A total of 543 young people from Prešov region were presented with prestigious international silver and bronze Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) awards at a ceremony held at the House of Arts in Kosice on Monday (5 October), informed Kristina Talabova of the DofE Slovakia, adding that the awards followed hundreds of hours of sport, talent development, volunteering and expeditions.
"Dear graduates, it's an honour for me to be here with you today and to celebrate the achievements of young people from across Slovakia. You've invested a great deal of time, energy and perseverance in your personal development. Thanks to this, you are now better prepared to face various challenges. Your stories also show just how diverse, practical and inspiring the DofE programme is," British Ambassador to Slovakia Bilal Zahid told the young people from the stage.
DofE participants set their own goals based on their interests and the areas in which they wish to develop. They regularly engage in four areas: sport, talent, volunteering and completing their journey with an adventurous expedition.
"It's precisely in situations like these that character is forged. It is like a muscle: the more you work on it, the stronger it becomes. That's why you now know that you can achieve more than you may have initially thought. I'd also like to thank the teachers and youth workers who supported you on your DofE journey," said DofE Slovakia director Milos Ondrasik.
Young people from Prešov region who received their awards at the ceremony collectively devoted more than 1,200 days to volunteering, helping communities, organisations and people in their local areas and investing time in their own personal development.
The DofE is a personal development programme for young people aged between 14 and 24, operating in more than 130 countries worldwide. More than 1 million young people take part in it every year.
In Slovakia, more than 10,000 young people have actively participated in the DofE over the past year, with 6,159 new registrations and 2,957 participants successfully completing the programme.
Source: TASR
