World Scout Jamboree

What better setting to receive a Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award than with Scouts from all over the world? More than 200 youth from nine countries earned bronze, silver and gold distinctions of the internationally-recognized honor during the World Scout Jamboree. The ceremony was part of several award events during the jamboree, which wrapped up at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia last summer.

Youth have been striving for this award since the 1950s. The Boy Scouts of America are now partnered with the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award USA, bringing the opportunity for American Scouts to earn the award. It’s available for young people ages 14 to 24 who devote months to community service, learning new skills and participating in physical fitness and adventurous activities.

Worldwide, the award draws more than 1.3 million participants and 200,000 volunteers in more than 130 countries and territories. Some of the other countries represented during the jamboree ceremony included Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Slovakia, Ireland Australia and the USA.

This year, more 700 Americans in 13 states have participated in The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award program.

“Ask anyone from abroad about the award and likely they will tell you it celebrates what young people are capable of,” says Elizabeth Higgins-Beard, CEO of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award USA. “The award challenges them to reflect, dig a bit deeper and perhaps try something new.”