More than 40 youngsters, their families and Duke of Edinburgh Award co-ordinators celebrated the 60^th worldwide anniversary of the globally-recognised youth programme on Wednesday, 7 December 2016.

The evening event, held in the Family Life Centre, also saw 45 young people receive 35 Bronze and 10 Silver awards and pins.

To gain the certificates, the teenagers had passed the programme’s community service, skills, physical recreation and Adventurous Journey requirements.

The recipients were from Cayman Prep and St. Ignatius High Schools, and the Cayman Islands Cadet Corps, Grace Christian Academy, the Award Open Unit and the George Town and Savannah Girls’ Brigade groups.

Attendees, many in their school or youth organisation uniforms, listened to a welcome address by the Minister of Community Affairs, Youth and Sport, the Hon. Osbourne Bodden. He later gave out certificates to the Silver awardees, and his Chief Officer, Dorine Whittaker, handed out certificates to the Bronze award recipients or their representatives.

Chairman of the Cayman Islands Duke of Edinburgh Award, Ms Katherine Jackson, gave a historical and inspirational speech. The first-ever local Gold recipient then invited several current awardees to talk to each segment of the programme and how it had impacted them.

This year’s Young Caymanian Leadership Award recipient, Brianna Wilkenson, gave a motivational speech for the night’s key note address.

(GIS)

Captions: Photos: Elphina Jones