Statements made by Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex during his visit to Karelia for the International Awards

Edward talking about the International Award and his own participation in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards, "When I received such award I was one of many in the Great Britain, and you became the first in Russia. Though these awards are individual, all of you were distinguished in team work and have applied many efforts to achieve success."

Speaking of the purposes of the programme, Prince Edward noted it follows the basic idea that "one doesn't have to compete with anybody but oneself. If you are, for example, an athlete you may set up a hundred-meter race record, but on the conditions of the program the personal achievement should be repeated three times." Therefore, there are no uniform requirements to the participants of the programme, any young person can participate in it including people with limited opportunities."

Speaking of development of the programme in Russia, Edward noted that  "[He was] very much impressed with what [his] seen here. It's a pleasure, that in Karelia young people originating from families with different prosperity and different educational level participate in the program, and that the program give all of them such opportunities of which they could not dream." There are four sections the programme consists of - civil service, tourism and expeditions, personal skills, and physical development

About Us | Site Map | Disclaimer | Contact Us | 2003-2006 House Wessex