The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Awards began in 1956s in England. It was spearheaded by - you guessed it - Prince Philip himself (his royal title is The Duke of Edinburgh, by the way). Two other notable men were also involved: Kurt Hahn and Lord Hunt. Together, these men had experience in physical and outdoor achievements, to push personal boundaries. It did a lot for them, so they wanted to encourage young boys to do the same. Two years later, girls were invited to join in on the fun.
Thereafter, the program launched internationally. Over the last half century, the movement spread to over 240 countries around the world. For coordinators outside England, it now operates under the banner of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation.
Despite its rapid adaptation around the world, the program did not appear in Lebanon until 2017. Eastwood International School in Beirut was the first in the country to bring this program to local students.
We’d encourage all our students to participate, if they can.
