Kyle joins celebrations for success of DofE scheme

Kyle Walker-Peters was a special guest at a celebration evening for the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation’s delivery of the Duke of Edinburgh’s (DofE) Award on Thursday.

Nine participants recently became the first from a Premier League Club to achieve a Gold DofE after completing a series of complex and challenging activities promoting leadership, teamwork and organisational skills while providing experience of setting and achieving goals.

A further 71 young people, including Bronze and Silver participants, also picked up awards on an entertaining night held at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre in Tottenham.

Groups of participants demonstrated the skills that have helped earn them their awards, including music and dance performances, as well as presentations on some of the volunteering projects that have been delivered.

Above: A musical performance on the night.

On a night that was organised and presented by the young people themselves, those in attendance also got to view hilarious GoPro footage from the gruelling expeditions that are part of the DofE Award.

The icing on the cake was the presentation of certificates by young defender Kyle – a local lad who has made his first team breakthrough at the club this season.

He said: “It was a really enjoyable night and great to see young local people like myself being able to celebrate their fantastic achievements.

“There were some talented performers and, from hearing the presentations, it’s clear a lot of hard work has gone into earning these awards.”

For the past seven decades, the DofE has inspired and transformed the lives of millions of young people from all walks of life. From volunteering to physical activities, the DofE aims to equip participants with the skills valued by employers and universities.

Tottenham Hotspur Foundation has engaged nearly 300 young people in its DofE programme, funded by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery, over the last four years and is considered one of the top non-school licence holders for the programme in London.

It is part of the club’s commitment to equipping young local people with skills that are highly regarded by employers and will work in favour of participants when they come to apply for jobs in the future.

Kieran Bryant, Community Development Officer, Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, said: “A huge congratulations to all the participants awarded on the night.

“They have all been a credit to themselves and their local community, from the Bronze participants all the way up to the Gold achievers, who have made history by being the first from a Premier League club.

“A big thank you to Bernie Grant Arts Centre for hosting the event, our main delivery partner Alexandra Park School and the players of People’s Postcode Lottery for funding our delivery of the programme.”