Annual Review 2008-09: Secretary General’s message

Whilst anniversaries are often a good reason to look back and celebrate, we are more keen to look forward during ours. Our 21st anniversary is a great opportunity to reflect on how as an Association we will need to continue to adapt to be relevant and viable in 2030 – another 21 years from now. Moreover, in this, our Forum year, when we meet in full as an Association, we are particularly concerned with building an Award and an Association which is ‘fit for the future’.

Much of our work this year, whether through developing young Award leaders at the International Gold Event, strengthening our Regional Training Panels, or founding long-term partnerships with other youth development agencies, is about building long-term capacity. At its most basic level, the Association is a network of agencies and delivery partners who share a common mechanism for developing young people – the Award Programme itself.

At the centre of this network is the International Secretariat. By knowing our membership, the environments they operate in, and the needs of the young people they work with, we help frame the debate within which we develop the Award worldwide. We also shine a light on the most successful and ground-breaking practices of our Award operators so that others can benefit from what they have learned through experience.

You will see from this summary of our work during the 2008-09 year that paid staff and volunteers worldwide have been working extremely hard to find innovative ways of reaching more young people. Without their considerable efforts we would not be able to deliver the Award; they will also be pivotal in our continued efforts to become more youth led and future focused, and to offer a programme which contributes to long term, sustainable development.