Student Voice: My Duke of Edinburgh Award – Adventure and Growth
Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi is made up of students from around the world, with a depth and breadth of experiences that create a vibrant, thriving student body community.
In our series of Student Voice articles, we provide a platform for the students in our community to share their experiences and passions as they explore how Dulwich has helped them Learn Worldwise, so they can Live Worldwise with the skills, knowledge and motivation to make a positive difference in the world.
Students at Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi are currently preparing to embark on the ‘Adventurous Journey’; one of the four key elements of the Duke of Edinburgh International Award. This is a crucial part of the International Award, as this is where you have to plan your own route for your group and decide together what is the purpose of your journey. You will be asking yourself, “What will I be researching or looking for along the way?”. For my Adventurous Journey we kayaked in Dian Shan Lake to observe nature and the effects of pollution in the lake and its surrounding environment, as well as what interventions are being put in place to combat the pollution. After your journey you will have to prepare a presentation to discuss your findings to your teacher and peers, and submit this presentation to your Online Record Book for the International Award.
In addition to the Adventurous Journey, the Duke of Edinburgh International Award is made up of three other key challenges in the areas of ‘Skill’, ‘Physical Recreation’, and ‘Service’. Your ‘Skill’ is a something you will have to learn or develop which is not part of your school curriculum. For example, if I am studying Mandarin in school, then Mandarin cannot be selected as my ‘Skill’. I could learn a different language as my ‘Skill’, but this would need to be specific and justified by the questions such as, “What do you want to get from your skill by the end of the award?”. ‘Physical Recreation’ can be anything related to exercise or sports. Again, you cannot select basketball simply because you enjoy playing. You must think of a positive outcome from participating in the sport. For example, “I would like to participate in basketball because I want to increase my free-throw shot percentage from getting 5/15 shots to 10/15 in the basket. This can be tested by comparing how many shots I make at the start of my 6 months and how many free-throw shots I can make at the end of the 6-month period”. The ‘Service’ challenge this can be anything that positively impacts your community inside or outside of school, not for personal gain. This can be guided by the questions like, “What effect will your service have on others?”. Luckily for students wanting to participate in the International Award the Online Record Book provides examples of what you could do for you ‘Skill’, ‘Physical Recreation’ and ‘Service’ challenges.
The International Award has three tiers: Bronze, Silver and Gold. Due to the International Award being a sustained effort over a period of time, your award type will dictate how long your award will take. If you were to select Bronze you would only have to participate for 6 months, however for the Silver and Gold awards you would be participating for upwards of a year. This is a significant commitment that requires dedication and passion to complete. I would say we are incredibly privileged to be able to take part in the International Award in our school, particularly as we are offered the ability to cater the process to our individual needs and interests. This individual attention gives us space for self-development throughout the duration of the Award. Before even starting the award, we spend time discussing with our teachers the possible choices of what we may do for ‘Service’, ‘Skill’ and ‘Physical Recreation’. This allows us to see if they are realistic goals, and if we can we fit the obligations into our school day. This is where our school stands out from others in my opinion, as every student has the opportunity to have a personalised journey, whereas not everyone would get the same opportunity in other schools.
My personal experience when completing my Silver Award is an example of this. During my ‘Service’ project, I had a teacher who aided in setting up dedicated times during the school week - during lunches, CCA times and even creating an elective - to reduce the pressure of having to work extra hours outside of school for the Award. I know other members of the International Award have also used this individual approach to customise their International Award journey. When I first started my Silver Award I was in Year 11, and initially had a vague idea of what I could do for the award. We all were able to have set times during our wellbeing classes to discuss with teachers about possible choices for ‘Skill’, 'Physical Recreation’, and ‘Service’ to explore what is suitable and reasonable for ourselves. The International Award is an individual process but, it does not mean you cannot work with others. For example, I worked with my friends, Jay and Yap, to work on our Farmbot project and develop the College Eco-Garden. Apart from the Adventurous Journey, some of my most memorable moments during the International Award are from when we got our Farmbot moving for the first time. We had struggled for weeks fixing minor details and to see our hard work paid off was a proud moment. Our supervisor was also so heavily invested in the project with us that he even danced the robot in front of our robot!
Reducing the time needed outside of school has helped manage the commitment required and allowed us to continue participating in other Co-Curricular Activities and keep up with our regular homework. The extra responsibility required to complete the International Award may seem worrisome for some participants, but rest assured that even though this is your journey and your responsibility, you are not alone. You are surrounded by other classmates and peers who are on the same journey, but unique to them.
Here are some words from other International Award participants!
What do you think is the greatest benefit of participating in the IA?
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Vaishu
Although I think participating in IA looks great in our university applications, I also think that voluntary service helps us bring in a sense of community; ‘Skills’ helps us develop our hobbies which we may not always have time for and ‘Physical Recreation’ to improve our overall wellbeing and health.
Isabel
To be able to remain well rounded during by IGCSE's as I had to participate in active, creative, and service activities for at least 1 hour a week. This was very fun and helped me prepare for the CAS I am now doing at IB level.
What advice would you give to someone thinking about doing the IA?
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Ollie
Don't lose track of your progress or let your workload build up. Also Aim High, Work Hard, Be Kind And Respectful, but most importantly make a Difference.
Vaishu
To someone who is planning to do IA, I think I would tell them that doing the IA needs you to focus and give all the activities your best. It needs you to be determined too.
I have learnt during this process is that failures are the key to success as you learn and develop from them. One element I enjoyed about the International Award is that it encourages mistakes as long as you are able to adapt and learn from them. This also helped me prepare for doing my CAS projects during my IBDP due to the similarities between the two. The International Award has aided in my self-development; making me a better person overall and helping me develop positive habits which have carried into my studies making me a better student. I am more able to live and breathe our school values of aiming high, working hard, being kind and respectful and making a difference.
If you are keen to learn more about our Senior School programme and how we can provide a bespoke educational pathway for your child, click 'Read More' at the bottom of this article and contact our Admissions team to arrange a personalised admissions consultation.
