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The Duke of Edinburgh's Hillary Award, also known as The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, is a New Zealand award modelled on The Duke of Edinburgh's Award. The name of the award is a reference to the famous New Zealand mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary.
The Duke of Edinburgh's Hillary Award is a voluntary, non-competitive programme of practical, cultural and adventurous activities, designed to support the personal and social development of young people aged 14–25, regardless of gender, background or ability. It offers an individual challenge and encourages young people to undertake exciting, constructive, challenging and enjoyable activities in their free time.
The mission of The Duke of Edinburgh's Hillary Award Programme in New Zealand is to have young people, regardless of cultural, ethnic and socio-economic background, participating in an exciting, flexible and individually tailored programme, to build skills, identity and self-esteem. [1]
Approximately 9000 young New Zealanders' undertake the award every year. [2]
The initial Duke of Edinburgh Award was founded in the United Kingdom in 1956 by HRH, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, alongside Lord Hunt, leader of the first successful ascent of Mount Everest and Kurt Hahn, a German educationalist. [3] They were also in close association with Edmund Hillary who was also on the first ascent of Everest. [4]
The constitution of the Award in New Zealand was drawn up on 19 July 1963 during the inaugural meeting of the National Council of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award in New Zealand held at Government House, Wellington. [5]
The award was renamed from The Duke of Edinburgh's Award to Duke of Edinburgh's Hillary Award in 2009 following the death of Sir Edmund Hillary. [6] It has also been known as The Young New Zealanders Challenge of the Duke of Edinburgh's Hillary Award. [5]
Although commonly known as the Hillary Award, the Duke of Edinburgh Award in New Zealand (Aotearoa) is also known as the International Award and linked to the Duke of Edinburgh Award in the other countries it is established in. [7]
The Award follows the same system as the Duke of Edinburgh Award and requires all participants to engage in physical activities, work in a team in a challenging environment, learn new skills and volunteer in their local community. [8]
These are completed through the 4 sections of the Award with the appropriate examples: [9]
There are three main levels to the Award and each level is more challenging than the last, they include:
If a participant wishes to start their Silver or Gold Award without doing the previous Award(s), they must add an extra 6 months (26 weeks) to one section of their choice. Additionally, the participant must also complete additional training for their Adventurous Journey in order to qualify for the Award they're directly entering into. [3]
The Award recognises the importance of setting goals and personal growth through achievements and grit. As a part of the Gold Award, participants must complete a residential project for 5 days and 4 nights away from home where they are working towards a common purpose with others. Some examples include staying and participating in a restoration project, language programme or being a camp leader for various organisations within New Zealand. [9]
Sir Edmund Hillary, born on the 20th of July, 1919 in Auckland, New Zealand, was a mountaineer who was on the first successful trip and ascent of Mount Everest alongside Sir John Hunt, G.C. Band, Bourdillon, R.C. Evans, A. Gregory, Edmund Hillary, and Tenzing Norgay. [10]
The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award was founded in 1956 by HRH Prince Philip, Kurt Hahn (German educationalist) and Sir Hunt. [10] It was not until the 18th of July, 1963 that the Governor-General, Sir Bernard Fergusson, held the inaugural meeting of the National Council of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award to curate a Constitution for the Award in New Zealand. [11]
As his fame projected his values into the spotlight, his team that ascended Everest with him and their relations with HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, formed the basis for the Duke of Edinburgh and Hillary Award. [4] Furthermore, the gap in young boys' education between the ages of 15 and 18 when joining the National Service, after World War 2, served as further motivation to construct a programme made to further skills such as physical activity and volunteering. [3]
Sir Edmund Hillary in his ascent to Everest identified and broadcast the significance of adventure and building skills for the future, namely within the younger generations. This ideology was incorporated specifically in the Adventurous Journey section of the Award. [9] His development of the Himalayan Trust, construction of schools and hospitals in Kathmandu guided the incorporation of the service section in the Award. Similarly, his continued expeditions not only within the Himalayan region but to Antarctica with his team furthered the importance of and popularised explorations and expeditions in varying regions of the world. [4] Similarly, Hillary's legacy within New Zealand as the ambassador to India, a member of the Order of New Zealand and a Knight of the Garter further promoted the importance of community service and integrity, which linked to the values seen in the Hillary Award in New Zealand.
The relationships built with Sir Edmund Hillary and his team with HRH Prince Philip also allowed for the Award to be quickly adapted into the United Kingdom and other countries (including New Zealand as the Hillary Award), now standing at over 130 countries.
