PARTICIPANTS CONTROLLING THE REIGNS

‘A mighty feeling,’ that’s how

one participant from the Gar-

rison Secondary School group

describes his experience com-

manding a horse. He, along

with others from the group,

has been regularly attending

training sessions at the Sandy

Turf stables in St. Philip over

the last few months.

For those who have decided to

give horseback riding a try,

there has been much more to

learn than the right way to sit

in the saddle or how to trot a

horse.

(Cont’d Pg 7)

July 2012 Volume 2 Issue 2

THE EXPEDITIONER

UPCOMING EVENTS &

ANNOUNCEMENTS Annual General Meeting (July 24)

All are asked to note that the Annual General

meeting of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

Barbados will be held on Tuesday July 24,

2012 at 5:30 pm at the Main Guard.

Sign up for cake decorating course

Interested persons are reminded that the

cake decorating class that is being offered by

Gina Barrow. Costs for the course will only be

for materials and equipment. Contact the of-

fice for further details.

Be a volunteer (July 21)

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award will be work-

ing with the Barbados Chamber of Commerce

get sign up info on Page 3.

BYDC Youth Festival (August 11)

Be sure to be a part of the BYDC Youth festi-

val on Saturday August 11, at Ilaro Court.

Send in your photos

Help to develop the Facebook page; get de-

tails on Page 6

Bring a fren and come (Aug 25)

It’s here again and afternoon out with fellow

dukers. Mark you calendar and end your sum-

mer with a bang. The (BGAA) once wants you

to bring a fren’ and come to King George V

Memorial Park on Saturday August 25th. The

circuit hike will get started at 3:00 pm and

should end at approximately 6:00 pm. So get

your hiking shoes ready to end summer with a

bang.

New leaders Orientation Workshop

New leaders are invited to take part in an

orientation Saturday September 22, 2012.

A NEW CHAPTER BEGINS

Mrs. June Corbin, the long standing Secretary/ Treasurer of the Duke of

Edinburgh’s Award Barbados, officially retired from her post at the end of

the June. All associated with the Award would like to express deep grati-

tude to June as she sets off on a new chapter in her life. June, who started

with the Programme when the office was still located at No. 10 The Garri-

son, was the only member of staff for many years. In the time that she

worked with the Award she quickly came to be a ready source of information

and has aided in its development however she could. June will continue to be

a part of the Award family as she will be assisting with preparations for

2013 CASC Barbados and other areas where her knowledge might be needed

To participants, she was the lady who gave out backpacks and records. For

parents, she was the voice on the phone who answered queries. To the Expe-

dition Panel she was the person who collected the route cards on their be-

half. For group leaders, she was a resource to assist in getting group activi-

ties completed. For the Council she was the person who took the minutes.

For all of us, June was and will continue to be a pillar in the success of the

Award in Barbados. June has expressed her deep appreciation to the many

friends and colleagues, who made her time with the Award so fulfilling and

enjoyable.

We wish June a happy retirement and say ‘Thank you’ once again for the

many years of dedicated service.

Here the dukers lead for other young riders

THE EXPEDITIONER Page 2

GLOBAL GARBAGE FOCUS

Efforts are underway to make the world a cleaner place and

the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN) is part of

the movement. On Saturday April 21, the Duke of Edinburgh’s

Award (DofE) Barbados teamed up with CYEN for the launch

of the Let’s Do it Barbados Cleanup 2012 on Global Youth Ser-

vice Day (GYSD).

Coming together in Independence Square in Bridgetown, par-

ticipants of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Barbados, Barba-

dos Boy Scouts and members of the Barbados Youth Develop-

ment Council (BYDC) got together with the CYEN to share ex-

periences and learn about the global waste situation. The ‘Let’s

Do It Barbados Cleanup’ is part of a global effort called ‘Let’s

Do it World Cleanup’. It aims to educate and mobilise young

people across the world to take a greater interest in their

community. The campaign is designed to highlight the need to

maintain a healthy environment and condemn illegal dumping. As

part of its efforts, the CYEN has started to map illegal dumping sites around the island to create a Garbage Map, which is part

of a worldwide project. Ricardo Marshall of the Solid Waste Management Unit. addressed the gathering and pushed the young

people to dedicate themselves to the area of environmental management.

