Headline: Hard work and determination recognised at youth awards ceremony
Nine young Cantabrians were presented with Duke of Edinburgh Hillary Awards during a ceremony held at Middleton Grange School on Monday. The Award programme, celebrating 50 years of operation in New Zealand, is open to young people aged 14 to 25 and encourages personal development and self-belief.
Local Wigram MP Megan Woods presented the awards and said she was privileged to be able to congratulate the recipients.
“The nine recipients should be proud and I want to congratulate them for their achievement. They’ve shown they can push themselves to not only make a positive difference in their own lives, but also a positive contribution to their community,” said Megan Woods.
“Young people in Christchurch have been through a lot over the past few years but we’ve seen a real determination by many of them to make the best of their situation, participating in the Hillary Awards programme is testament to that.
“I also want to pay tribute to the Joshua Foundation, which has been responsible for delivering programmes such as the Duke of Edinburgh Hillary Award throughout Canterbury for a number of years now,” said Megan Woods.
The Silver Awards presented on Monday recognise recipients’ contribution to serving the community, developing new skills, engaging in physical activity and the completion of a 3 day outdoor expedition.
The Hillary Award programme continues to be highly popular across New Zealand with over 16,000 young people actively involved as at the end of 2012. It is the only youth programme to be invited to be in partnership with the Sir Edmund Hillary name, legacy and heritage.
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