2 MAY 2008

THE WORLD'S LEADING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Universally recognised as the world's leading achievement award for young people, The Duke of Edinburgh's Award sets out to formally evidence the impact of its programmes.

Independent research from the United Learning Trust showed that The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is the first thing employers seek on a CV after academic qualifications. Leadership, teamwork, self-motivation, perseverance, communication and confidence are all key soft skills developed through participation in the Award - and just what employers are looking for. No other programme develops such a broad range of skills or has such a positive impact on young people and their futures.

To further the understanding of the impact of taking part in the Award, The Duke of Edinburgh's Award has commissioned a major 18-month research and evaluation Impact project. Funded by The Pears Foundation, this in-depth examination of the experiences of participants, leaders and partner organisations, together with research into the life-long effects on people once they've completed an Award, will be carried out by the Centre for Children and Youth at the Northampton University.

Phil Hope MP and Minister for the Third Sector launched the Impact project on May 2^nd at Brooke Weston Community Technology College, Corby, Northants. He was joined by heroes from all walks of life: an Olympic athlete; an explorer; a DJ; and inspirational Duke of Edinburgh's Award volunteering champion, extreme charity fundraiser Lloyd Scott. He was accompanied by the nine foot high robot that he wore during this year's London Marathon. Young people from the school who are taking part in the Award got to take on the researcher's role and asked our heroes all about their involvement with, and commitment to, the Award.

The results will allow The Duke of Edinburgh's Award to further demonstrate to stakeholders the benefits of the Award in order to secure support and funding in the future, which will allow even more young people to benefit from its programmes in the future - and continue to enhance their employability prospects.

Phil Hope MP and Minister for the Third Sector said: "I am honoured to be asked to launch this important research project, we all know the anecdotal benefits of the Aaward, but this research will measure how lives have been changed by the experiences of the young people taking part. I have met many young people locally who have really enjoyed the challenges of taking part in the awards, who have been pushed to do new and exciting things that they might never have come across before. I think the life skills formed through these experiences will stay with them for ever."

Executive Chair of The Pears Foundation, Trevor Pears said: "For over fifty years The Duke of Edinburgh's Award has been a part of the lives of millions of young people in Britain and worldwide. At home it has become a household name. We believe that the Award leads to lasting benefits for the young people who participate. Our hope is that this substantial research project will provide a solid evidence base for those benefits and enable the Award to play a more prominent role in the ongoing national debate on citizenship and young people."

Professor Hugh Matthews, Director of the Centre for Children and Youth Northampton University said: "The Centre for Children and Youth at Northampton University is delighted to be conducting this important research into the impact of participation in The Duke of Edinburgh's Award on young people's lives. This wide-ranging study will identify objectively both the short-term and long-term effects of the Award and will enable the Award to continue to develop to meet the needs of all young people, regardless of their personal circumstances."

Sarah Lindsell UK Services Director for The Duke of Edinburgh's Award said: "We are delighted to announce that an evaluation of the impact of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award has been commissioned. The Duke of Edinburgh's Award changes people's lives. Participation develops skills, fitness, and a sense of adventure and community responsibility. We could add many more benefits that we know - but we can't expect people just to take our word for it. We need to find out exactly what the real benefits are, what the best parts of the programme are, and what could be improved. We can then build on this knowledge to make the Award even more successful and help even more young people in future."

-ENDS-

Photographs: (right-click to save high-resolution version to your computer)

DOWNLOAD FULL PRESS RELEASE & BACKGROUND INFO HERE.

________________________________________________________________________

Notes to Editors

• Across the world, over 635,000 participants are trying for an Award at any one time, with over 275,000 of these in the UK.
• There were over 161,000 new entrants last year in the UK - an increase of 6.7% on the previous year.
• 64,822 achieved their Bronze, Silver or Gold Award - an increase of 5.8%.
• Young people's volunteering through the Award has a social value of over £13.5million per year.
• The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is a registered charity run with the support of over 50,000 volunteers and 10,000 partner organisations.
• Since 1956, over 3.9 million young people have participated in the UK Award.
• Currently almost 7% of 14-17 year olds in the UK are taking part through Award Groups in youth clubs, voluntary organisations, schools, colleges, universities, young offender institutes, pupil referral units and businesses.
• In 1988 The International Award Association was established to co-ordinate and develop the Award worldwide and since 1956, over 6 million young people in over 123 countries have taken up the challenge.
• The Award was founded in 1956 by the Patron, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. TRH The Duke of Edinburgh and The Earl of Wessex continue to be involved with the charity to this date as Patron and Trustee respectively.

Further information can be found at www.theaward.org

FOR FULL DETAILS PLEASE DOWNLOAD OUR FACTBOOK HERE:

Download some great CASE STUDIES of the Award in action HERE

Gold Award Holders attending presentations can find a pro-forma
press release and a media details survey here:

HRH The Earl of Wessex was interviewed on ITV This Morning about the Award's 50th Anniversary...


clip presented courtsey of ITV

For the Award's latest Press Releases GO HERE.

Award Participants from Tonbridge School went to the rescue of some tourists from Thailand who went up a mountain bearing suitcases...

Take a look at 'Today's Challenge' - a video showing the Award's work with disaffected and disadvantaged young people...

_{OFFICIAL DETAILS}

_{Gulliver House, Madeira Walk, WINDSOR, Berkshire SL4 1EU. T: 01753 727400, F: 01753 810666. E: info@theaward.org
Patron: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh KG KT
Registered Charity No: 1072490 and Royal Charter Corporation No: RC00806}