International Awards for Young People /
Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme

Standard 10 UPWARDS

 

Hebron has a long tradition of offering the International Award for Young People (formally the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme) to students from Standard 10 and upwards. We believe it is an outstanding way for students to connect with the wider context of their school environment, with the community in Ooty and the Nilgiris and also with the geography and terrain of India.

Participants select a way they can serve their local community (this can be the Hebron or Ooty community) and commit to serve regularly during the time they are working on their award.

The International Award for Young People (Duke of Edinburgh’s Award) is offered at Hebron School to students in Std. 10 and above.  Please note that students are encouraged to enrol in the last term of Std. 9 due to expedition requirements (see expedition section below).
There are three levels for the Program :

• Bronze (6 months),
• Silver (6 months) &
• Gold (12 months)

and there are four sections:

• Service,
• Sport,
• Skills &
• Expeditions (Gold participants also complete a Residential Project).

Service

Participants select a way they can serve their local community (this can be the Hebron or Ooty community) and commit to serve regularly during the time they are working on their award. It is also important for participants to carry on their service or find a replacement when they have completed their award.

Sport

Participants select a sport they will work on.  The aim is to improve in their chosen sport and thus the goals set for each participant may be different.

Skills

This is an opportunity for participants to develop a new skill or improve an existing one.  Once again the emphasis is on improvement and each participant sets their own targets.

Expeditions

These are a highlight of the award and involve training, practice trips and a final expedition.  For practice trips and the Bronze Award, these expeditions are likely to involve camping and hiking in the local area. There may be opportunities for Silver and Gold participants to opt for expeditions further afield.

Equipment

The school can provide equipment such as tents and stoves for expeditions.  Each participant will need their own sleeping bag and Back Pack (Rucksack) as minimum camping equipment.  A 3 season (or 0 degree) rated sleeping bag and a 65 litre pack are recommended.  Please note that this pack will be used to carry all the equipment required for a 2, 3 or 4 day walk.

Enrollment in the Scheme

It is each student’s responsibility to enrol themselves in the award.  (They need to do this through the school).  They will need to return :
a completed form
parental permission to participate in the award (this can be a signature on the form, an email or a letter)
Rs. 500 (or permission to take the amount from their parents’ account).

Costs

The enrolment fee covers the cost of registration for one level of the award (i.e. you will need to pay Rs. 500 for each level).  Costs for the Service, Skills and Sport sections (e.g. equipment, music lessons, transport) will need to be covered by parents and will vary depending on the choices participants make.  Expedition costs depend on the location of the trip. Bronze expeditions are usually completed as part of the dorm program so there are no additional costs to parents (unless students miss the dorm camps).  Expeditions (hikes) in the local area cost around Rs.800 per trip for Silver and around Rs. 2,000 for Gold.  Permission given to students to participate in the award includes permission to participate in and pay for local expeditions.  Students sometimes take the opportunity to participate in an expedition or adventurous journey in another area (such as the Himalayas or a climbing weekend).  These trips will be advertised to students and parental permission will be gained for the additional costs.