27 February, Brno - Three hundred and forty-two young people from all over the South Moravian Region received the Duke of Edinburgh International Award, DofE for short, in Brno. The non-formal education programme is for people aged 13 to 24. It has been running in the Czech Republic since 1995. The DofE can also help young people with entrance exams. For example, Brno's Střední škola grafická gives points for a certificate from the programme in the admissions process.
The awards were presented to the young people for bronze and silver level. Each participant in the programme chooses a skill, sport and volunteer activity according to their interest. They then dedicate themselves to these for several months. They must also complete a team expedition. "DofE develops young people, guides, inspires and motivates them to find maybe something new in themselves. To stay with it, not to give up and to do something that one enjoys and pushes," says Gabriela Drastichová, Director of the Czech office of the International Prize.
In 2024, 1,473 young people from the South Moravian Region joined the DofE programme
Last year, a total of 1 473 primary and secondary school pupils, members of sports clubs or children from children's homes were involved in the programme in the South Moravian Region. In total, there are 54 DofE centres in the region. In Brno, 26 centres are involved in the DofE, where 834 pupils participate in the programme.
Nela Večeřová joined the DofE at the Labská Primary School in Brno. At the bronze level, she set a goal to improve her target shooting in korfball. In Skills, she aimed to compose a song, sing and prepare a YouTube video clip for it and in Volunteering, she taught her school assistant's son the guitar.
"At the beginning I thought DofE compliance would be easy. The beginning was really easy - doing tasks that I enjoyed. But then I found it was harder than it first appeared. But by completing the bronze level, I was able to not only overcome the obstacles but also believe in myself."
At primary school Nela joined the programme under the guidance of Daniel Andrášik. He appreciates that the DofE is a programme for everyone. "Pupils with different interests can get involved, but also those from less stimulating backgrounds who have not done anything organised before. However, the DofE is not just about pupils' personal growth, the project also pushes the leaders who accompany the pupils. Watching pupils develop and overcome their own challenges is very inspiring and motivating, and the experience gained can be transferred to the educational process in the school environment," adds Daniel Andrášik.
About the Duke of Edinburgh International Award (DofE)
The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award programme was founded by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1956 to encourage the self-development of boys and girls regardless of their background, physical ability or skill. The programme was brought to the Czech Republic by golf champion Luisa Abrahams. Last year, over 8,800 young people took part in the programme across the country in nearly four hundred DofE centres. Nearly 900 volunteer DofE leaders - teachers, preventers, educators or coaches - accompanied them at 381 DofE centres.