There are various social impacts as seen connected to the four sections of the Hillary Award seen in all three levels. For example, the Physical Recreation section caused participants to be seen creating healthier behaviours, namely a sustainable weekly regimen, concerning exercise and training. [7] Consequently, the incorporation of physical activity into a weekly basis for the Award resulted in physiological benefits such as increased fitness and stamina levels and psychological benefits including an increase in discipline, self-determination and relationship-building. [12]
Conversely, the Skills section allows for participants to delve deeper into developing a skill of their choice by maintaining a practice pattern (at least once a week). [3] Furthermore, the Hillary Award incentivises the continual of said skill even after the completion of the Award which can be attributed to the 10% increase in young people that said they would continue practising their skill (from 78% practising at least once a week to 88% intending to continue once a week). [7]
The Adventurous Journey Expedition facilitates an environment for relationships to be created between participants and their peers as well as the facilitators which increases interpersonal skills. [12] Similarly, the Expedition also builds self-motivation and confidence within the participants and allows for personal growth within the trip. The physical activity in the trip also contributes to building participants' stamina and interest in outdoor activities. [10] This appeal toward this type of activity seen in the Expedition (e.g. hiking, paddling, canoeing, etc.) was sustained as only 6% of participants assessed that they would not like to participate in similar activities, thus inferring that 94% of participants believed that their interest in such outdoor activities would continue after the Award. [7] Contrastingly, the Exploration Adventurous Journey forges a learning environment where participants also develop independent learning and research skills that assist in the senior educational stages. [7] Both forms of the Adventurous Journey caused participants to gain a greater appreciation for the environment after delving themselves in it for a certain period of time which linked to active participation in preventative climate groups. [7]
The Voluntary Service component of the Hillary Award fosters personal development and increases the social awareness of participants as they involve themselves within their community as well as explore new social environments. [12] The exposure the young people receive also contributes to youth development as they find their own interests in the process and construe their own beliefs whilst also maintaining an open-mind. [12] Social awareness also aids in various career choices and allows for the participants to have a well-rounded approach to social justice issues, problems associated with their work and generally in the social climate. These unique experiences structured through volunteering also result in improvements within participants' mental wellbeing as an increase in self-worth, self-esteem and a sense of accomplishment. [7] Similarly, leadership, communication and time-management skills are formed as their involvement in community service allows them to observe how to perform certain activities and transform them into applicable skills. [7] The increase in these adaptive skills such as communication and volunteering experience results in an increase in employability and career opportunities for those that have completed the Award. [3] This can then be transformed into future-proofing skills that allow for a more stable future including that surrounding leadership. [12] The increased employer appeal and experience gained by the Award participants also links to participants being more well-informed concerning finding a stable and enjoyable career for themselves as well as being more experienced when it comes to applications. [3]
Additionally, the general impacts on the wider community includes an increase in social cohesion as the participants maintain a sustained involvement within their community through the service component. This creates a cohesive relationship between various communities and an inclusive environment where participants from minority groups also experienced personal growth, team working and social skills at the same levels as their privileged counterparts. [7] There are also significant environmental benefits as a result of various environmental conservation groups supporting the Award in New Zealand and providing the opportunities as well as resources for the Adventurous Journey component. [12] Contrastingly, in New Zealand and as a part of the International Award, an increase in the development of healthy behaviours surrounding the rehabilitation of young offenders. [13] As a result of the increase in confidence, various transferable skills and the opportunity to help their community, many young offenders saw a positive shift in regards to their behaviour and interactions with others whilst also opening up job opportunities for those after they finish their prison sentence. [13] Overall, the Hillary Award benefits a wide range of young people and fosters a healthy environment where they can cultivate personal development individually and with their peers.
There is an abundance of partners and sponsors for the Hillary Award that provide funding for and support the delivery of the Award as well as how it reaches a wide variety of communities across New Zealand. The donations assist with participants' registration fee, activity expenses namely alongside the Adventurous Journey and the costs of supporting the Award Leaders.
The partners are ranked according to their donation amount and long-term support with four tiers of sponsors:
Sir Edmund Percival Hillary was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953, Hillary and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers confirmed to have reached the summit of Mount Everest. They were part of the ninth British expedition to Everest, led by John Hunt. From 1985 to 1988 he served as New Zealand's High Commissioner to India and Bangladesh and concurrently as Ambassador to Nepal.
Tenzing Norgay, born Namgyal Wangdi, and also referred to as Sherpa Tenzing, was a Nepali-Indian Sherpa mountaineer. He was one of the first two people known to certainly reach the summit of Mount Everest, which he accomplished with Edmund Hillary on 29 May 1953. Time named Norgay one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.
The Himalayan Trust is an international non-profit humanitarian organisation first established in the 1960s by Sir Edmund Hillary, who led the trust until his death in 2008. The Himalayan Trust aims to improve the health, education and general wellbeing of people living in the Solukhumbu District. The Himalayan Trust is headquartered in New Zealand where it is a registered charity through the Charities Commission. The Trust has charitable and donee status being a member of the Council for International Development (CID).
Henry Cecil John Hunt, Baron Hunt, was a British Army officer who is best known as the leader of the successful 1953 British expedition to Mount Everest.
