As a Marketing Intern at the Duke of Ed or Award Canada, I contributed by writing articles for their content creation and interviews. I conducted interviews with Award Holders, collecting stories about their experiences and achievements post-award. These insights were incorporated into blog posts, enhancing engagement through compelling storytelling.
Research and Strategy Development: Researched social media engagement strategies used by other alumni networks and provided recommendations to improve stakeholder engagement. This research supported the development of an effective content strategy for Award Canada’s website and LinkedIn.
SEO Research: Optimized blog content using SEO and researched relevant keywords.The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award – Canada During the Award Holder Marketing Internship, I contributed to the Award by: Doing Content Creation and Interviews: Conducted interviews with Award Holders, collecting stories about their experiences and achievements post-award. These insights were incorporated into blog posts, enhancing engagement through compelling storytelling. Research and Strategy Development: Researched social media engagement strategies used by other alumni networks and provided recommendations to improve stakeholder engagement. This research supported the development of an effective content strategy for Award Canada’s website and LinkedIn.
SEO Research: Optimized blog content using SEO and researched relevant keywords.
Where Are They Now? Success Stories from Award Holders of The Duke of Edinburgh International Award-Canada
Written by Maya Rojas and Kimmi Nguyen, Artwork by Lensa Ibissa, Data from the 2022 Award Impact Report | April 2024
What inspires a young person to pursue greatness? It’s a tough question, but three Award Holders have answered it by sharing their stories with resilience, compassion, and enthusiasm for what lies ahead.
Over the years, Ashley, Laurie, and Kyle, have undergone incredible growth and transformation. From young teenagers exploring their futures to becoming well-respected and successful professionals in their fields, they show that young people have infinite potential that could be fostered and enriched by the Award framework.
Ashley Lorette, a CPHR (Chartered Professional in Human Resources) and a director on the Award Canada Board, chairs the Nova Scotia local council, and the HR committee, and is a member of the Executive committee. She recognizes the importance of soft-skills, something she says the Award has helped her to develop.
The Award Holders prove that some of the best soft-skills a young person can use to become employable such as; having the confidence to communicate, learning how to work well with a team, and to having a sense of developmental and personal growth. These are all practical soft-skills that can be developed outside of the classroom, yet it’s not something that is commonly gained at a young age.
As an HR Director, Ashley understands the competitive job market the most. She shares that when she interviews a candidate, she looks for volunteer experience as it shows signs of positive traits in the candidate.
“As an employer, we can discern that you have empathy, compassion, and dependability if you volunteer at organizations where those skills are evident. Your volunteer experience gives us a concrete example that you possess the skills.”
Another crucial soft-skill is being comfortable in working with a team. 89% of young people who attended the Award were confident working cooperatively in groups. Part of the award is fostering community engagement, self-discovery, communication, and teamwork. Young people who have more confidence in themselves and the work that they do don’t shy away from expressing their thoughts and ideas with other people. Their confidence allows them to navigate through different challenges together with their group.
“I really think the Award helped me because it pushed me into multiple areas; I wasn’t solely focused on doing one activity. I found it less difficult to transition into the university environment. ”
Ashley also attributes the Award to helping her become adept at making the most of her time. By mastering the art of multi-tasking, she learned how to become more flexible and patient. Even when it means squeezing in a meeting during lunch hour, or doing something unexpected for her work, she can easily manage her time.
Through the Award, individuals like Ashley develop practical soft-skills that can be really useful in the workplace. Having the traits of resilience and effective work ethics and time management is essential for everything.
Laurie Stimpson, an entrepreneur filled with strength and positivity, highlights her holistic growth within the Award. She pursued a career in Parks and Forestry recreation and then founded her own business, Muskoka Paddle, where she runs stand-up paddleboarding classes.
