Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award – 70th anniversary reception

A reception was held on Sunday to celebrate the 70th anniversary of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award USA.

HRH Prince Edward, The Duke of Edinburgh, attended, along with representatives from the US and Scotland. The event was hosted by the Chief Executive Officer, Suzanne J Currie, and Michael A. Smith, Esq., Board Member and Chairman of the Governance Committee, of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award USA.

Mr Smith addressed The Duke of Edinburgh directly thanking him for his continued support, and referring to HRH’s visit to the US. He said: “Your Royal Highness, you came to Bank of America last year, and I was in that boardroom. You challenged the business community there on Wall Street to use the award to help kids find jobs to recognise the value of the award.

“And the special kid who has done the award makes them a prospect for successful businesses. That really did hit home for me until Suzanne dragged the board out to Newark, New Jersey, where we’ve got a big programme that she’s been developing. It’s all African American kids at these schools, they couldn’t be more jazzed about the award.

“When they came off the stage, Your Royal Highness, with their silver and bronze medallions clinking, I just thought, what a wonderful legacy to your father to hear those clinking medals. And there’s hundreds of them, and they’re genuinely excited about this opportunity.”

HRH Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, founded the scheme in 1956 in partnership with educator Kurt Hahn of Gordonstoun School, and Brigadier John Hunt who led the British expedition of Mount Everest.

CEO, Suzanne Currie, said: “These three visionaries came up with this concept, and we are lighting it on fire in the United States. We are doing everything we can to not only brand the award in the US, but also get people involved, as Mike said, with these kinds of apprenticeships. We are really looking at a pathway to progress, and we’ve done it very well in the Newark school system.”

Recently the high school network taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award has expanded from just one in Newark, New Jersey, to 16 schools, involving many more young people. Partnerhips have also been set up with major organisations such as Bank of America and EdgeConneX. There are now some workforce development initiatives connecting students with careers in technology, data centres, financial services and engineering, and it is hoped to scale participation in six geographic regions in the US.

The objective was a simple one – to challenge young people to discover their potential, serve their communities and develop self confidence. The Duke of Edinburgh Award now operates in more than 120 countries and territories, involving eight million young people. The scheme encourages personal growth for the young people between the ages of 14 and 24 who take part.