You may be aware that Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, was on island this month to recognise the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award for five decades of service to Bermuda.

There was a lot to celebrate over that weekend as we paid tribute to the more than 10,000 young people who have participated in the Award in Bermuda since 1967, and hundreds of volunteers who have been involved throughout the years.

Countless numbers of locals and residents had the privilege of personally meeting the Earl and sharing their experiences of the Award during the three-day visit, while we raised awareness for the programme and hosted several fundraising events that help to provide the Award in Bermuda at no cost to participants.

One highlight from the visit was having Prince Edward on hand to congratulate participants from CedarBridge Academy, the Berkeley Institute and Mount Saint Agnes Academy, as well as personally present 17 Gold Award certificates at a special ceremony held at Government House.

At the start of the ceremony, three Gold Award donor partners — Axis, Bank of Bermuda Foundation and XL Catlin — were also thanked for their commitment and financial contributions to the Award. Each of this year’s Gold awardees have successfully met all of the requirements for their Gold Awards, having individually completed 12 to 18 months of community service, skills development and physical recreation.

Two thirds of these recipients completed their Gold Adventurous Journey in either Germany, Wales or Trinidad. There were five Bermuda Police Cadets who completed their Gold journey in local waters by canoeing from St George’s, around Castle Harbour, up to and into Flatts Inlet, then continuing up North Shore to finish at Spanish Point while carrying out a marine exploration over a four-day period, stopping to camp overnight at various locations along the way. The marine exploration was in partnership with Keep Bermuda Beautiful and tracked various types of pollution and debris that are affecting our local marine environment and the Sargasso Sea. Their research and data have been shared with international groups to help to promote marine conservation efforts locally and globally.

The largest and most public celebration of the Award’s 50th anniversary in Bermuda was the Gala that was held at The Fairmont Southampton on March 4. Three hundred people came together to celebrate the Award’s impact on our island. They included Prince Edward, the Governor, John Rankin, Michael Dunkley, the Premier, David Burt, the Leader of the Opposition, award participants, alumni, volunteers, corporate donor partners and other special guests.

The programme featured local youth talent and celebrated participants, past and present, honoured alumni and volunteers, and publicly recognised our donor partners. Conyers Dill and Pearman was presented with a special award in appreciation of 50 years of corporate partnership, the Award’s very first and most longstanding donor relationship in Bermuda. Sir John Swan presented the family of Alan Brown with a special award in recognition of Alan’s involvement with the Bermuda Junior Chamber of Commerce, which was responsible for introducing the Award to Bermuda in 1967 and for Alan’s unwavering dedication to voluntarily running the Award programme for more than 30 years. Alan, through his grassroots efforts and tireless dedication to the youth of Bermuda, was instrumental in expanding the Award across the island and solidifying the programme in schools island-wide, both public and private.

Another successful outcome from the visit was a strategic meeting with several government ministers and department heads, including the Attorney-General and representatives from the ministries of national security, education, and social development and sport. The meeting was hosted by the Governor and was aimed at discussing how the Award programme can be better aligned with various government departments and how it can serve as a proactive resource to help to curb antisocial behaviours, as well as be a rehabilitative programme for young people who are incarcerated.

The Earl was instrumental in sharing outcomes of similar Award partnerships with various governments around the world, especially in jurisdictions facing significant social challenges and prison systems in which recidivism rates have been drastically reduced for inmates who have completed the Award programme. There are countless stories of transformation from lifestyles involving crime and unemployment to success with former inmates having discovered new opportunities to improve themselves through the Award and then become productive members of society upon their release from prison, never to reoffend again.

Participation in the Bermuda Award is free of charge to all who wish to participate and has a proven track record of producing positive outcomes. It is far less expensive to be proactive in helping to curb antisocial behaviours and providing developmental opportunities to assist with rehabilitation, rather than our families and community absorbing the financial and social costs of incarceration.

Reducing crime rates and building stronger communities through the Award can be a reality in Bermuda through further development and expansion of the programme to reach and serve a more diverse cross-section of our population between the ages of 14 and 25.

• Traci Burgess, is the National Director of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Bermuda. Contact the Award Office for additional details on programmes, volunteering and alumni events at 537.4868 or e-mail director@theaward.bm