International Award for Young People in India — IAYP
“Brains, like hearts, go where they are appreciated and recognised”
Robert McNamara, Former American Secretary of Défense
The International Award for Young People in India (IAYP) aids to accomplish the sustainable development in young minds, and continued growth by recognising their individual achievements.
IAYP endorses the words of Emerson “Nothing great was achieved without enthusiasm”. Emerson emphasises the importance of enthusiasm which can be cultivated through recognition and awards. The appreciation and recognition induce enthusiasm, energy and positive attitude in human beings.
When the young children are recognised and awarded for their individual achievements, the results will be huge in terms of personal growth, that too, without any hyped stress or strings attached. IAYP stimulates children to set their own goals & rules, challenge their beliefs, and monitor their own progress so that they reach greater heights with more clarity in thoughts. Such clarity makes them the best decision makers ever.
By encouraging the children to ‘not only work to score high’ or ‘do things for mere survival’, the recognitions & awards push and encourage them to go the extra mile and achieve their maximum potential.
The maximum potential can be achieved when the foundation is strongly paved using the key performance indicators such as commitment to excellence, an ability to challenge & break their own theories that otherwise put them in dark, and the capability to discard the weaker thoughts. The best part is they get to enjoy themselves while working towards achieving the IAYP India award.
The Duke of Edinburgh Award
It was Mr. Kurt Hahn who strongly believed in facilitating the ‘The Duke of Edinburgh Award’ in order to bring out the best in children. Let us look at how and where the journey started. Mr. Hahn is a Rhodes Scholar and founded a boarding school in Salem, Germany. He later founded Gordonstoun, a school in Scotland when he had to flee Germany in the early 1930s.
Before the Duke of Edinburgh Award happened, the Gordonstoun school along with the Elgin Academy designed the process for ‘Moray Badge’, an award, in order to improve the ‘fitness’ in children. The Moray Badge induced the thought process in Kurt which led to the idea of recognising children for achievements in their own field. The Duke of Edinburgh instituted the Moray Badge in Gordonstoun school. Kurt came up with the idea of ‘The Duke of Edinburgh Award’ which was later endorsed by the Duke himself.
The Duke of Edinburgh Award, since its inception in 1956, has reached over 140 countries, developing thousands of young minds from each country. The ‘Duke of Edinburgh Award International Association’ was formed in 1988. After looking at the great impact it had at the global level, the organization was renamed as ‘The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation.’
The basic philosophies are derived and followed as guidelines for the aspiring children to achieve the award. However, the activities and delivery continue to evolve to be in synchronization with the global changes and challenges. Considering the difference in opportunities and diversified prospects each child gets, the core philosophy behind the award is defined at the Individual levels. The children set their own goals, the processes to achieve the goals, monitor their own progress, and whoever reaches their goal, are recognised with the award.
Mentors play a role as well here. The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award has been given in different names in other countries all over the globe. The United Kingdom offers this award in the name of ‘The Duke of Edinburgh’s award’. It is given in the name of ‘The President’s Award’ in Kenya. Singapore gives this award in the name of ‘The National Youth Achievement Award’.
International Award for Young People in India, IAYP
In India, the Duke of Edinburgh’s international award is known as the ‘International Award for Young people — IAYP’. The children are encouraged to set goals that are really challenging, especially the ones that work as the barriers to their growth. Most of the times, it is observed that their own beliefs and restrictions work as barriers in taking steps and achieving the goal.
How do the children overcome such barriers? ‘Experiential Learning’ is the key phrase here.
“There is more in us than we know. If we can be made to see it, perhaps, for the rest of our lives, we will be unwilling to settle for less.”
Kurt Hohn
What is experiential learning? How does it add value to the lives of the young children? The experiential learning benefits children by procuring deeper insights and give a way to a long -lasting learning experience. Children get to learn the intricacies involved in achieving things by learning through experiences.
It is identified that the key reason for children, at times adults too, not willing to try something new or utilizing their complete potential is the ‘comfort zone’. The ‘fear of unknown’ is the reason for human beings hiding behind their ‘comfort zone’. This is, in fact, the reason the upper age limit is kept as 25 to achieve the award. At 25, even though, the children become adults, the probability of falling prey to ‘being in comfort zone’ is huge. The most important aspect here is that the learning doesn’t stop just with winning an award, but continues throughout their life.
What can be done to get rid of this ‘fear of unknown’?
Experiential Learning is the best tool to take the first yet the tough step towards achieving greater things in life. Why is it a tough step? To change “deeply rooted beliefs” and “blocked mindset” is one of the toughest skill enhancement processes. “Great minds have always encountered violent opposition from Mediocre Minds.” This is the philosophy that helped Albert Einstein to think beyond and contribute through many inventions to humankind.
The processes are designed in such a way that the children win the International Award for young people by overcoming the known limitations and killing the unknown fears. They get to learn through experiences where winning the award gives them a real sense of achieving greater things in life.
For example, an adventure journey or an offsite summer camp can be used as a great tool where they gain experience and learn various life skills. In order to give them the complete learning experience through camps, Trebound team, with 20+ years’ knowledge in Experiential Learning has structured various programs Pan India.
What happens during Experiential Learning adventure trips or camps? How do these activities help in cultivating various skills in children?
The experiential learning adventure trips or camps come up with a lot of energetic learning methods and outdoor activities where the children acquire various skills. Let us come back to the first step towards achieving things in life which is ‘removing the fear of failure’. There are various fun based games like ‘Trust Walking’ that aid in building risk taking ability in children which will take out the ‘fear of failure’. They learn through such activities during these adventure journeys or summer camps.
Moreover, the experiential learning programs focus more on life skill development, in areas such as taking the initiative, teamwork, stress management, time management, communication, self-reflection, safety awareness, independent thinking ability, social skills and leadership capabilities. When they learn through experiences, they make it a habit and excel in whatever they do.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit.”
Aristotle, Greek Philosopher
IAYP, the International Award for Young People in India, encourages children to demonstrate all these life skills that are required to survive, sustain and succeed in whatever they do. The children between the age of 14 and 25 can participate in the program. There are three levels of participation, the minimum age criteria for Bronze category starts at 14, Silver at the age of 15 and Gold at the age of 16.
The children above 16 can join at any stage provided they ensure compliance with certain criteria. There are various skills to be demonstrated to win this award which includes physical ability, adventurous spirit, social skills and the completion of residential projects. Trebound team can be contacted to learn more about the International Award for Young People in India, IAYP India
There are mentorship opportunities given to the award winners and they, in turn, aid in building better communities. Trebound works along with schools, educational institutes and parents to fulfill the dreams of young children, make them realize their true potential, guide them through defined yet customized processes and aid them in acquiring various skills that are necessary to win not only this award but also to lead an amazing life.
Originally published at www.trebound.com.
