I got my Gold Award in October 2009, when at Welham Girls School. This journey has been a great one; I actually did things that I would have never done had it not been for the Award. From learning classical dance (kathak) to building community toilets in a village. From stepping on to the racing tracks to finding myself a role in a dramatics production. It is the Award that encouraged me to take the challenge.
The Award is best designed to engage the youth of today; it has helped me to discover my own capabilities. Even after finishing all three levels of the Award I have been an active member of the Award community. I have been working at the National Award Office as a member of the programme team.
As in-charge of the Open Award Centre Project, which works to make the Award available to individuals as well as other participants, have been able to reach out to over 20 colleges in Delhi. In 2010 attended the Regional Training Workshop in Korea, which was a wonderful experience and definitely an amazing chance to interact with Award leaders from the other countries of the Asia Pacific Region.
It has been a great year promoting the Award amongst the university students and I shall carry on working on this through the coming years. Being a volunteer at the NAA Office has helped me understand systems and imbibe leadership abilities.
I think the IGE will be a great platform to relive my award experience beyond Gold, encouraging me to become an effective leaders and fostering a sense of lifelong commitment to service. It shall enable us to know about the governance, policy, practice and delivery of the Award at an international level.
It shall be a chance to see the Award through a wide angled lens, experience the Award outside our country and come back and make a difference in our home country.