The Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award at the State House

Sixty six participants of The Duke of Edinburgh Award program have been rewarded with gold awards this Wednesday at the State House at Réduit by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Jean Christophe  Stephan Toussaint and Dr Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, the President of Mauritius and the patron of Duke of Edinburgh Award Mauritius.

The president Dr Ameenah Gurib-Fakim stated that the award is an essential tool for youth to develop the essential qualities of life and having an appetite for adventure rather than choosing a comfort zone. “The future of our generation lies in your hands. You’re the precious gems of our rainbow nation,” she declares.  The President also urges the young people of our country to consider entrepreneurship as an option, which is good for economic development and prosperity of the country.

It fills a void, especially when the young generation does not see a future. According to her, entrepreneurs don’t need to have a famous name or to belong to any specific community to come up with a good concept.  “Surely, it is risky, but it is by taking risks and by fighting the natural fear of failure in you that you will move forward. You must be tested by adversity to rise higher,” advises her Excellency. The honourable Dr Ameenah Gurib-Fakim advised our youngsters to give themselves time to find their visions. Once they have settled on this first step, all they have to do is to build upon it relentlessly. “Remember that greatness comes with responsibility,” she adds.

Divya, 19, is a recipient of the Maurice Gold Award this year. She developed an interest for this program when representatives of the award visited her school to present its benefits. Many students from both her class and school attended the course.  “It was very extensive and tedious for me, but I’m happy that I have turned more mature and responsible. I have learned to live happily with the bare minimum,” she declares.  Divya is hopeful for the future, as many jobs nowadays seek for extracurricular participation to see if the person can work as a team member in a company.

Waliyya Soogun, 24, lives in Port-Louis. She has also been rewarded with the Gold Award.  “Initially, I went directly for the gold but did not succeed. However, I did not give up, as I might have taken the wrong decision. Thus, I started all over again, but aiming for the bronze, followed by silver and finally receiving the gold. Now, I have succeeded. For the community service part, she went to a school for the handicapped to help out with the children for one year.

She assisted in basic activities such as feeding them, playing with them, lending a hand in painting and other activities. These activities brought out the mature person in her and she felt more responsible towards society. “With this award program, I have found myself transformed as a person.

I have developed skills that I did not know I had,” she adds. Waliyya also confided that she has developed useful qualities such as punctuality, carefulness, neatness and adventure. She hopes to enrol for the course of Leader Award so that she can help more teens like her.

Another gold winner, Emilie Chue Show Pun, narrates that she found out about the award when she went for a camping program with some of her friends from upper classes, although she was still in Form 3 (Grade 9).  She was keen to try. “It was the most fabulous experience of my life although it was long.

The best part is that we train in groups. With the gold award, I got the opportunity to learn about the whole of Mauritius,” she declares. For Emilie, the award has never been an obstacle for her studies. “Rather it’s a good thing that students get time for rest physically and mentally. For me, the award has acted as a booster,” she says.

Doorvesh Ramdeal has opted directly for the Gold Award and is a former student of Ebène SSS Boys. His elder sister is also a gold achiever. Seeing her achievements, Doorvesh developed an interest in the award program. He has been on an expedition to Rodrigues, which turned out to be a valuable and rich experience that he will never forget.

The award has enabled him to carry out tasks which he would never have been able to do on his own. He has acquired enough survival skills which he can use if ever he gets lost in a forest.

By Ahmad Fakuddeen Jilani