The Award has made me a completely new person

Pratiksha Bora from Maria's Public School, Assam received her Gold Award on 20th July 2017 at the Gold Award Ceremony 2017 at New Delhi. Pratiksha shared her Gold Journey experiences with us.

I can still remember the day I first enrolled for the International Award for Young People. I was really enthralled to receive the diary, though I never imagined that I'd be able to complete my gold level.

My prime reason for getting enrolled in the IAYP programme was to overcome my weaknesses. And today I can proudly claim that I've accomplished my aim.

The various aspects of the Award have unleashed the potential in me. Physical Recreation, as well as Skills sections, take the credit for the holistic development, and the Adventurous Journey has made me realise the value of being independent and an awareness of the hardships of life. The challenges posed at every step has helped me change my habit of complaining.

The Service section has taught me to be selfless and has imparted me the satisfaction of helping someone in need and, most importantly, helped me to overcome my weakness of being an introvert.

Another change that I've perceived in myself is that I've become more self-reliant, for which I shall always remain obliged to the Award programme. The various aspects of the programme have also taught me how to manage my time. Before enrolling for the Award I was not engaged in any Physical Recreation game as I was unable to do time management. But, thanks to IAYP I've learnt to manage my time for sports and academics, as well as skills.

In today's world where there is a need for being an all rounder, IAYP helps us to become one. From time management to holistic development, IAYP has made me a completely new person and, most importantly, has helped me overcome most of my weaknesses.