TAC Hosts Duke of Edinburgh International Youth Awards
(DoEIA) Award Ceremony for the Bronze Category
TAC students in the bronze category of the Duke of Edinburgh International Youth Awards Program received certificates to recognize their efforts in and commitment to the program.
The DoEIA Program is a personal development program which is open to all young people aged 14-24.
In alignment with TAC’s mission statement, the objectives of the program is to promote personal and social values and develop positive skills in young people.
Since its establishment in 1956 by Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, over 8 million young adults have joined this award program in over 140 countries. In Turkey, over 3000 teenagers have completed the award program since 2003.
The awards program is comprised of three categories: Gold, Silver and Bronze. In these categories, the activities for the components of Skill Development, Physical Development, and Community Service need to be practiced regularly, on a schedule that is followed and approved by the awards leader at the school. The program also has an Adventure and Exploration Camp.
The program consists of a process where students develop an awareness about the skills and strengths needed to pursue a particular path in life with regards to the importance of respecting the environment, the importance of being patient and consistent towards reaching ones goals, as well as the importance of developing skills for a healthy lifestyle.
“The people touched by balanced people grow to be balanced as well”. This Native American proverb captures the essence of being a true human.
With this program, which has been offered at TAC since 2011, our students exemplified the principles of the programme by providing academic support to students in sister schools, and organizing special days to give them presents or needed items. In their visits to the elderly citizens, they became their grandsons, granddaughters, and sometimes their students. At the adventure and exploration camp, they learned how the human body longs to commune with nature, and came to understand how important food and water is when camping overnight. They realized that friendship can be their compass in finding their way around and they now have a closer understanding of how stray animals live in animal shelters, and, through this process have discovered themselves as inhabitants of the earth.
At TAC, the TAC DoEIA team is further expanding to be able to enhance the meaningful experiences gained by the students. Interested students can sign up with Ms. Gülay Damar, Ms. Tuba Karabağ, Mr. Önder Şit, the awards leaders at TAC.
By the time that they completed the DoEIA process, they have been well reminded of all the real rewards brought by the program, which was the learning as stated above.
They have been declared as the queens, kings, princes, and princesses of this land by the nation’s great leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk many years ago. Their understanding of how valuable they are as individuals, that they have been rewarded by the freedom as citizens and the owners of the homeland has grown throughout the program.
This awareness, students’ strengths, and the skills they developed throughout the program was celebrated in a well-attended ceremony with the students, their families, and teachers.
For more information about the components of the program, please visit
http://www.intaward.org.tr.