HRH Prince Edward, The Duke of Edinburgh visits British School of Bahrain

Manama,

(BNA):  The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation, which has over 160,000 volunteers globally, hosted a prestigious event at the British School of Bahrain (BSB) Campus, in Hamala.

The school was honoured to welcome His Royal Highness Prince Edward, The Duke of Edinburgh, for this special occasion, and together with high level dignitaries, they celebrated the positive impact of the Award within the Kingdom over the past, present and future. The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is a highly acclaimed, non-formal education and learning framework that encourages young people to find their purpose, passion and place in the world.

The Duke of Edinburgh met a host of students and members of the Bahraini community, during his visit to BSB. The BSB students were pleased to show His Royal Highness their leadership skills on the school’s newly refurbished sports pitches, alongside key activities such as their use of Virtual Reality in the Inspired Metaverse School, built to aid interaction with other students around the world. A highlight of the tour was the introduction to BSB’s first ever Gold Award cohort, and the display and short video from the participants’ recent residential visit to Zanzibar, where they supported the International Volunteers Charity. The Duke of Edinburgh also spoke to students from St Christopher’s School and their parents about their Gold Award participation.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award operates in more than 120 countries and territories. Through developing transferable skills, increasing their fitness levels, cultivating a sense of adventure and volunteering in their community, the Award helps 14 – 24-year-olds to build essential skills such as resilience, adaptability, communication, teamwork and problem solving. 

Around a million young people are currently completing their own unique programme, via hundreds of thousands of youth-focused partners and operators.

The Award, which has been running in Bahrain for nearly 30 years, currently operates in two organisations, The British School of Bahrain and St Christopher’s School, supporting more than 320 young people every year. The royal visit is designed to enable greater growth and awareness of the Award and the importance of non-formal education so that even more young people have the opportunity to develop fundamental soft skills that will help them make a lasting difference in their communities.

Dorothea Gorman, Director of IAC Operations at The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation said: “We are thrilled to be able to celebrate the achievements of Award participants and Award Leaders at our two existing Award Centres, and grateful to The British School Bahrain for hosting this special event. This great showcase of Award activities is also an opportunity to demonstrate to other schools and youth organisations the positive impact the Award can have on young people as part of a holistic education in Bahrain.”

Mr John Maguire, Executive Headmaster of the British School of Bahrain stated “We are immensely honoured to host this prestigious event, welcoming His Royal Highness, Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, in celebration of such a key award, which empowers youth, builds their resilience and confidence, and encourages global citizenship. We are a school whose ethos is built on its values and these are reflected in the outstanding Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award”