The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Barbados #WORLDREADY Young People are Making it Happen
BRIDGETOWN - On March 8th, International Women’s Day, the largest international youth achievement programme, The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, known locally as The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Barbados, is calling attention to non-formal education and how through its activities, it is giving girls all over the world a balanced playing field.
International Women’s Day comes after the worldwide launch of the Award’s #WORLDREADYcampaign where more than 10,000 young people from 150+ countries and territories were asked[1] to give their perspective on today’s world – and 75 per cent of young women surveyed believe that being ready for the world takes more than classroom learning.
In Barbados, there is approximately 170 young women doing the Programme, where research has indicated that as they work through the Award’s requirements, they are better equipped for life ahead and more engaged with their community. We are seeing this empowerment first-hand, as nearly three quarters of young Bajan women surveyed[2] feel confident standing up for what they believe in, and similarly almost three quarters feel confident speaking out against something they believe is wrong.
Gold Award holder and now leader in the Award, Shonee Howell sees the Award as a balancing feature for the island’s girls;
“Girls have the opportunity to learn new skills and challenge themselves outside of the gender socialisation that dictates what is expected of a female. Though skills such as cooking
are important and encouraged in the Award, the responsibility is shared equally with their male counterparts as they work together as a unit. I believe it gives girls the chance to realise they are as resilient and capable as they want to be.” - Shonee Howell, Gold Award Holder
“In today’s social climate, the Award’s impact for girls in particular is especially empowering. I know for myself, as I did each level, I was able to look back and feel confident that I could conquer something new. Self-confidence is a major part of self-worth as a young girl, especially while maturing and facing peer pressure heading into adulthood.”
- Carla Alleyne, Operations Manager
The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is a global, non-formal education framework which challenges young people to develop new skills, get physically active, learn about teamwork and leadership through adventurous journey and volunteer within their community. The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Barbados encourages young women to step outside their comfort zones and in doing so, develop universal skills – such as resilience, confidence and adaptability – to help ensure that not only are they ready for the world but that the world is a better place for it.
International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women - while also marking a call to action for accelerating gender balance. The race is on for the gender-balanced boardroom, a gender-balanced government, gender-balanced media coverage, a gender-balance of employees, more gender-balance in wealth, and even gender-balanced sports coverage. Find out more about this year's theme here.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is proud that more and more Bajan youth are #WORLDREADY and will continue to do their part to achieve the balance that International Women’s Day is calling for. If you would like to feature stories of the young women who are making a difference in their community, both Carla Alleyne and Shonee Howell are available to speak about the remarkable accomplishments of young women in Barbados through their work with the Award.
For more information please visit:
[1] Survey of 7,681 13-25 year olds, through U-Report, September 2018. U-Report is a free social messaging tool which enables 13-25 year olds globally to speak out on development issues, support child rights and help to improve their communities. www.ureport.in [2] Survey of 3,487 16-25 year olds and 1,825 adults (25+), July – September 2018. In partnership with The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award family around the world.
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