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After spending more than 1,200 hours pursuing individual accomplishments and performing community service, the reward for Blaine Beaven was a hearty handshake from a member of the royal family.
The Metis youth from Air Ronge received the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award of Achievement at a ceremony in Regina on June 21. His Royal Highness, Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, handed out the framed certificates to all of the 49 recipients from throughout the Prairies.
To obtain the gold award?the highest level of achievement in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards program?each participant had to complete the requirements in five different categories over a period of at least 18 months. They included maintaining a skill, providing community service, improving their physical fitness, completing a four-day expedition, and participating in a five-day residential project.
"It shows that there is good character because of how you can set a goal and finish it," the 17-year old said of what the program meant to him. "The purpose is to make you a well-rounded person and each of these steps will help you achieve that."
In his address, the prince said the event was a public celebration of private achievements, within a program designed to help youth enhance themselves and their communities. Established in the United Kingdom by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1956 with the intent of encouraging and motivating adolescents in a series of voluntary self-development activities, the award is now offered in more than 100 countries. Canada joined this global movement in 1963 and nationally the program is known as the Young Canadians Challenge.
A Warrant Officer, 2nd Class, with the local Royal Canadian Air Cadets, Beaven's position is the highest in the squadron. He met the Duke of Edinburgh community service requirement through a combination of his teaching duties in Cadets and serving on his high school's student council.
Involved in the sport of biathlon (cross-country skiing and rifle shooting), Beaven has competed in both Nunavut and New Brunswick within the past year. His proficiency in shooting played a significant part in his fulfillment of the expedition component of the program, which took the form of a hunting trip with his dad in northern British Columbia.
"We found a mountain goat ,but I missed because I'm not good at shooting downhill from 500 yards. But I had a great time with my father," Beaven said.
Learning to fly a glider fulfilled the skill element of the program, although the task wasn't without its risks. As Beaven explained, steering a glider requires perfection because there are no second chances.
The residential element of the program is acknowledged as the hardest because it requires youth to step out of their comfort zone and the security of friends and family by meeting a group of strangers and spending at least five days with them. Beaven met this requirement early on in his involvement in the Duke of Edinburgh program, travelling to Ottawa as part of Encounters with Canada, an arts and culture festival where perhaps the biggest challenge was being just one of 19 boys among more than 120 girls.
Unlike most of the other 48 award recipients from the Prairie provinces, Beaven was only among a handful who had completed the program independently, without the assistance or support of a group. Besides everything else he learned or encountered during the program, Beaven said developing organization and paperwork skills were among the benefits he gained from having taken on this commitment on his own.
During the awards ceremony, each recipient walked onto stage when their name was called and greeted Prince Edward, who presented them with a framed certificate. Beaven admitted to some nervousness before the meeting, anxiety that lasted right up until his name was announced.
While his brush with royalty may have been fleeting, the encounter was memorable.
"He asked me 'How did you enjoy the program?' and I said 'I enjoyed it vey much'," Beaven said.
Tom Maracle was one of the people in attendance at the awards ceremony. Originally from Saskatchewan, Maracle now lives in Ottawa where he sits on the board of directors for the Ontario region Duke of Edinburgh awards. He is also the manager of Aboriginal community relations with Xerox Canada.
Maracle was pleased that Beaven was acknowledged with this award and hopes that other Aboriginal teenagers take up the challenge.
"There are a lot of talented Aboriginal kids that are out there and through this program, we can recognize their activity and achievement," he said.
Beaven recognizes that he could be a role model for other teenagers.
"Certainly there are other members in my squadron who will look at this and say 'I want to do that'. I hope Aboriginals will feel the same way and (this will) inspire them to achieve their goals."
One of Beaven's goals for the future is attending law school at the University of Saskatchewan.
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