Background and Origin
The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award (DofE) is one of the world’s most influential youth development frameworks, operating in more than 130 countries and regions. Millions of young people have strengthened their confidence, skills, and sense of responsibility through its structured challenges. Among its key components are the Adventurous Journey (AJ) and the Gold Residential Project (GRP), which require participants to engage in outdoor exploration and collaborative living experiences with peers from different backgrounds.
In practice, many participants and Award centers face challenges in identifying suitable international projects—those that are not only safe and affordable, but also educationally meaningful and rooted in local cultural contexts. To address this need, SCENES has established the International Youth Exploration and Exchange Platform, designed to curate, connect, and recommend opportunities that enable the high-quality implementation of these modules across the globe.
Our Role and Position
SCENES does not act as an Award center; rather, it serves as a specialized platform for international selection and collaboration, playing a bridging role within the global DofE network:
Providing participants with access to AJ and GRP opportunities that are safe, cost-effective, and enriched with local cultural and environmental features.
Assisting national Award operators in identifying and connecting with reliable international partners and resources, thereby expanding their implementation channels.
Establishing a cross-border community that extends beyond AJ and GRP, where outstanding participants are regularly recommended for further international programs and remain engaged after completing their Award.
Through global partnerships and certification mechanisms, ensuring that recommended projects meet high standards of educational quality and participant safety.
Value and Contribution
The value of the Platform lies not only in facilitating project access, but also in the broader educational and social impacts it generates:
Enabling young people to enter new cultural environments and expand their global awareness.
Allowing participants to continue international engagement through the alumni network even after completing their Award modules.
Helping Award centers strengthen cross-border cooperation and diversify their project offerings.
Responding to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly in the areas of education, youth empowerment, and partnerships, ensuring that personal development is linked to global responsibility.
Outlook and Future Development
Looking ahead, SCENES aims to further expand and strengthen its role in supporting international youth exploration:
covering outdoor exploration, social service, cultural immersion, and other thematic areas.
enabling long-term youth-to-youth connections and mutual support across borders.
by using the SCENES Digital Certification Platform to document and validate youth achievements as part of internationally visible learning portfolios.
linking DofE modules with broader Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) initiatives and other UN-related agendas to increase relevance and impact.
Through this Platform, SCENES not only supports the completion of Award requirements, but also provides young people with sustained international opportunities and a sense of community belonging. It empowers youth to gain confidence through exploration, build friendships through exchange, and embrace responsibility as global citizens.