Author: King Ursa

Join me in making a difference

Dear fellow Award Holders,

I hope this message finds you well and filled with the same passion for the Award that has brought us all together. As Youth and Alumni Director-at-Large, I’m thrilled to invite you to a special event that aligns perfectly with the values we hold dear – a Shoreline Cleanup!

Event Details: Saturday, October 21st, 2023

Time: 9:30 AM EST

Location: Sugar Beach, Toronto Ontario

Why Join the Shoreline Cleanup?

Protecting Our Oceans: Our oceans are not just beautiful; they’re vital to our planet’s health. By participating in this cleanup, you’ll directly contribute to preserving marine life and the well-being of our oceans.

Giving Back: As Award Holders, we’ve learned the importance of service to others and our environment. This cleanup is an opportunity to put those values into action.

Join Us as Part of Award Awareness Week!

This event holds a special place during Award Awareness Week, a time when we come together to celebrate the impact and spirit of the Award. I’m excited to announce that on Saturday, October 21st, we’ll be gathering at Sugar Beach located in Downtown Toronto, Ontario for this meaningful cleanup. To be part of this impactful event, please register here.

This cleanup is about more than just picking up trash; it’s about being stewards of our environment and making a real difference. Your presence and commitment would mean the world to us.

If you can’t make it, I invite you to consider leading your own cleanup in your community using Award Canada’s Shoreline Cleanup toolkit! Invite friends, family and other Award Holders you may be connected with, to join you in an impactful community service. Lead by example and together as Award Holders we can create a cleaner and healthier environment.

The Award has shaped us into leaders and change-makers, and now, we have the opportunity to continue living the ethos of the Award.

I look forward to seeing you there and sharing this incredible experience as we make a positive impact on our planet.

With enthusiasm and gratitude,

Alexander Li

Youth and Alumni Director-at-Large

Relationship Building, Daniel’s Award Story

he Duke of Edinburgh Award takes pride in fostering relationships with peers, mentors, and community organizations through building skills and networking. Daniel is a Gold Participant who has reached goals beyond what he set, built relationships with peers, and learned leadership qualities through action.   

 

Meet Daniel  

“My name is Daniel Zhao, and I am a Grade 11 student at St. Andrew’s College, a boarding school in Aurora, Ontario. I was born and raised in Richmond Hill, Ontario, moved to Prince Edward Island when I was in Grade 6, and came back to Ontario in Grade 10 as a boarding student at St. Andrew’s College. I have finished my Bronze and Silver Duke of Edinburgh Awards and am currently working towards my Gold Award. The Award Centres I was involved with were Duke of Edinburgh PEI and Duke of Edinburgh St. Andrew’s College. 

 

My Mentor 

During my time as a participant, my father stood out to me as a mentor. My father has always been there to give me that extra push, whether I’m competing in my sport at a national level or just practicing my craft. My father always gives me that push whenever I’m feeling demotivated. There were weeks when I didn’t want to do any of the work, especially while I was finishing my Bronze and Silver Awards for Duke of Edinburgh. However, my father always managed to inspire me through his long motivational talks. Although sometimes boring, those talks genuinely helped me realize how valuable these skills are to me in the long run. I will be forever grateful. I honestly don’t think I would be where I am now without my father’s motivation. 

 

Building Relationships  

One unexpected benefit of The Award has been the relationships I’ve made throughout my Adventurous Journeys. Since Grade 9, I’ve met people that share similar goals and ambitions as me. I was able to form invaluable relationships with people who have become some of my closest friends as a result of the Duke of Edinburgh Award. 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Although we were all unique in our own ways, we all have one thing in common: working towards a goal.  

  • Daniel Zhao 

Reaching Goals 

My favourite aspect about The Award is how it challenged me to step outside my comfort zone! The Award inspired me to study new things that I never believed I’d be able to learn. If you had told me two years ago that I would be learning the piano, I would have thought you were crazy! I sincerely appreciate how The Award motivates me to develop and excel at a certain objective I set for myself. When I’m feeling unmotivated, I consider there’s a weekly log to fill leading to my end goal. The Online Record Book and SMART Goals motivates me to perform better than my previous week. 

