Wellington College International Tianjin Links with Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Programme

The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is a programme that allows students to challenge themselves and discover the world around them. There are five main components of the programme: service, skills, physical recreation, adventurous journey, and residential project. The Service component encourages young people to volunteer their time and to understand the benefits of this service to their community. The Skills component encourages the development of personal interests and practical and social skills. The Physical Recreation component encourages young people to participate in sport and other physical activity for the improvement of health and fitness. The Adventurous Journey component encourages a sense of adventure whilst students undertake a team journey or expedition. As part of a small team, participants plan, train for, and undertake a journey with a defined purpose in an unfamiliar environment. The Residential Project, completed only at Gold level, aims to broaden participants' horizons through involvement with others in a residential setting. Participants of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award have the freedom to develop their individualized programmes around personal interests, skills, and goals. They are encouraged to take on challenges that expand their horizons and take them outside of their comfort zones, but that are realistic and achievable for them. This fits well with the emphasis in the Wellington College mission statement to provide all students with the opportunity to achieve, succeed, and thrive. Moreover, within the various components of the International Award programme are a variety of individual and group activities that seamlessly embed the eight aptitudes of moral and spiritual, cultural and physical, logical and linguistic, and social and personal that are central to the ethos of WCIT. The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award programme is also a perfect complement to the CAS (Creativity – Activity – Service) programme which is at the core of the IB Diploma programme.

• Creativity – exploring ideas leading to an original or interpretive product or performance
• Activity – physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle
• Service – collaborative engagement with the community in response to an authentic need

The CAS programme is designed to encourage students to seek out interesting and challenging opportunities for personal growth and development. Through a variety of individual and group experiences, students are provided the opportunity to explore their interests, try new things, and express their passions, personalities and perspectives. What better way to accomplish this than within the parameters of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award programme, which shares virtually every one of these central philosophies and tenets.