Duke of Edinburgh Award: Promoting Future Skills at Jules Verne Campus
At Jules Verne Campus Grammar School, we not only promote academic learning, but also the personal development of our learning partners. The internationally recognized Duke of Edinburgh Award supports young people in acquiring essential future skills that prepare them for the challenges of the future. Through individualized and challenging activities, young people develop skills such as resilience, passion, entrepreneurship, acting outside the box, sustainability and global identity.
Future Skills with the Duke of Edinburgh Award
The program covers the areas of Volunteering, Skills, Fitness and Expedition. The learning partners set themselves SMART goals (specific, measurable, attractive, realistic and time-bound) according to their abilities and interests. This goal setting strengthens their self-efficacy and confidence in their own decisions.
Volunteering: In the area of volunteering, young people get involved in projects that correspond to their interests and benefit the community. These include activities such as classifying clouds on NASA photos, counting endangered animal species on Zooniverse or local campaigns such as litter picking in Perlacher Forst. These projects promote the Future Skills Global Identity and Sustainability, as they show young people how they can have a positive impact on the world through their own actions.
Skills development: In the Skills area, young people further develop their talents, for example by painting with oil colours, learning a new language such as Japanese or creatively baking desserts. These activities promote the Future Skills Passion and Acting outside the box by encouraging young people to develop creatively, discover new things and passionately pursue their own interests.
Fitness and sporting challenges: In the fitness area, young people set themselves individual goals to increase their physical fitness and take on new challenges, such as precise archery or learning new volleyball techniques like the volleyball jump serve. These sporting activities strengthen Future Skill Resilience as they help young people to believe in themselves, develop perseverance and stay motivated despite setbacks.
Expedition: The expedition is a team challenge that is planned together and carried out independently. Among other things, it promotes skills such as navigation, planning with limited supplies and dealing with nature. Young people learn to take responsibility, work as a team and find solutions together - a valuable experience that supports the Future Skill Entrepreneurship by promoting initiative and entrepreneurial thinking.
The Duke of Edinburgh Award offers young people a unique opportunity to test their skills in a safe environment. By making their own choices and setting goals, they develop practical skills as well as confidence, initiative and resilience - essential skills for the future. The program strengthens young people's self-efficacy and shows them how they can actively make a difference, be it through volunteering, sporting challenges, developing new talents or on joint expeditions.
Our learning partners from grade 9 (Mars) were out and about in September 2024 on the main Duke of Edinburgh Award Bronze expedition that they organized independently. On the first day they covered 15 kilometers around the Eibsee lake and in the mountains. During the day they were rewarded with sunshine and pleasant temperatures, but at night they had to cope with the freezing cold of 6 degrees while camping. Despite the harsh conditions, they diligently photographed star formations for their research project. On the second day, they covered 12 kilometres over a high-altitude trail back to the Eibsee.
During our Grammar School assembly in September, we celebrated the successes of learning partners who have excelled not only in school but also beyond with the Duke of Edinburgh Award. Congratulations to all the award recipients!