Upon the death of Prince Philip

 

On Friday shortly after noon, it was announced his royal highness Prince Philip, husband of her royal highness The Queen had died overnight.

Prince Philip was a person who supported youth movements such as Scouting and took a very active interest in the well-being of children and young people and having had a difficult upbringing being forced to flee his own country of birth and in marrying into the Royal Family understood how hard it can be find your way in and niche in something you were not born into.

He also was a man who understood the challenges of young people in moving into adulthood and in 1956 established a program, the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, that provided opportunities for 14 to 24 year olds  to work towards in five main areas with assistance from adult Leaders, participants select and set objectives in each of the following areas:

Volunteering: undertaking service to individuals or the community.

Physical: improving in an area of sport, dance or fitness activities.

Skills: developing practical and social skills and personal interests.

Expedition: planning, training for, and completion of an adventurous journey in the UK or abroad.

At Gold level, participants must do an additional fifth Residential section, which involves staying and working away from home for five days, doing a shared activity.

To achieve an award, the participant must work on each section for a minimum period of time, and must be monitored and assessed by someone with knowledge of the chosen activities. Each progressive level demands more time and commitment from participants: Bronze 3–6 months; Silver: 6–9 months; Gold: 12–18 months. Participants are required to show regular activity and commitment to the award for the duration of their DofE programme, which is usually at least one hour per week.

Individuals need not belong to any organization in order to participate although it it is common for people to do so though Explorers in Scouting and the like because it is a stand alone program that can and does fit into other youth organizations own schemes

Depending on the Award such work may take from 1 to 4 years only needing to be completed by their 25th birthday.

In the United Kingdom over 6 million young people have taken part in the scheme from all social, religious and racial backgrounds, transforming lives some from very troubled backgrounds for the better.

This interest in young people, his practical response to their challenges in enabling them to have the opportunities to grow is why many of us had the utmost respect for him and why it is upon his death I am paying tribute to him today.