President Jacob Zuma will hand out Gold Awards to hard working young people who have excelled in various fields. The President will be accompanied by His Royal Highness the Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth of Britain, on Thursday and his wife Princess Sophia, the Countess of Wessex.
The awards are hosted in conjunction with the Office of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation. Prince Edward is the Chairman of the International Council of the Awards. The Awards promote social cohesion and community service amongst young people as well as excellence in sports and endurance games.
The President’s Award for Youth Empowerment marks its 30th Anniversary Year. The project started off in South Africa as the Gold Shield Award and became The President’s Award for Youth Empowerment in 1994, with President Nelson Mandela as the Founding Patron-in-Chief. President Zuma replaced President Mandela in August 2009 as Patron-in-chief.
The President’s Award for Youth Empowerment will recognise the achievements of 130 young people from schools, correctional centres, residential youth facilities and community youth groups for their work in youth leadership and development.
The Gold Awards are handed out for the following achievements:
- Physical recreation: Any sport with a show of improvement in the sport over 12 months.
- Residential project: Undertaking a shared purposeful activity with people who are not usual friends, in an unfamiliar residential setting for at least 4 nights and 5 consecutive days for example helping out at an orphanage.
- Skills: Show regular effort and improvement on a selected activity for example drama; dance; musical instrument.
- Adventurous journey: Undertaking a journey with an agreed purpose over four consecutive days and three nights in a group of no fewer than four peers unsupervised and accessed by experienced adults, for example canoeing; cycling; horseback riding or sailing.
- Service: 72 hours of voluntary service for example at a local hospital, crèche or SPCA spread over 12 months.
Details of the ceremony are as follows:
Date: Thursday, 10 October 2013
Time: 11h00
Venue: Table Bay Hotel, Cape Town
We wish to request the media attending the ceremony to please RSVP with Hlomani Baloyi on 083 276 1295 or hlomani@po.gov.za.
Enquiries:
Zanele Mngadi
Cell: 082 330 1148
Bongani Majola
Cell: 082 339 1993
