Adult Roles in the Award
Behind every young person who discovers their courage, perseverance, and passion through The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award programme are dedicated adults – teachers, leaders, parents, volunteers, and supporters. They are the ones who guide them, inspire them, and create the context in which experiences become life lessons.
Every role matters. From the teacher who encourages the first step, to the coordinator who organises activities, to the parent who provides emotional support, and the sponsor who makes a new opportunity possible – together, they all form a support network that makes a difference.
This page shows you how adults get involved in the Award and how they contribute, each in their own way, to the development of a generation that is more confident, more courageous, and better prepared for the future.
The Award Coordinator plays a key role in the delivery of the Award programme. They represent the main point of contact between the Foundation and the organisation licensed as an Award Unit (Award Operating Unit or Operating Authority) and are primarily responsible for managing the delivery of the Award programme to the young people within the organisation.
The Award Leader plays a key role in the delivery of the Award programme within their organisation. They are the adult within the Award unit who works directly with the young people. The Leader guides and provides support to participants and works together with them on documenting activities on the Online Record Book (ORB) platform.
Instructorii de activități sunt voluntarii adulți care oferă instruire specializată participanților în cadrul fiecărei secțiuni a programului Award. Aceștia trebuie să aibă experiență relevantă în domeniul activității alese pentru a îndruma participanții în stabilirea obiectivelor SMART cu care începe fiecare secțiune și în metodologia de măsurare a progresului.
Liderul Award și Instructorul de activități trebuie să se asigure că participantul desfășoară activitatea în mod regulat, pe parcursul perioadei minime necesare, și că demonstrează progres în atingerea obiectivelor propuse. La finalul procesului, aceștia, în funcție de context, vor fi responsabili de aprobarea activităților realizate de participant și de validarea oficială a secțiunii respective
The Supervisor within the Adventurous Journey section is a crucial role, both in terms of the participants’ safety during their journey and in maintaining the Award standards. All Adventurous Journeys, including training journeys, must be supervised by an experienced adult who is competent in the chosen mode of travel and familiar with the area where the journey will take place. The Supervisor accepts responsibility for the safety and well-being of the team on behalf of the organisation. Additionally, the Supervisor will be familiar with the team, their individual strengths and weaknesses, and their knowledge of the chosen route.
All final journeys within The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award must be assessed by a competent adult approved by the organisation licensed as an Award Centre and by the National Award Foundation. Assessors within the Adventurous Journey section are tasked with maintaining the high standards of the Award. The role of the Assessor is to confirm that all section conditions have been met. The Assessor is an objective observer of the team and will determine whether or not they meet the requirements of the section.
The operational team of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Romania Foundation provides appropriate training for adults involved in delivering the Award programme, offers consultancy to Award Centres, provides learning and development opportunities for Award Participants, and ensures that the programme’s implementation standards are successfully maintained.