Сократи текст на уровень A2 he Duke of Edinburgh's Award (also called the D of E) is a very well-known and popular youth programme in the UK that aims to help young people aged 14-24 reach their full potential! It gives young people the chance to develop their character and their life skills as they take part in all kinds of exciting extracurricular activities. Started as a small all-boys programme in 1956 by the Duke of Edinburgh, today 275,000 young people from different backgrounds are working towards their D of E at any one time in the UK! Participants can progress through three levels of the D of E, the bronze (challenging), the silver (more challenging) or the gold (extremely challenging and not for the faint-hearted). It's definitely not easy to achieve any of the awards. Activities are organised in four areas: Volunteering, which could mean volunteering at an animal rescue centre or working in a charity shop for six months; Physical, which might be getting a certificate in parachuting or flamenco dancing; Skills, which could be doing a jewellery-making, first aid or cookery course; and Expedition, which could be planning a rowing trip down the Danube in Germany. All this can take anything from three months to three years! The best thing is - young people can pick exactly which activities they want to do in each category. Ultimately, it's all worth it and all the gold awards are presented by the Duke of Edinburgh himself at a royal palace. From beginning to end, it's great fun doing a D of E and employers, colleges and universities get excited if they see it on a person's CV. The important thing though, is that, "You learn to love something, work hard, be focused and disciplined and then you will be ready for when the right opportunity comes your way, " as opera superstar Katherine Jenkins said having completed her silver award.