When Zarah Siddiqi completed her Gold Award, she described it as learning “to see beyond yourself”. This June, she will be among only 27 young people receiving their Gold Award certificate at our annual Gold Award Ceremony, the highest level of achievement in the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award, a programme that has been quietly shaping young lives in Bermuda since 1967.

Across the world, young people are leaving school less prepared for adult life than ever before. A survey of more than 12,000 people found that two in three young people and four in five adults believe classroom learning alone does not prepare young people for what lies ahead. Youth unemployment globally runs three to four times higher than adult rates, and one in five young people are not in education, employment or training.

These trends reflect a growing gap between academic success and real-world readiness that formal education cannot close alone. Qualities such as resilience, leadership, teamwork and the ability to set a goal and see it through must be built through experience.

Since 1967, the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award has been building these qualities in young people across Bermuda. Through a proven non-formal education framework, the Award fosters confidence, resilience, problem-solving and communication skills, empowering young people to define success on their own terms.

Today, 362 young people are enrolled and actively engaged across nine Award Centres island-wide, representing 6.8 per cent of our eligible youth population against a global average of 0.09 per cent.

The Award is available at three levels: bronze (ages 14+), silver (ages 15+) and gold (ages 16+), with young people able to join at any level. Each requires a sustained commitment of between six and 18 months, with participants setting personal goals and dedicating at least one hour per week to each activity. Through four components, voluntary service, physical recreation, skill development and a team-based adventurous journey, young people are challenged in ways no classroom can replicate, with gold participants also completing an additional gold project.

The outcomes are well documented. After completing their award, participants report meaningful change across every area of their lives: 89 per cent say they are more resilient, 81 per cent have improved leadership skills, 88 per cent feel more confident, 82 per cent are more satisfied with life, and 92 per cent report stronger team-building skills, all of which directly strengthen employability. A further 84 per cent are more engaged with community causes, with 93 per cent feeling their volunteering made a positive impact. Notably, 97 per cent would recommend the award to others.

For those investing in the award, an independent PwC-validated social-value report found that every dollar invested returns $3.58 in measurable social value, which generated $1.74 million in benefit to Bermuda in 2025. That same year, participants logged more than 14,500 voluntary service hours across nearly every non-profit organisation on the island, a tangible and far-reaching contribution to the wider community.

Nh’Lae DeRoza, another gold and emerging leader, sums up what the experience gave her: “I came back with a greater sense of confidence, purpose and independence.”

Parent La-Keesha Bean saw the difference first-hand: her son’s growth in confidence, resilience and leadership became “evident at school, church, home and in his communities, lessons that will undoubtedly shape his future”.

Going the distance: gold and beyond

For our most dedicated participants, the journey culminates at the Gold Award. Last year, a cohort of 20 young people travelled to Barbados for their qualifying Adventurous Journey, exploring the island by cycling, horse riding, paddleboarding, snorkelling and hiking. They returned with 100 per cent reporting improved leadership skills and 93 per cent with greater confidence. This year's gold group of 23 are now preparing for their own challenge: an expedition into the Appalachian mountains in Pennsylvania.

For many, the Gold Award is not the end of the road. Seven of last year's cohort went on to join our Emerging Leader Development Programme, gaining real-world experience as trained award leaders, assessors and participant representatives on the Award Council in Bermuda, guiding younger participants through training and their adventurous journeys, and contributing to marketing, fundraising and events. The programme also opens doors at International Award Foundation level, offering emerging leaders opportunities beyond Bermuda. This pathway from participant to leader is at the heart of what makes the award sustainable, with young people who were once supported becoming the ones who do the supporting.

Joshua Watson, a Gold Award participant who now serves as both an emerging leader and participant representative on the Award Council, captures it well: “The Award is a perfect combination of fun, challenging and amazing experiences for those who like to develop and be better in any way. I found I was way more active and slowly stopped procrastinating and actually got things done.”

What you can do

The Award is only possible because of the community behind it. There is a place in it for everyone.

If you have a young person aged 14 to 24 in your life, find out whether their school has an Award Centre they can join. If not, contact us at info@theaward.bm to enrol them in the Open Award or to find out more.

If you would like to support the Award financially through donations, raffle prizes, auction items, or our annual Golf Challenge fundraiser, returning in September, reach out to fiona@theaward.bm.

If you would like to volunteer as an award leader, adventurous journey assessor or council or committee member across areas such as standards and training or alumni and friends, or help out with events and fundraising, we would love to hear from you at info@theaward.bm

• Fiona Holmes is the development director and Karen Simmons the programme director of The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Bermuda. This op-ed is part of the Third Sector Spotlight Series, a collective campaign co-ordinated by the Non-Profit Alliance of Bermuda. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the value, impact and contributions of Bermuda’s non-profit sector