communities.
“It has been a great honour and privilege for me to be involved in the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme and I thank Prince Phillip on behalf of myself and many thousands around the world for what he has done.”
We will remember him for giving young people the chance to better themselves and their communities Dr Hari Shukla