Projects

Indigenous Project in Dubbo NSW  

The Dubbo Community Initiative began with a vision of working with 50 Indigenous youth and rapidly that number grew to 150 and continues to grow in number and its reach each week. Of those initially registered, 30 working-aged participants have secured either full or part time employment with strong anecdotal evidence that suggests their Award is a key factor in getting their jobs.

Another exciting outcome is a large number of school aged participants have indicated their intention to stay at school to school certificate level. A further 15 students who left school are undertaking distance education courses through the local TAFE and other community groups.

The majority of participants have earned their Bronze Award and are now working toward their Silver Award.

Juvenile Justice

Brisbane Youth Detention Centre (BYDC) completed a successful pilot of The Award and has now launched a specific Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Unit. The Centre is a 24 hour facility which accommodates male and female offenders. BYDC recognised The Award program as a key method to assist young people in realising their potential.

The initial selection of participants for the pilot program was undertaken to ensure the young people were able to complete the six month Bronze Program. Four of the selected participants completed the program and an Awards ceremony was conducted to celebrate the achievement.

To encourage the development of personal interests and practical skills the participants studied music and hospitality.

To encourage participation in physical recreation and improvement of performance they undertook 20 hours of gym and physical fitness over 8 weeks.

To encourage a sense of community service and responsibility to others the young participated in nature and beautification programs for 15 hours over three months.

To encourage a spirit of adventure and discovery the young people participated in an overnight camp at the decommissioned detention centre. Activities included rules and boundary setting, occupational health and safety, first aid, outdoor cooking, orienteering, story telling, astronomy and knot skill.