West is best for Youth Awards

Carmarthenshire Youth Service’s delivery of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award has topped the league in the table of Welsh Unitary Authorities.

Over the past year the Carmarthenshire Duke of Edinburgh’s Award has grown from strength to strength with more than five hundred people achieving a qualification, which is a fifty one percent increase on last year; this has come about through more adult volunteers helping to deliver the Awards programme.

More young people described as socially excluded or disaffected have succeeded in the Award which is nearly all due to Youth Service workers delivering the award.

The Award encourages young people to volunteer for community service and this year young people have given 11884 voluntary hours to their communities.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award has been recommended as an effective way of measuring the impact of youth work on young people within the National Youth Service Strategy for Wales and the Welsh assembly Government’s 14-19 Learning Pathway recommends that the Award is offered as way to engage young people in a broader range of wider curriculum opportunities.

Councillor Gwynne Wooldridge, Executive Board Member of Education and Children’s Services said:
“The Carmarthenshire Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is committed to offering an enjoyable, challenging and rewarding programme of personal development of the highest quality to meet the needs of a wide range of young people.
“The Award is well recognised within the community sector and is a valuable tool to supporting the youth work curriculum. Congratulations to everyone involved for reaching the top.”

A Gold Awards ceremony will be held at the Scarlets Stadium on Monday September 7 to acknowledge the success of the Award and young people’s efforts.

For further information on the delivery of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award or how to get involved, please contact Alison Owen-Yeates on: 01267 267801