The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Abbie’s royally delighted to receive gold award honour
People
An Aberdeen youngster was given the chance to share her experiences with Prince Edward after completing her gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) .
Abbie Little started volunteering, learned a new skill and even took part in an expedition through the Scottish wilderness as she worked towards the honour.
The 19-year-old completed the programme during her time at Harlaw Academy and was one of just 16 selected to be presented with the award in the gardens of Holyrood Palace.
During the ceremony Abbie spoke to The Earl of Wessex and met others from Aberdeen who were being given the same accolade.
She said: “I’m very proud achieving my Gold Award.
“It was nice to have something that I could talk about in my interviews.
“My Duke of Edinburgh Awards programme built my resilience and my communication skills.
“It gave me examples to talk about.” A total of 400 of the awards were earned in Aberdeen over the 2017-18 academic calendar – the most ever achieved in the city in one year.
The scheme takes each youngster between 12 and 18 months to of complete, and is aimed at developing key skills for life and work including confidence, commitment and team working.
It was founded in 1956 by Prince Philip and, in the last year alone, helped 21,000 Scots through schools, businesses, community groups and young offenders institutes. Youngsters are given the choice of three levels of award: bronze, silver and gold.
The highest requires 12 months of volunteering, a total of 18 months practising sport and hobbies, a four-day expedition and a five-day residential teamwork project.
Barry Fisher, director for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Scotland, said: “Congratulations to the young people from Aberdeen who received their Gold Awards.
“It’s particularly fitting to see young people celebrating their achievements in this Year of Young People.
“A record 400 DofE Awards were achieved with Aberdeen City Council last year.
“We continue to work with our partners in the council to ensure all young people in Aberdeen who want to do their DofE programme have the chance to take part – regardless of their background or abilities.
“I look forward to seeing even more young people from Aberdeen achieving their Gold Awards next year.”
The Lord Provost of Aberdeen Barney Crockett said: “The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award has developed over the decades and offers so many opportunities for young people to meet others from different backgrounds, develop new skills and gain in confidence, which will benefit them now and into adulthood.
“With so many activities available here in Aberdeen I would encourage all our young people to find out how they can get involved in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.”