IGE 2014 Adrija's Diary - Part 1

International Gold Event 2014 Korea was an occasion where 75 individuals from 43 countries came together to drive forward the Award’s growth and development in the coming years under the theme of “Leadership for a transformed Award”.

Adrija (5th from Left) with her team members.

It was indeed a memorable day when I got the news from Mr. Bivujit Mukhoty that I have been selected for International Gold Event, 2014. Since 2006 I have been involved with the Award Programme through the special project named Sri Sarada Math, Rasik Bhita. I felt so fortunate to have travelled in air for the first time and it was really a special moment in my life.

We worked with multinational group of participants with whom we visited different places in Korea to gain insight into the Korean culture. It was during these trips that we came face to face with the diverse challenges faced by Award Leaders within the Korean society. Our trainings were all activity based and were conducted by Mr. John May (Secretary General, The Duke of Edinburg’s International Award Foundation), Rob Oliphant (Regional Programme Manager, Asia Pacific) and Tim Smith (Head of Operations Support and Service Development). Through the sessions we learnt how to work in a team, work as a leader and developed skills for setting up social projects. 

At the end of the global event we prepared a presentation on what we had learnt during the course of the event and were asked to present it to a panel headed by the Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward and many other officials from the International Body of Duke of Edinburg’s Award. Our topic of presentation was based on Environment for which we visited Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and Otter Research Centres in Hwacheon. It was a red letter day in my life when I came to the DMZ as it was an unbelievable experience standing with the South Korean soldiers. Before coming to IGE I had no knowledge of otters and their importance in our environment.