For Laurie, life is indeed an adventurous journey! She is an avid outdoor enthusiast, and she says it traces back to her childhood when her family would go out for camping trips and canoeing excursions. She loved being a part of nature, and this love only grew stronger during
the 2020 pandemic. So, in that year, she founded her business, Muskoka Paddle, with the aim of sharing her passion for paddleboarding and promoting environmental sustainability. Like Laurie, 66% of Award Holders engage in skill-related activities nearly weekly. They try their best to do physical activities which makes most of them live a healthier life. Laurie recalls her days at the Award and credits her learnings there because she learned to volunteer, network, and embark on adventures.
“During the pandemic, I think we all had a chance to reflect on what’s important to us. At that point, my husband was well established in his business. I decided it was the right time to do something for myself, to return to my passion. I wasn’t sure how I would get there, but the Award was instrumental in teaching me how to identify the ideal end goal, choose one area to start, and collaborate with others. I was able to apply my background in designing lesson plans, building outdoor education programs, and organizing special events at Crawford Lake. It all came together.”
While pursuing her passions, Laurie also shared the story of how she and her husband came together because of their love for nature.
“Rob and I would talk about the places where we had canoed, exchanging stories. If there was a place Rob had canoed where I hadn’t been, he would bring me a map to show me the route he took. Rob also had a second job elsewhere, and when he would come in from work, we would go skiing together. We were already friends; we enjoyed many of the same things. From there, our friendship blossomed into romance, and we decided to get married. I continued to work at Crawford Lake for another couple of years, and we started an adventure company together, offering outdoor guiding services. While we were running our guiding company,”
Starting her own business made Laurie feel that by following her passions and love for nature, she had transformed what she does into a fulfilling career. Because of the holistic learning that she had during her formative years with the Award, along with her other experiences in her Parks and Forestry career, Laurie knows that she is doing important work. Now, she paddles courageously along the tides of change, prepared for anything because she knows that she can do it!
Kyle Payne, a reservist with the Canadian Armed Forces and a full-time municipal law enforcement officer in Peterborough, centers his heartwarming journey in volunteerism. He also serves as a volunteer emergency medical service provider with St. John Ambulance.
82% of the Award Holders believe that they can make a positive change in their communities. Kyle’s story proves testament to this as he instilled a sense of civic responsibility and community engagement throughout his career.
Through voluntary service, young people are encouraged to become more active and engaged citizens. For Kyle who had a deep-seated passion for volunteering, the cadet program encouraged him to keep a positive outlook in life and to grab the best opportunities presented to him. Kyle’s involvement with the Award led him to volunteer with the Royal Canadian Legion. He helped as a staff during dinner banquets when the Legion had events and he met different kinds of people from different walks of life.
“I absolutely fell in love with it. I just loved helping people, giving back, and just being involved. I don’t know how to describe it. It’s just general enjoyment and happiness of being there to help others. You’re not getting anything back and there’s nothing expected of you”, Kyle says.
Later, as Kyle found his community and connected with other volunteers who were in the Award and other organizations, the more he realized he was on the right path towards what he wanted to do in his life. Just when Kyle finished his studies in university, the Covid-19 pandemic happened. In 2020, Kyle worked as a security guard in the emergency department of a hospital. The onset of the pandemic took an emotional toll on many, especially frontliners like Kyle who witnessed a lot of suffering and loss. Aside from the Covid-19 virus, Kyle was also constantly exposed to physical injuries and people requiring first-aid treatment, but he didn’t mind. He knew that he could do more, and he still had the desire to help people. This was when he thought about volunteering as a medical first-aid responder with St. John Ambulance (SJA). Today, Kyle remains an outstanding individual and alumnus of the Award. Through the Award, he was able to shape his character and outlook in life. He gained resilience, perseverance, and a sense of responsibility. Instilled in him is a commitment of serving his community and guiding young people to also become #worldready.
The Awards program was founded by the late HRH Prince Philip as a way for young people to stay active, discover their potentials, and give back to their communities. It is a global framework being operated in over 130 countries, with millions of young participants across the globe. In Canada, the Award has partnered with 450+ schools and organizations with the aim to champion non-formal education and learning, challenging young people to find their purpose, passion, and place, in the world.
To learn more about Award Canada visit www.dukeofed.org
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