Canadian Award Holder – Debapriya Chakraborty

I first became aware of the existence of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award when I was going to school in India.  However, that was a tumultuous time in my life, and I did not have the opportunity to sign up.  My family and I moved to Canada shortly after and I was thrilled when a representative from the Award came to my high school to encourage us to participate.  It was a taste of the familiar in a whole new environment I had been thrust into.  Although many of my classmates signed up on that day, I was the only person in that cohort to follow through and finish my Gold Award.   

Working through the Gold level independently was a unique challenge, especially for a newcomer.  My family had never been camping before so when I found out that I had to take part in multiple Adventurous Journeys, my excitement was coloured with apprehension.  Ultimately, I had the most fun during my camping trips with complete strangers and truly learnt the value of teamwork, patience and resilience.  Whenever I was plagued with doubt over the course of my Award journey, be it after a botched attempt at cooking (skill) or being too exhausted to meet with the trainer at the gym (physical activity) or after meeting with a disinterested student at the library (community service), my parents were my biggest cheerleaders and they reminded me time and time again that I was going through this experience to build my confidence, improve my leadership and communication skills, and to give back to my community. 

The skills I cultivated completing the Award helped shape who I am today.  This is why I continue to volunteer as an Award Leader, mentoring young people in Canada who are participating in the Award independently.  Having gone through the experience, it is beyond rewarding knowing that I helped someone discover who they want to be and how the Award can help them achieve their goals. 

Outside of the Award, I work in global health research looking at prevention of non-communicable diseases.  Previously, I worked as a community health worker where I designed and delivered programming focused on food security of seniors living in community housing, prevention of COVID-19 in high-risk populations, and public health advocacy which aimed to destigmatise mental illness and accessing services geared towards improving mental health.  I have lived in three continents and hope to continue exploring our beautiful planet as this current pandemic draws to a close. 

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