The Memorandum of Cooperation was signed on Tuesday 24 August 2021 by Deputy Governor Jiří Nantl and the Director of the Duke of Edinburgh International Award, Tomáš Vokáč.
The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award (DofE) is a global programme operating in over 130 countries. The DofE is a programme for young people to engage regularly in three areas: movement, skills and volunteering. At the end, they go on a multi-day expedition with friends. At the end of their DofE journey, they will receive an internationally recognised certificate.
"We need schools to create space for the overall personal development of the young generation. Programmes like the DofE are an excellent tool for young people to learn skills that cannot be taught directly. That's why I'm pleased to have confirmed our partnership with the DofE, which sends a signal from the county to schools that this type of activity needs to be encouraged," comments on future cooperation Jiří Nantl - Deputy Governor for Education and Smart Region. Deputy Nantl also plans to make schools' participation in non-formal education and personal development programmes for young people (whether DofE or other programmes) one of the criteria the county uses to assess headteachers in future years.
"The DofE programme not only develops young people in key competences, but also brings new skills and teaching methods to teachers, educators and youth workers. We are therefore delighted that the South Moravian Region supports innovation in education and that our organisation can be part of this. Almost 30 institutions in the region are already involved and we look forward to more," adds the director of the organisation Tomas Vokac.
The DofE programme was founded in 1956 by HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, husband of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. The programme is therefore called The Duke of Edinburgh Award (DofE for short). Kurt Hahn, a German educator who promoted experiential learning, and Lord Hunt, who, among other things, led the first successful expedition to the summit of Mount Everest, were involved with Prince Philip in developing the programme. The programme has been running in the Czech Republic since 1995.
The signing of the Memorandum between the County and DofE will be followed by an implementation meeting between DofE representatives and the main regional education agencies (VIM, JCMM, Lipka) in approximately two months.