In addition to passing out flyers about the cleanup project, ‘dukers’ who at-

tended the launch were also part of a video recording. Each country that is

part of the ‘Let’s Do it World Cleanup’ is tasked with sending in a video that

depicts the work that they are doing. In the case of Barbados, the concept

used was a garbage toss. Attendees collected large bags of refuse which were

tossed into the air symbolising the effort to rid the city and the rest of Bar-

bados of unwanted waste. (Not to worry all garbage was disposed of in the

correct way after the event.)

Global Youth service Day

(GYSD) was started in

1988 and usually takes

place in the month of April. Across the world children and youth groups

are encouraged to spend some time giving back to their communities. There

were more than 4000 projects conducted in over one hundred countries. In

addition to projects in Barbados, Caribbean participation included St. Lucia,

Jamaica and Dominica.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Barbados is looking forward to working

more closely with the CYEN and BYDC on a number of projects.

Captions: (Top right): Springer Memorial participants khadija Brewster and Adriana Clarke passing out literature about the Let’s Do

it Barbados Cleanup.

(Center left) Scouts were also in attendance at the launch.

(Bottom Right) Ricardo Marshall of the Solid Waste Management Unit as he addressed the gathering.

THE EXPEDITIONER Page 3

BCCI TEAMS UP THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S AWARD

The Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) is embarking on a

major project to breathe new life into the capital city Bridgetown. The Revitali-

sation of Bridgetown Initiative (TRBI) is set to transform the city into a place

of more than shopping, but regular recreation. In order to see the project

through to completion the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Barbados has been

asked to assist as a partner for the project. Participants of the Award will

have the opportunity to complete service hours through working with the TRBI

projects.

Amongst these is the very exciting Bridgetown Alive. Barbadians and visitors

have come to look forward to Bridgetown Alive which features entertainment in

the streets and shopping deals through out the city. It is expected that the

next one will be held on Saturday July 21st and participants can sign up to be

volunteers for the many different scheduled activities.

All participants who are desirous of being part of the Bridgetown Alive on July

21 are asked to sign up with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award office by Wednes-

day July 18, 2012.

WHAT TO DO AFTER THE HIKE- CLEANING YOUR BOOTS

The hike is finally over and your only thought is going to bed. But there are

some little things you need to do once the hike is over. Definitely on the list of

‘Must-dos’ is cleaning your shoes; if not the same day, then get to doing it

quickly after.

Once you’ve got them off your feet, take a look at your shoes to see which sec-

tions which are dirtiest. If you walked through muddy areas then the soles of the shoes are likely to have bits of dirt caked

on. But it’s not just the bottom of the shoes which will be dirty but also along the sides and the top of the shoes.

Remove the laces from the shoes, they too should be cleaned. A quick run through soap and wa-

ter should be helpful. Set them out to dry and move on to the main job of cleaning the shoes.

Getting dry dirt off your shoes is essential to make them clean. The bottom of the shoes can

be dipped in water to soak away the dirt. Be careful not to get water into your shoes. Rub the

top and sides of the shoes with a cloth or brush to scrub the dirt away. Some people choose to

knock the shoes to remove dried dirt as well. A damp cloth can be used to give the shoes a final

wipe before the job is complete.

The inside of your shoes must also be checked; small

stones or insects can get into them. You don’t want

some creature crawling up your leg as you set out for

your next venture. Bits of leaves and any dirt or stones

should be taken out. You should also feel the inside of your shoes for anything that

might be stuck in the lining. But be careful not to cut or bruise your fingers.

Once your shoes are cleaned and dried, store them away so that they are ready for

your next adventure.

Don’t leave your boots looking like this.

The bottom of you boots must be cleaned as

well

Don’t forget the laces

Captions: (clockwise):

1. Group leader from The Lodge School, Nya Greenidge marching on to the final checkpoint.

2. The group makes one final check of the map.

3. Onward to the St. Alban’s Church these two did not look back

4. Kay gives a quick wave before heading on.

Page 4 THE EXPEDITIONER

On the Trails

Every ‘duker’ knows that there is no better feeling than to see that final checkpoint and know that

you are at the end of the hike. ‘On the trails’ is a new section dedicated to the Adventurous Jour-

ney.

So see who’s been out there making tracks in the last few months.

More pictures can be found at www.facebook.com/deabarbados.

