Prestigious informal education programme of the Duke of Edinburgh will also support pupils from the Liberec Region

"There is more and more interest in the programme every year. Currently, 130 countries from all over the world are participating. It is also supported by the British Royal Family and I am very pleased that the Liberec Region is also signing up," said the Governor Martin Půta.

The programme is intended for primary and secondary schools, universities, sports clubs and other organisations working with children and young people. Participants in the programme choose activities in four areas:

• Movement - improving physical fitness and motivation for a healthy lifestyle.
• Skill - improvement in various activities, development of skills and talents.
• Volunteering - expanding interest in helping others, strengthening responsibility and character.
• Expedition - overcoming yourself, problem solving, communication and teamwork.

"The young people volunteer for the activities. The duration depends on the level of the programme chosen - bronze for a minimum of six months, silver for at least one year and gold for at least one and a half years. Upon successful completion of their goals, students receive a prestigious certificate that is recognized by foreign universities and employers," added Petr Tulpa, Deputy Governor for Education, Youth, Sports, Sports and Employment.

Main principles of DofE:

• Individual approach - each participant chooses activities and sets goals according to their interests.
• Non-competitive nature - there is no competition in the program, participation in the program is a personal challenge.
• Open to all - anyone between the ages of 14 and 24 can participate.
• Voluntary - all activities are performed by participants voluntarily and of their own free will.
• Emphasis on development - goals are set with healthy challenge and motivation in mind.
• Balance - the program promotes the development of character, skills and social awareness.
• Increasing demands - each level requires more time, commitment and responsibility.
• Inspirational - participants set their goals, strive to meet them and thus improve.
• Longevity - the program promotes perseverance, responsibility and intrinsic motivation.
• Fun - the programme should bring joy, fulfilment and satisfaction.

"Students are doing what interests them: learning a new foreign language, developing presentation skills, playing musical instruments. They can improve in running, team sports, or even swim the Strait of Gibraltar. The volunteering area is part of the programme where they get involved in helping their community. With this memorandum, the Liberec Region confirms that it really cares about the successful future of the young generation," added Tomáš Vokáč, DofE Executive Director.

By concluding the cooperation agreement, the Liberec Region undertakes to provide financial support to its contributory organisations involved in the DofE programme. The contribution amounts to CZK 10,000 and is intended to cover the annual licence fee for registration, fees for individual training courses and other activities.

At present, four contributory organisations of the Liberec Region are involved in the programme, namely the Secondary School of Applied Arts Kamenický Šenov, the Liberec Gymnasium F. X. Šalda, the Gymnasium Česká Lípa and the Secondary Industrial School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering and Higher Vocational School in Liberec. "After the conclusion of the cooperation agreement, we expect other schools to be interested," added the governor Půta.  

Preliminarily, the following four contributory organisations of the Liberec Region would like to join the DofE programme:

Mgr. Filip Trdla, Spokesman of the Liberec Region