 

Leadership Building 

The Duke of Edinburgh Award program has taught me one of the most important leadership skills: leading by example. During my Silver Adventurous Journey, my group faced a problem. Some members were scared to set up tents because they had no prior experience and didn’t want to make a mistake, while others didn’t have motivation. I knew telling my group members to set up tents wouldn’t work, so instead, I decided to take initiative and set a good example by setting up a tent by myself. Naturally, my group members stepped up and wanted to assist me with setting tents up. When we all contributed to setting up tents, we built team chemistry, and were much more efficient since everyone was working together. 

 

Why You Should Join The Award 

I believe others should join The Award because it truly develops a well-rounded individual. Not only are you meeting amazing people through The Award, but you are also keeping active, giving back to your community, and best of all, developing valuable skills. The skills you learn from The Award can be used anywhere in your future endeavors. For example, if you were to go out camping in the future, you would have prior experience from the Adventurous Journey, impressing all your friends with your camping knowledge and skills. If you lost a button your blazer, don’t worry – I learned how to sew through The Award. Have a football tournament next week? I’m ready. I built super strong cardio through my physical component of my Duke of Edinburgh Award. The Award will turn you into a better version of yourself, and trust me, you’ll be thankful in the future.” 

 

  • Daniel Zhao 

 

 

We are so proud of Daniel, and excited to see him achieve more goals and make an impact in his community. We hope Daniel has inspires you to Join The Award, Volunteer with The Award, or Become an Award Centre.      

 

 

 

 

 

Shelan Emre 

Shelan is an active member of her community who is committed to making a positive impact. Her Award accomplishments include being a Bronze, Silver, and Gold Award Achiever, Award Leader, Passion to Purpose participant, Grant recipient, and Speaker, as well as working with The Award in Canada as an Award Specialist and in Marketing Communications. 

 

Canadian Award Holder- Amy Skinner

“As a proud recipient of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards, I am grateful for the way the Award has impacted my life. When I started my Bronze Award in 2015 I could have never imagined how it would impact the trajectory of my life and my goals. The Award was first introduced to my entire ninth grade as my middle school principal had been active with the Award for years. Being a go-getter, I began my Bronze Award as a resumé booster thinking that it would not hurt to complete my Bronze Award and determine whether to continue upon finishing the first Award. From my Bronze Award, my Adventurous Journey was the highlight as I got to take part in a Westcoast Sailing Trip with my classmates where we lived on a tall ship for a week. On this journey I was able to not only have fun, but experience life aboard a tall ship at sea.  

 

As an avid volunteer at my church in children’s ministry, I was deeply involved in my community and loved how the Award recognized this. The way the Award fit into my lifestyle, recognizing the ways I was already contributing to my community and personal development, was ideal. Throughout my entire Award journey, I continued to volunteer in children’s ministry where I am now the Children’s Pastor.  

 

It was not until 2019 where the Award really impacted my views of community through giving the opportunity to attend Passion to Purpose Acadia alongside 100 other young leaders from across Canada. Passion to Purpose introduced me to community investment from a non-profit perspective by teaching us about grants, community projects and providing funding for our own projects. From this I found my passion for non-profit work by designing and executing my Summer Camp In A Box project for Kids Cancer Care Alberta for the past two years.  

 

It was incredible to use the skills I had gained at the Passion to Purpose Forum and Bootcamp to create my own community project and see it through from the beginning to the end. Going forward, I am pursuing a Master of Philanthropy and Non-profit Leadership degree with the hopes of continuing to invest in the lives of children and families. I have already been doing this through my volunteer work in ministry and the non-profit sector but knowing that I enjoy the many facets of non-profit leadership and philanthropy from the Award gives me confidence that I will fit well in the sector. 

 

Through my Gold Award experience, I have made lifelong friends, gained skills that will set the foundations of my career and developed resiliency. I am grateful for the friendships and professional relationships the Award has given me. Most of all, I am very grateful for my principal for introducing the Award to all the grade nines in middle school because it has given me opportunities that I would have never thought possible. I have had so many amazing experiences while completing each of my Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards. I have made lifelong friends, travelled, and gained skills that will set the foundations of my career.”