Meeting HRH Prince Phillip, The Duke of Edinburgh is a once in a lifetime experience. For Melissa Bann, a Coordinator from West Cairns Indigenous Youth Empowerment Program, this was.jpg)
an amazing opportunity to meet the man that founded The Duke of Ed program.
The West Cairns Indigenous Youth Empowerment Program operates Nintiringanyi Cultural Training Centre and works with Indigenous youth that are “at risk” of having adverse contact with the criminal justice system. They have been running The Duke of Ed since 2008 and have had seven Indigenous youth complete their Bronze Awards, and four young people complete their Silver Awards.
When Melissa and Shanny-Jo Teale (one of the Award Participants at West Cairns) were invited to attend the Reception at Government House in October, they felt honoured and humbled. “It is lovely for our work to be recognised in this way...It was wonderful to meet an international leader such as The Duke of Edinburgh and the person that was instrumental in starting such a great program.”
When asked about how The Duke of Ed has impacted the lives of the young people participating in the program, Melissa said “Their self esteem has been significantly boosted. They have sought and have been successful in achieving leadership positions...The youth justice clients have reduced their level of alcohol and substance abuse and the majority of those no longer commit crimes.”
Shanny was excited to meet the Founder of The Duke of Ed program. “She said she found him to be down to earth...and very nice.”
For Melissa, the experience was slightly different, “It was an honour to talk to him about our work at Nintiringanyi and talk to someone at an international level. It is great to see recognition of the work we are doing in assisting Indigenous youth to undertake The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.”
From Cairns to Canberra, the Reception was an exciting moment that changed Melissa’s outlook on The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in a positive light, “My belief in the program has increased. I am determined to see more Indigenous youth make it through The Award...The Award teaches them to overcome barriers...and for many of these youth who have disengaged from school, it is the first time they have achieved a certificate of recognition. This is a huge boost to their sense of self worth.”