Harrison College Gold Preliminary

Easter holiday break from school started out with equipment

checks and rolling of sleeping bags for gold participants from the

Harrison College group. Five days and four nights away from home

were in store for the group as they set up camp at the Southpoint

Lighthouse.

Five days later and definitely feeling weary the group marched up

to St. Albans Church feeling triumphant knowing that they had

made it.

Page 5 THE EXPEDITIONER

Harrison College Bronze qualifying hike

En route to finishing the bronze award some members of

the Harrison College group were under the watchful eyes of

assessor over the weekend of March 31, 2012 to April 1,

2012. Two groups started out from the Alexandra School

the morning of Saturday, March 31 and trekked out to the

Alleyne School. Lots of hills popped up between these two

points and the groups had to find their way over and around,

what seemed to all of them. After the first day was out of

the way the group settled in at the Alleyne School with

tired feet. The next day despite the weariness of feet, the

groups set out to Bathsheba, the final checkpoint and par-

ents were waiting.

Captions: (Top right) A novel way to transport backpacks. (Bottom right)

This group makes a final map check before going to bed.

(photos compliments Applon Parris)

Garrison Secondary Group Bronze Preliminary

Who remembers their first hike? Surely every single ‘duker’ does. The nine

participants of the Garrison Secondary group who assembled at the Alleyne

School on the night of Friday June 22 will never forget that moment when

they strolled into the Grantley Adams Memorial School two days later, on

Sunday June 24 around 11 am.

This was the first time out for most of the group and they should all be con-

gratulated on an excellent job of covering the required distance. Next up

it’s the qualifying venture, hope you’ve started the planning.

Captions (anticlockwise)

1. Members of the Garrison group examine a mural at the Grantley Adams Memorial School

2. Group leader Karen Bryan giving some pointers on using the map to one of the participants.

3. Three of the hikers heading off towards Hackleton’s Cliff.

THE EXPEDITIONER Page 6

SEND IN YOUR PICS… GET FEATURED

We’ve got timeline! If you don’t know what that is, then go checkout Facebook. The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Barbados is

on Facebook and we need your pictures. Starting July 29, send in pictures of what you and your group are doing and your

photo could be selected as the cover photo of the week.

The pictures sent in should depict activities that fit with the different sections of the Award: Service, Physical recreation,

Skill and Adventurous Journey. Images should not be lewd or obscene in any way. Pictures must be submitted by 9:00 pm

each Saturday. They should be sent via email to the Operations Manager at dofebarbados.ops@gmail.com. The subject of the

email should state ‘Facebook cover photo’ and the accompanying message ought to include the name(s) of the person(s) submit-

ting, the group, age, award level or post and a short description of the image. All who send images are asked to note that se-

lected and unselected photos will be stored by the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Barbados and may be used for the future pro-

motion of the Award. Entrants must not infringe on the privacy rights, copyright or any rights of any person.

The best image will be chosen to be the featured cover photo for the week. So get snapping and send us your photos. The

first selected image will be used for the week starting Monday August 6, 2012.

By submitting your photo you confirm that you have all rights necessary to grant permission for use of the photo, including

from all subjects in the photo and the person who took the photo.

Make sure to send in your photos and check out the page at www.facebook.com/deabarbados.

YOUR PHOTO HERE

Continued from Page 1

The participants have been able to learn quite a bit about

the care of the animals. They have experienced washing and

grooming the large animals. Time is also spent assisting

other young riders by leading the horses while others ride

as well. In doing so, the youngsters get even more up close

with horses and are sure to gain an even better appreciation

of how big and powerful a horse truly is.

Alviron Jessamy admitted that getting started with the

riding training was a bit shaky, even though it was-

n’t his first time on the horse.

According to Miranda Hunte riding is not as easy

as some might think. She noted that riding is a

form of exercise for both the rider and the horse.

“It teaches you good posture and builds muscles in

the arms,” she stated.

So far it’s been great fun for the young riders who

are working towards completing the bronze award.

THE EXPEDITIONER Page 7

Captions: (Top right) Alwyne Benjamin leading for an-other rider. (Right) Miranda was quite at home with the animals. (Bottom right) Assistant group leader Lee Edwards acting as leader. (Bottom) Alviron Jessamy getting ready to ride.

THE EXPEDITIONER Page 8

From

service

work to

exciting

hikes

Bajan

‘dukers’

have

been very

busy.