A Golden Treasure Trove – The True Value Of Our Young Awardees

Gold Award ceremonies are occasions of great pride and joy as we gather to mark and to celebrate the achievements of young people who have undertaken the most testing and revealing of challenges. We showcase such inspiring rangatahi, hear about their Award journeys and celebrate their achievements. Achieving your Award – and particularly your Gold Award - is not an easy task. It requires commitment, tests your resilience, and challenges you to step outside your comfort zone. The Award also opens up opportunity for young people, enabling them to be their own agents of change, both for themselves and their communities.

The 88 Gold Awardees celebrated at our upcoming Wellington ceremonies on August 13th have showed tenacity and perseverance to achieve their Award. In their Voluntary Service to others, in their dedication to pursuing excellence in their Skills section in music (violin, piano, guitar…) or shooting, or jewellery making, from the rock-climbing wall or gym in Physical Recreation to the mountains, oceans or rivers on their Adventurous Journeys – Gold Awardees have succeeded in not only taking the reins of their own lives but in becoming valuable citizens of the world.

Each of our Award recipients are outstanding, we highlight a few below.

Leading from the front, Toby Lincoln is considered by all as a true role model. The Award taught him (in his own words) “leadership and [gave] the confidence that I could be anything I wanted to be with hard work, focus and dedication.” Having struggled with school and lacking motivation, once he began his Award journey Toby transformed, ultimately becoming Head Boy, passing NCEA, securing his dream job and looking to the future with optimism. Toby says, “the foundation of my successes, without a doubt, was being a participant of The Duke of Ed programme.”

Completing their Awards through the Order of St John, Daisy and Ciara Claridge have demonstrated persistence throughout their journeys. Hugely passionate about the environment, they are valuable and inspiring kaitiaki for New Zealand. Committed, mature and caring, they volunteered in planting and riding for the disabled, as well as exploring the great outdoors on land and by sea with Spirit of Adventure.

YouRim, from Christchurch Girl’s High School, has been a remarkable participant. Endorsed by her teachers, coaches, and supervisors in her efforts for the Award as diligent, faithful, hardworking, and kind. In her volunteer work with children, she demonstrated patience and she rose to the challenge of teaching and engaging them despite the complexities of working with kids. In her Physical Recreation section YouRim aimed for the heights and ascended them -quite literally as she improved her rock-climbing skills and took on a leadership role advocating for others to participate. Throughout her Award journey she has transitioned from someone shy and cautious, to a leader, actively helping and supporting others and sharing her passions. In completing her Award, YouRim has blossomed into the person she is today, and has fulfilled the Award’s goal; to realise her potential. The Duke of Edinburgh's Hillary Award is (in YouRim’s words) “life-changing and unforgettable”.

Carissa Sanders, from Baradene College, is another embodiment of the Award spirit. Recognised as a true leader and a patient and encouraging part of any team, Carissa has had exciting adventures and contributed diligently to her community. Courageously travelling to Austria by herself and living there for 5 weeks for her Gold Residential section of the Award reaped rewards for her, as she greatly broadened her mind and horizons. The challenge and excitement of this experience has impacted her positively for her future, encouraging her resilience, adaption, confidence, and empathy.

Many talk to the way the Award has changed them; “The Award challenged me and shaped me into the person I am today.” And how “completing my Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award has set me on a path for a rewarding future.”

Every year, more than a million young people participate in the Award worldwide, supported by around 200,000 volunteers. In Aotearoa, there are over 8,000 registrations every year, with 20,000 young people engaged at any one time. The Award is open to all 14-24 year olds regardless of their background, culture, physical ability, skills, and interests and is the world’s leading youth achievement award. The Award centres on facilitating and encouraging young people to take on life-enhancing and community-enhancing challenges which deepen and stretch them, rounding them into admirable, dependable, and active citizens.

“Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination and a hard to find alloy called guts.” – Dan Gable

An overview of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award can be found on our website - www.dofehillary.org.nz

Gold Award Recipients

Saturday 10am Ceremony at Government House, Wellington

We are excited to celebrate students from the below schools:

Aquinas College

Baradene College

Cashmere High School

Central Hawke's Bay College

Christchurch Girls' High School

Craighead Diocesan School

Cromwell College

Escape Adventure

Feilding High School

Glendowie College

Havelock North High School

Iona College

Joshua Foundation

Joshua Youth

Kristin School

Lindisfarne College

Mount Aspiring College

Napier Girls' High School

Nga Tawa School

Order of St. John

Palmerston North Girls' High School

Paraparumu College

Queen Margaret College

Sacred Heart College - Lower Hutt

Scots College

Solway College

St Andrew's College

St Mary's College – Auckland

St Matthew's Collegiate School

St Oran's College

St. Patrick's College – Wellington

St Peter's College - Palmerston North

Tauraroa Area School

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award National Office- Virtual Award

Waimea College

Wellington College

Wellington East Girls' College

Wellington Girls' College

Whanganui Collegiate School

Whitby Collegiate

Woodford House

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