Vol XI, Issue 09 ................................. The Award Weekly ................................ 27 February 2019

The International Award for Young People

would like to wish you

ALL THE VERY BEST

for your Examinations!

The Adventurous Journey section of the Award Programme is not just a platform for expanding the knowledge base of young adults; it’s an opportunity for participants to build human connections and develop their leadership abilities. Advaita Singh, an Award participant from Billabong High International School, Bhopal, narrates her experience of visiting Chandigarh, Manali and Delhi, highlighting how she made a new family in the process.

Here is the thing about an adrenaline rush -- there is nothing like it; the racing pulse, the thudding heart, the shaking of the feet in anticipation and fear and the doubt that constantly knocks against your once logical mind. So, we can proudly proclaim that the journey that we undertook to Chandigarh, Manali and Delhi as part of IAYP’s Adventurous Journey section was unmatched in terms of experience.

On 22nd December 2018, a bunch of exhilarated participants boarded the Bhopal Express to begin a journey that they would cherish forever. After hours of journeying through the plains and the hills, we arrived in Manali. With its snow-capped mountains, breathtaking landscape and starry skies, Manali had an air that made us push ourselves beyond our comfort zones. The temperature being sub-zero there, we realized the importance of sticking together, quite literally.

Having travelled for long hours, we were exhausted on the first day. However, with renewed zeal, the next day we trekked up to Solang Valley where we participated in adventure sports like zip lining, snow-mobile ride, skiing and snow tube ride. We walked back home before nightfall where a comfortable bonfire evening awaited us. We spent the evening under the stars, singing songs, playing games and planning our rafting trip, scheduled for the next day. River Beas was our rafting point in Kullu. We cut through the chilly breeze as our rafts raced across the snow-fed stream, bumping over the river rapids, leaving us with an enthralling experience.

Though our trip was amazing in its entirety, its highlights were activities like trekking, zip lining, rafting that challenged us to vanquish our fears. We not only developed as individuals but also learnt to move forward as a team. We have become more adaptable and receptive, learning to push our limits. The trip has brought us closer to our existing friends and offered us opportunities to make new ones. This week-long experience was one where we minted memories with people who had now become our family. Now that we have resumed living our normal lives and routines, we can say that the people who have returned are not the same anymore; they have undergone a complete transformation of their personalities and ideologies.

Adventurous Journey and Gold Residential Project

1st - 15th June 2019, Spiti, Northern Himalayas, India

Gold Award participants from around the globe are welcome to apply for the two-weeks Solar Conservation Project at Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, organised by Ecosphere in collaboration with IAYP India. The project is one of its kind, combining an Adventurous Journey and Gold Residential Project exclusively for Gold Award participants.

During this journey, the Award participants will be travelling through Spiti and will spend 5 days assisting the local community in the construction of a greenhouse, enabling a local farmer or a Monastery/Nunnery to have access to green vegetables throughout the year. You will participate in the actual construction of a greenhouse and will be assisted by a dedicated team comprising a qualified mason and trained person from Ecosphere. The activity will entail physical work and you will get hands-on learning of traditional mud building techniques – both mud blocks and rammed earth. You will also learn the basics of solar passive architecture and how best to insulate using readily available local material and the sun to heat up the structure.

The trip is a mix of work and pleasure. During this trip participants will be visiting some of the highest villages in the world, going on a high-altitude trek, visiting some ancient monasteries dating back to over a 1000 years, and taking a yak/horse safari and mountain bike -- if interested. Traditional homestays further enrich the experience by giving one an authentic understanding of the life and culture in a Spitian home.

Detailed information and application form can be obtained from here. The last date for registration is 30th April 2019.

Now we want to hear from you! Once a year we run a satisfaction survey for all Award Units, to allow our dedicated Award volunteers to express their opinions on the Award, tell us about their experiences delivering the Award, and help us improve the support we give to Award Units. Please fill out the survey here.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation is currently working on setting up a Global Alumni Network (GAN) with an aim to provide added value for the existing local alumni structures and encourage forming of new structures in those countries where there is no such provision for Award alumni as yet. The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award has setup the official Facebook group for the Global Alumni Network. This group is for Award holders who would like to be involved in and informed about the development of this initiative and who would be interested in engaging with the GAN, once it is established.

We invite you to join this group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/GlobalAlumniNetwork/

Join us as we celebrate the Award and shout about the importance of non-formal education for young people around the world.

As an important member of the Award family, we’re excited to share our brand new global film with you!

In November 2018, the Award’s global family launched #WORLDREADY – a campaign which aims to shout about the Award, its inspirational participants and adults who support it, as well as the importance of non-formal education in helping to prepare young people for the world.

Check out the brand new film here

We need your help to spread the word!

Help us to spread the word by…

Find out more about the campaign and join the #WORLDREADY discussion at www.worldready.org.

Online Record Book (ORB) Next Generation is simpler, faster and more accessible and has some great new improvements. Once registered, this new version can be accessed anytime, anywhere through the Mobile Apps designed for Participants and Award Leaders.

If you are interested, please get in touch with the Programme Team for more details.

We welcome Sacred Heart School, Siliguri, West Bengal and The Galaxy School, Wadi, Gujarat to IAYP India family as a new YES Centre, and wish them every success.

YES Centres in India are strategic allies in promoting the all-inclusive growth of The Award. Click for updated list

The aim of partnering is to harness the potential and to encourage young people to grow from their own strengths. Individuals and organisations are welcome to partner with the Award Programme Foundation and help develop the Programme. Click to visit the Partners page

IAYP India Office in Delhi
Phone: +91 11 4108 7062 and Telefax: +91 11 26497164

Programme Manager - Bivujit Mukhoty
Mob: +91 9310133900, email: programme@dofe.in / bivujit@dofe.in

Head IT & ORB - Priyank Kumar Gupta
Mob: +91 9719408779, email: priyank@dofe.in

Programme Officer - Pallavi Gill
Mob: +91 8860749968, email: pallavi@dofe.in

Communications Manager
Tel.: +91 11 26497164, email: communication@dofe.in

Programme Assistant

Bhagyasree Sengupta
email: bhagyasree@dofe.in

For more information visit www.iayp.in
Contact the Communications Team with updates, photos, feedback and more.