On Saturday 5 October, Maragon school’s two youth committee members for the The President’s Award (TPA), Erin Crawford and Joshua Kretzschmar, had the opportunity to rub shoulders with His Royal Highness (HRH) The Earl Of Wessex, at TPA’s Gold Awards Ceremony held at St Alban’s College.
“This was our first real encounter with the magnitude of The President’s Award and we cannot wait for our own Gold Awards Ceremony, when we will also be joining the Brotherhood of 850 000,” said Erin and Joshua. Their job at the awards was to ensure all the guests were registered and ushered into the correct venue.
The President’s Award for Youth Empowerment is a registered non-profit organisation which has been operating in South Africa since 1983. Its mission is to empower young people between the ages of 14 and 25 by providing a balanced, non-competitive framework for self-development that will increase their self-esteem and enhance their capacity to achieve in whatever context they find themselves; enabling them to become responsible active citizens within their communities.
The four pillars of the programme; skills development, physical recreation, community service and the adventurous journey; are there to change the youth’s perception about themselves and their world as it teaches them about vital issues such as health, political and social life, as well as the environment.
Completion of the programme also equips the individual for further training and fulfilling work.
By integrating the values of the programme into their lives, young people become empowered when they realise they can make their own future happen. Empowered young people make informed choices and are less likely to compromise their future.
Maragon Private Schools have become part of this programme since 2011 in order to enhance the leadership pillar.
Pupils need to be 14 years old in order to start the programme, so the ideal year to enter the Bronze level is Grade 9. This provides pupils with the opportunity to progress to Silver in Grade 10 and Gold in Grade 11.
Details: www.presidentsaward.co.za, www.maragon.co.za
