Age is just a number and not a restriction. These youngsters are leading by example.
Three Grade 11 learners from Worcester Gymnasium, Jeanette Joubert, Simone Botha and Cara Koopman, recently completed their bronze level of the President’s Award Programme.
The programme was established with the mission to empower young people between ages of 14 and 25, by providing a balanced, non-competitive framework for self-development that increases their self-esteem and enables them to become responsible, active citizens within their communities.
Required of them to achieve the bronze level was to do a minimum of 24 hours’ community service over a minimum period of three months. They also had to acquire or better a skill, showing regular effort and improvement.
They had to participate and select any form of physical recreation (sport) and show regular effort over a minimum of three months. They also had to complete an adventurous journey over two consecutive days and one night, sleeping in tents and huts, and carrying all their own gear and food.
Jeanette completed an extra three months in all the sections.
She played hockey and did physical recreation, visual arts and photography as a skill and various forms of community service. For her adventure she went on a two-day horseback ride, sleeping over in a tent, and covered 24 km a day. She is currently enrolled for silver.
Simone completed an extra three months’ in service and skills. She did hockey as physical recreation and took piano lessons as her skill. She completed her adventurous journey by going on a two-day hike, and sleeping in a hut, covering 12 km a day. She is currently enrolled for silver.
Cara, completed an extra three months in service. She played hockey and did physical recreation and took advanced mathematics as her skill. She completed her adventurous journey by going on a two day hike, covering 12 km a day, and sleeping in a hut. She is also currently enrolled for silver.
