Blair Moro of North Surrey Secondary will be one of 100 British Columbia youth presented with the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Level Certificate on March 19, 2010 at Point Grey Secondary School in Vancouver. The gold level is the highest award, above the silver and bronze. The award is currently offered in more than 120 countries around the world and has been offered in Canada since 1963.

Moro has worked on his bronze, silver and gold levels for the past five years. It takes at least six months for a participant to achieve a bronze award; 12 months for silver and 18 months for gold.

To achieve in each progressive level, students complete four sections of the program: community service, an adventurous journey, developing a hobby or skill, and physical recreation. The gold certificate also requires participation in a residential project, which is defined as a purposeful enterprise with people not previously known to the participant.

Moro volunteered over 1,000 hours of service to his school and community while he worked on his Duke of Edinburgh awards. His adventurous journey for his gold consisted of hiking in Garibaldi Provincial Park to Mamquam Lake while his residential project was with Encounters with Canada Youth Program in Ottawa for one week.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award was founded in 1956 by His Royal Highness, The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. It was developed to encourage all youth ages 14 to 25 to be active, to participate in new activities and pursue their current interests a non-competitive way. The program offers the opportunity to set goals and achieve results in a fun and challenging way, allowing participants to gain valuable skills and contribute to their community.

For more information on the Duke of Edinburgh Awards visit www.dukeofed.org.

Last Updated: March 17, 2010