Congratulations and Thank You

A big round of applause to all Gold Award Achievers, Award Leaders and Volunteers. Our thanks to all stakeholders who made the Annual Gold Award Ceremony 2017 a huge success. Thank you, Dr. Vivek Ragahavn and Sue Walker for gracing the ceremony.

IGE Rep - Md Imran

I belong to a middle class family that lives near a slum area in Kolkata, West Bengal. When I was at karate school, my friends urged me to get into the International Award for Young People. My friends advised me that the Award programme would give me an opportunity to engage with my community and my surroundings, and would help me to improve my community and society. I looked forward to acquiring a better knowledge of skills, social and physical activities; above all, I wanted to be a part of a programme that encouraged the youth. In the year 2004 I received my Bronze Award and in the year 2010, I received my Gold Award from the Vice President of India. I have thoroughly enjoyed completing all the sections during my Award journey. I also attended an Award Leader Training Workshop in Purukul, Dehradun in the year 2011. I have been a part of a video film made by a group of journalists who came from the International Award Foundation (IAF) in the UK to visit the Special Projects Units at Ramakrishna Mission Blind Boys' Academy, Emmanuel Ministries and Sir Syed group of schools, Kolkata. I have participated in many camps organised for these Special Project Units and intellectually challenged Awardees and blind boys. During the six-year journey from Bronze to Gold my life and my vision have changed. The Award made me, and gave me knowledge, skill, and mental strength as well as broad-minded thinking. I think in this past year the Award educated me to live like a good human being, with all the powers in my hands and ability to perform skills, the humanity and compassion for doing service and an appropriate vision with good thoughts and ideas. The Award gives us the opportunity to grip the chance to continue life after Gold, but I have made my own choice: I love nature, mountains, mountain-hacking and mountain climbing so I started to give a professional shape to my mountaineering career. I have completed my basic, advanced and method of instructions course from one of the finest institutes, NIM with A grading. Still, I am continuing my support to the Award by mentoring for the Adventurous Journey organised by NAA for the Special Projects participants. In the year 2016 I become a member of the National Training Panel. I have the enthusiasm to be a part of the Award and continue my pursuit of excellence and service to this amazing Award programme.

IGE Rep - Pallavi Gill

My Award journey began when I was in standard 9. The thing that attracted me the most about this Award is that there is no competition. Achievements are usually recognized till the third position in most events. But, not in the Award. The Award recognizes an individual's improvement and hard work according to their capabilities. Due to the Award I began playing sports and soon I excelled in it. Academics was my weakness. I was constantly advised by my worried parents and teachers to work on my studies as my Board Examinations were coming up. That was until I excelled in my Board Examination too. I am presently studying in Delhi University and I have been scoring a First Division in all my papers. The Award teaches you qualities that are unmeasurable, such as perseverance, hard work, time management, confidence, etc. And, when these qualities are imbibed, they make us grow. The Award develops not only us but also the community. I have achieved the Bronze, Silver and Gold Award. But my journey doesn't end there, I began interning at the Award office in New Delhi, and soon became an Award Leader and now I am a member of the National Training Panel. Even after I completed my Gold Award, I still had many fears, such as my fear of speaking. At a National Training Workshop, I was suddenly asked to speak. A thousand excuses came into my head to walk away. Until a tiny voice in my head said, “Why don't you give it a try?” I stammered. I shivered. I was scared. But, that's what the Award teaches us, make a thousand mistakes if you have to, but never give up! And this is what the Award has taught me, to challenge my fears!

Award Leader Training (YES) Workshop

Oakridge International School, Visakhapatnam

An Award Leader Training Workshop was organised on 07 - 08 July 2017. The workshop was attended by 13 participants from Oakridge International School, Visakhapatnam and Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School, Chennai. The workshop was led by Kapil Bhalla (National Director) and Bivujit Mukhoty (Programme Manager). Click here for the pictures

Adventure Trek in Coorg

Award participants from Sarala Birla Academy, Bangalore took part in the Adventure Trek in Coorg area from 22nd to 25th June 2017. A report by K S Biradar (Award Leader).

A group of forty-six Award participants along with three mentors departed from Sarala Birla Academy in two buses for Kudraimukh on an early morning. With our high spirit and enthusiasm, we travelled for 8 long hours witnessing beautiful scenery and lush green areas, before reaching our destination at 3:30 PM. We explored the place and its flora and fauna.

Next morning after daily routine activities the group boarded their buses to take us to our trekking destination. It took an hour to reach our destination and begin our trek.

The weather was chilly and it was also drizzling. We walked on the tar road in the cool weather for 3 km and then we reached a spot where we started to enter the muddy rocky pathway, with one guide at the front and the other at the back and our teachers interspersing the students in the line. Before we started the trek instructions were given to us about the leeches and the precautions to be taken in a forest like taking care of slippery rocks and steep cliffs, etc.

As we walked we went deep into the lush green forest where the sunlight got thinner. It was a challenging trek with many big slippery and loose rocks to climb over, but at last, we reached an old fort after a tiring trek and realised that it was absolutely worth it. In the afternoon, we continued our trek to one of Karnataka’s highest peaks. It was one of the toughest treks we had ever witnessed and after completing it we felt very proud and were mesmerised by the view there. It seemed as if the clouds were all around us with tiny water droplets spraying our face.

We began our descent in the evening and finally boarded our buses and safely reached Nammamane ("my house"), where we were staying. As it was our last day we built a campfire with music around it and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves over there.

Next morning, we boarded the bus by 10:30 am for our return journey back to school. Overall this IAYP trek was very enriching and filled with a lot of learning aspects for the young participants. This has given us a lot of memories and also taught us a number of wonderful things.

Award Leader Training (YES) Workshop

RBK Global School, Indralok, Bhayandar (E), Thane, Maharashtra

An Award Leader Training Workshop was organised on 30th June - 01 July 2017. The workshop was attended by ten participants from RBK School, Mira Road, Bhayandar, Maharashtra; RBK Global School, Indralok, Thane, Maharashtra; RBK International School, Bhayandar, Thane, Maharashtra; RBK International Academy, Chembur, Mumbai, Maharashtra; RBK Global School, Navsari, Gujarat; and Hanumant High School, Mahuva, Gujarat. The workshop was led by Kapil Bhalla (National Director); Bivujit Mukhoty (Programme Manager) and Rahul Thakur (Member National Training Panel). Click here for the pictures