In Vestec near Prague, a unique lime avenue will be planted. The tree planting is a joint activity of the DofE programme, the Sázíme budoucnost initiative and the Central Bohemian Region. One hundred lime trees will grow in Vestec as a reminder of the legacy of Prince Philip, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday last year, and most importantly as a reminder of his activities to support young people.
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Prince Philip founded The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award (DofE for short), a non-formal education programme to support young people in long-term development, 66 years ago. The programme has quickly spread abroad and now operates in 130 countries worldwide. The Central Bohemian Region and the DofE signed a Memorandum of Cooperation last year. Almost 40 different schools in the region are now involved in the DofE programme.
Last year, a global celebration of Prince's legacy was held in honour of his 100th birthday. The Czech branch of the DofE programme, which has been running for 27 years and works with more than 290 schools across the Czech Republic, organised the celebrations. The celebrations were held under the name #dofe100 and will culminate in the planting of a lime tree in Prince Philip's Alley in the Central Bohemian Region, specifically in Vestec near Prague.
"I am delighted that we will have an avenue planted in the county just in honour of Prince Philip. His lifelong activities on behalf of the younger generation, as well as on behalf of the environment, are admirable and should be an example to others. Finding the optimum place to plant the lime avenue was not easy. Of the many Central Bohemian municipalities that expressed interest, Vestec was finally chosen in agreement with the DofE and dendrology experts, and I congratulate them. The planting of the 100-tree Avenue will take place on 23 April 2022 in cooperation with the Planting the Future initiative," said Governor Petra Pecková (STAN).
The #dofe100 project kicked off with a reception to celebrate the legacy of Prince Philip, which the DofE organised under the auspices of the Deputy Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Jiří Růžička, in June 2021. As part of this initiative, people and companies who care about the future of the younger generation can still donate to the DofE's Social Fund via the donujme.cz platform, enabling socially disadvantaged young people to get involved. For every CZK 10,000 donated, DofE will also plant a tree in Prince Philip's Avenue, supporting not only young people but also and above all ecology, which was very close to Prince Philip's heart. Given the current situation, the funds from the additional trees sold will also go towards the development of a DofE project aimed at integrating young people from Ukraine who are now coming to the Czech Republic.
The #dofe100 project was also supported by the programme's patrons, TV Nova presenter Karel Kašák and world martial arts champion Martina Ptáčková. "What unites us is that we never stopped working on ourselves and never gave up. That's why we decided to support DofE and their #dofe100 project. DofE teaches young people how to work on themselves, finish things, work as a team and achieve their dreams while helping others. The funds raised from #dofe100 will help those who would not otherwise be able to apply for the programme."
