The death of Prince Philip left a wave of sadness around the world on Friday. Since then pupils and teachers in Dubai have been reflecting on how the Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DofE) has left a lasting impression on the lives of those who took part.
Founded in 1956, the award offers young people the chance to challenge themselves through various outlets, including community work, fitness and challenging outdoor expeditions.
Open to people aged 14 to 24, hundreds of thousands across the globe have joined the programme, including more than 2,500 pupils in Dubai last year.
Having met The Duke of Edinburgh on more than one occasion, it always struck me how much he cared about the young people completing the award
There are three levels of award: bronze, silver and gold. In the past, many who achieved the highest gold award were invited to attend a special ceremony to meet Prince Philip.
Sarah Donovan, director of sport at Dubai British School, was one of them.
“As a PE teacher, it is no surprise I have been heavily involved in the award for the last 21 years, not to mention I did bronze, silver and gold as a pupil,” she said.
“A personal highlight has to be going to Buckingham Palace with pupils for their Gold Award Ceremony.
“Having met His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh on more than one occasion, it always struck me how much he cared about the young people completing the award.
“He would make time to chat to them individually and hear about their experiences. Whilst he may have awarded hundreds of students in each ceremony, he made every group feel unique and important."
As an assessor and supervisor for the award in the Middle East for eight years, Ms Donovan has supervised expeditions in the UAE, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
She said the “grit and resilience the expedition element affords the pupils” is unrivalled by any other school activity.
Haya Salam, a grade 10 pupil at Uptown International School, holds a bronze and silver DofE Award.
She said an extremely rewarding part of her journey was when she completed the service section of her silver award.
“Volunteering as a Global Goals Leader gave me the opportunity to gain the experience of a work environment, test out possible career pathways, develop new skills, or develop existing ones,” she said.
“It was a great feeling knowing that I was making a huge difference and giving something back to my community each week."
There are four main sections of the programme: volunteering, physical, skills and expedition. At gold level, participants also complete a residential section.
Here, participants must undertake a shared activity or course with people they do not know, in a residential setting, away from home and in an unfamiliar environment.
At this level, pupils often live temporarily on boats, barges or camps.
Laura Treliving, head of PE at Uptown International School, is a Duke of Edinburgh's Award international co-ordinator.
Having been involved in the award, both in the UK and internationally, she said she has seen it “change students’ lives”.
“New talents have been discovered, passions become ignited, life-long skills developed and a true love of learning and growing has been created during the process of completing the award,” she said.
“When I moved over to teach in Dubai I had to continue the award here to give our students at UIS these same opportunities.
“I worked hard to get the school accredited and launch the award here, which has been one of my greatest achievements.
“His Royal Highness Prince Philip has been an inspiration by setting up this award and has had such a positive impact on millions of people's lives. His legacy will live on."
Francesca Di Meo-Smith, a teacher at Dubai British School, has been heavily involved in getting pupils enrolled in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award.
“Within our school, pupils have explored a variation of tasks from snowboarding to knitting, and even climbed the height of Mount Everest on their stairs at home,” she said.
“The school has relished seeing pupils become more confident within themselves.
“With the help of Zoom, pupils have helped tutor younger students, do yoga classes at home and arrange dog walks for vulnerable members of society.”
Prince Philip in the Middle East: in pictures
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Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