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is a youth awards programme founded in the United Kingdom in 1956 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, which has since expanded to 144 nations. The awards recognise adolescents and young adults for completing a series of self-improvement exercises modelled on Kurt Hahn's solutions to his "Six Declines of Modern Youth".
Jamling Tenzing Norgay is an Indian Sherpa mountaineer.
Gaisce – The President's Award is an award in Ireland, earned by young people between the ages of 14 and 25 for participating in several activities for a certain period. There are three awards: bronze, silver and gold.
The New Zealand Alpine Club (NZAC) was founded in 1891 and is one of the oldest alpine clubs in the world. The NZAC is the national climbing organisation in New Zealand and is a member of the Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme. It has over 4000 members who are spread across twelve sections, eleven in New Zealand and one in Australia, plus members in other countries. It runs a national office based in Christchurch.
The Queen's Guide award is the highest attainable award for members of Girlguiding.
Peter Edmund Hillary is a New Zealand mountaineer, philanthropist, and writer. He is the son of adventurer Sir Edmund Hillary, who, along with mountaineer Tenzing Norgay, completed the first successful ascent of Mount Everest. When Peter Hillary summited Everest in 1990, he and his father were the first father/son duo to achieve the feat. Hillary has achieved two summits of Everest, an 84-day trek across Antarctica to the South Pole, and an expedition guiding astronaut Neil Armstrong to land a small aircraft at the North Pole. He has climbed many of the world's major peaks, and on 19 June 2008, completed the Seven Summits, reaching the top of the highest mountains on all seven continents, when he summited Denali in Alaska.
The Mount Everest Committee was a body formed by the Alpine Club and the Royal Geographical Society to co-ordinate and finance the 1921 British Mount Everest reconnaissance expedition to Mount Everest and all subsequent British expeditions to climb the mountain until 1947. It was then renamed the Joint Himalayan Committee; this latter committee organised and financed the successful first ascent of Mount Everest in 1953.
Cuthbert Wilfrid Francis Noyce was an English mountaineer and author. He was a member of the 1953 British Expedition that made the first ascent of Mount Everest.
Kunde Hospital is a community hospital in the town of Kunde, Nepal, that serves 8,000 people from Khumbu district. It is situated 3,840 metres (12,600 ft) above sea level and was founded by Sir Edmund Hillary in 1966. The hospital was funded and operated by The Himalayan Trust until 1976 and is now supported by the Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation.
Wallace George Lowe, known as George Lowe, was a New Zealand-born mountaineer, explorer, film director and educator. He was the last surviving member of the 1953 British Mount Everest Expedition, during which his friend Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first known people to summit the world's highest peak. Sir Edmund was his fellow Briton and served as his mentor.
The Israel Youth Award is a self-development program for 14- to 25-year-olds. Over 7 million young people worldwide have taken up the Award challenge. A member of the International Award Association, the Israel Youth Award is one of 62 National Award Authorities delivering the International Award, which started life in the UK in 1956 as The Duke of Edinburgh's Award.
The 1953 British Mount Everest expedition was the ninth mountaineering expedition to attempt the first ascent of Mount Everest, and the first confirmed to have succeeded when Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary reached the summit on 29 May 1953. Led by Colonel John Hunt, it was organised and financed by the Joint Himalayan Committee. News of the expedition's success reached London in time to be released on the morning of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, on 2 June that year.
Beyond the Edge is a 2013 New Zealand 3D docudrama about Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary's historical ascent of Mount Everest in 1953. As well as featuring dramatised recreations shot on location on Everest and in New Zealand, the film includes original footage and photographs from what was then the ninth British expedition to the mountain. It also includes audio from interviews with Hillary and recorded narration by expedition leader John Hunt.
The Sir Edmund Hillary Mountain Legacy Medal is awarded every one or two years to an individual "for remarkable service in the conservation of culture and nature in mountainous regions." The medal both recognizes the service of Sir Edmund Hillary on behalf of mountain people and their environment and also encourages the continuing emulation of his example. The Hillary Medal is a project of Mountain Legacy, a Nepalese non-governmental organization ; the president is biologist Kumar P. Mainali. The Hillary Medal was personally authorized by Sir Edmund in 2002, and ratified by the Namche Consensus, the declaration resulting from the 2003 Namche Conference: "People, Park, and Mountain Ecotourism."
The South Summit is a subsidiary peak to the primary peak of Mount Everest in the Himalayas. Although the South Summit's elevation above sea level of 8,749 metres (28,704 ft) is higher than the second-highest mountain on Earth, K2, it is not considered a separate mountain as its prominence is only 11 meters. The primary peak of Mount Everest is 8,849 metres (29,032 ft) elevation above sea level.
Norman David Hardie was a New Zealand climber who was one of the climbers on the 1955 British Kangchenjunga expedition who first reached the summit of the 8,586-metre (28,169 ft) mountain, the third-highest mountain in the world.