International Duke of Edinburgh's Award given to students in Prague

The international Duke of Edinburgh's Award is a program that has run for 60 years in more than 140 states and involved more than eight million young people worldwide. Established by the British royal family, it has attracted more than 2 000 participants in the Czech Republic.

Yesterday 60 students from all over the Czech Republic received the bronze and silver awards they have won at the Czech Culture Ministry. The awards express appreciation for young people who engage in longterm development in the areas of athletics, talent development, undertaking adventure expeditions, and volunteering.

Centers involved in the awards include children's homes, international college preparatory high schools and regular high schools, and youth organizations. A silver award was given this year to 16-year-old Michal Pham, a resident of the Těrlicko children's home and school in the Czech Republic.

As part of a volunteer program, Pham has aided autistic children and senior citizens. "We assist autistic children with getting to know our world - when we are together, they learn new things. I don't have the kind of anxieties that they do and I am glad I can do something like this for somebody else. It's a good feeling," Pham said who, like the other award-winners, received the award from Angus Stewart, a representative of British Ambassador Jan Thompson.

The awards were also distributed by patrons of the program such as Tania le Moigne, director of Google Czech Republic, fashion designer Taťána Kovaříková, and Michal Jelínek, owner and board member of OKIN GROUP, a.s. The program is open globally to all young people aged 14-24.

"We want to make it possible for all young people, irrespective of their background or social position, to develop their talents and aid them with overcoming their particular challenges and fulfilling their dreams. The program leads young people to develop their personalities through experiences that will aid them in their future personal and professional lives," said Tomáš Vokáč, director of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award in the Czech Republic.