Azaria is completing her Duke of Ed Gold Level this year alongside her High School Certificate (HSC). Azaria, only 17 years old, is completing her award through Youth Off the Streets - Craig Davis College – where she has been studying since Year 9.
1. Your journey: Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and what prompted you to first get involved with the Duke of Ed Framework?
I am 17 years old and I am completing my HSC at Youth Off the Streets, Craig Davis College (CDC), where I have been studying since Year 9. I started with the school at the beginning of 2023, after moving out from my mum’s house to live with my dad.
Prior to joining CDC, I had been attending a mainstream school, but due to a disrupted home life and a lack of support from the school, I very rarely attended classes. At the time, I felt disconnected from school, friends and teachers and I struggled a great deal with literacy and numeracy and completing school tasks and assessments. I did not feel that I got the support I needed from the school to help me improve my skills.
This changed when I started at CDC because the support was exactly what I needed at the time. My attendance improved a great deal, and I started looking forward to learning. I made friends and just became a lot happier and excited about school. The school provided so many opportunities and activities, especially in sport, and I enjoyed taking part in all the gala days and all the outdoor programmes.
I found out that I was very good at all sports and even became the team leader encouraging and uplifting others in the team. I learned that I loved a challenge, so when the Duke of Ed Framework was introduced at school, and I saw the PowerPoint presentation, I knew immediately that I wanted to take part. The challenge of the process and the excitement of learning a new skill and exploring new places prompted me to get involved.
2. NAIDOC and culture: This week we are celebrating NAIDOC Week. How has your cultural identity played a role in your personal journey or the activities you chose for your Award?
My personal journey has shown me that, just like my cultural identity, I have resilience and determination to keep going and do better. The activities I chose for my Gold Level Duke of Ed were a way of proving to myself and to my family that even though I have faced challenges with schooling and home life, I can still achieve things with the right support and by taking opportunities when they come.
The Skill I worked on for my Bronze Duke of Ed helped me become more confident in reading and allowed me to stay engaged in class and continue learning.
My Silver Duke of Ed has helped me become closer to my culture through the Skill I chose, where I am learning about Indigenous art, painting, and bush tucker. This has helped me feel more connected to my culture and heritage and become more familiar with Indigenous traditions and knowledge.
I am the first person in my family to finish Year 12, the first to get on a plane and a boat, and the first to travel. These experiences helped me grow in confidence and believe in myself more. I also improved my reading skills and learnt painting, art, and design through my Bronze and Silver Level activities.
3. The challenge: What has been the most challenging or rewarding part of completing your Award so far, and what did you learn about yourself through that experience?
One of the most challenging parts of the Silver Level was dislocating my shoulder on the six-foot track in the Blue Mountains. Sadly, this happened on the second day, and I could not continue the hike.
Another challenge was the mental load of the Larapinta trail, where I felt lost in my own thoughts and struggled with maintaining a sense of presence while on the hike. I felt that I was on auto pilot but had a strong focus and determination to get to the next check point.
One of the rewards of my Bronze Level was taking part in an intensive reading programme, that has helped me become a more confident reader and writer. Through this experience, I learned that I have a great sense of pride and determination and absolutely love challenging myself and learning new skills.
I found out that I am a lot stronger than I thought I was both mentally and physically and that I have great patience.
4. The impact: How has the Duke of Ed Framework helped you build new skills or confidence in your day-to-day life?
The Duke of Ed Framework has helped me realise that I can do things and achieve goals that I never thought were possible for me. It has helped me become more confident with the person I am growing into and has shown me that I am capable of achieving anything that I put my mind to in the classroom and at home.
I am now more confident in speaking to others, participating in class, and taking opportunities that I may not have thought of before. The skills I developed through my activities, especially improving my reading and learning about Indigenous art and culture, have also helped me feel more connected to myself and proud of what I can achieve.
Overall, the Duke of Ed Framework has helped me grow as a person and given me confidence that will support me in my future.
5. Looking forward: What message or advice would you give to other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people who are thinking about starting their own Duke of Ed journey?
Make sure you take part and join the Duke of Ed journey because you will find out strengths and things about yourself that you did not know.
The challenge, the hikes, the experience will help you grow as a person and help you discover that you are worthy and deserving of good things and taking up opportunities.
My advice is that you fully take part in all that is provided because if you don’t, you will miss out on the stories and culture behind the sites, trails and places we visited. Every place held a story that taught me about my heritage and the scared sites and paintings that you will see will add to the magical experience despite the challenges.
I loved the sunsets at Uluru, and you don’t want to miss that! You will learn that a challenge is good, because it helps you to come out of your comfort zone and put your shame aside and learn and enjoy new things, and making friends along the way.
The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award is a framework that provides a structure to accredit young people through a program of activities, that empowers young Australians aged 14-24 to explore their full potential regardless of their location or circumstance.
If this is something you would be interested in participating in, view our work here: The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award | NSW Government