The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award For Outdoor Providers
Joel Grant
Louise Lake
The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is a global non‑formal education and youth development framework that supports young people aged 14–24 to build the knowledge, skills and capabilities they need for life and work in a rapidly changing world. Through self‑directed learning beyond the classroom, young people are challenged to grow, contribute and thrive.
The Adventurous Journey, a core element of the Award, encourages young people to step outside their comfort zones, experience new environments, and take considered risks in a safe and supported way.
This workshop introduces what the Award is and why it remains relevant across outdoor, experiential, and community‑based settings. It will highlight how the Award can be fully embedded into school and organisational programmes to strengthen youth development in a structured, sustainable way. The session will also explore the Adventurous Journey: a planned, trained and purposeful journey undertaken in small teams, now increasingly accessible through flexible delivery approaches that allow more organisations and young people to participate safely and meaningfully.
“It is culpable neglect not to impel young people into experiences.” – Kurt Hanh, Co-Founder of the Award
About Joel
Joel Grant is a Senior Operations Manager with The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation. For the past 12 years, his work has focused on empowering organisations around the world to grow high‑quality, sustainable youth development programmes using the Award framework.
Growing up in Australia, Joel completed his Award as a participant and later became a volunteer Award Leader and Trainer before joining the Foundation. He spent eight years living and working in Indonesia supporting Award delivery and organisational capacity‑building across the Asia Pacific region. With a strong interest in international development and languages, Joel speaks fluent French and Indonesian. A passionate outdoors enthusiast with a love of water‑based sports, he is driven by youth development and enabling organisations and individuals to expand access to meaningful, non‑formal education through the Award. Joel is currently based in Sydney, Australia.
About Louise
Louise Lake is the Operations Manager for Independent Award Centres (IACs) at The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation. With over 15 years’ experience in the charity sector, she has led partner relationships and supported young people across a range of programmes. Based in the North East of England, Louise now works closely with IACs across Thailand and Malaysia to strengthen Award delivery and drive programme growth.
