29 awarded for Int´l recreational activities programme

A total of 29 young people were awarded on Thursday for participating in the international Award programme (Avartti) for recreational activities, said the Ministry of Education and Culture in a press release.

Minister of Culture and Science Annika Saarikko presented two gold and 27 bronze awards among the winters remotely.

The Award is a global framework for 14-24-year-olds, which helps young people grow, participate, engage and act in their community both locally and more broadly in society.

When doing the Award, each young person designs and creates their own bespoke programme, choosing recreational activities and goals based on interests unique to them.

The programme consists of three levels and four sections. Once the participants have completed their chosen level, they receive recognition in the form of a bronze, silver or gold award as well as an international certificate for participating in the programme.

Internationally, the Award is known as The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award. It operates in more than 130 countries and territories. The programme was launched in the United Kingdom in 1956.

The gold winners were Mohammad Kazemi and Yasin Nazari from Kajaani.

The Bronze winners were Hamzeh Elsad, Ali Elsad, Hamzat Dabaev, Muhammed Sherzay, Mohammed Elsad, Vicheth Khoem and Khalid Abdikarin from Espoo, Max Perunka, Pyry Kylli, Annina Virpi, Esteri Majuri and Pinja Lohi from Oulu, Elias Aho from Muhos, Markus Pakka, Alpo Hult, Eevert Perälä, Rasmus Kauppinen, Andrey Bogatenko and Niklas Kuusiniemi from Alavus, Zahra Shirzad and Maryam Mohammadi from Kerava, Yalda Amini, Leila Amini, Narges Amiri and Hassan Hosseini from Helsinki, Fatema Rezaei from Sipoo and Joona Heikkinen from Suomussalmi.