On Friday 10 May, 19-year-old Ifrah Shafiq from Huddersfield took to the West Terrace of Buckingham Palace to deliver a moving speech as part of a grand celebration for Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s (DofE) Award achievers. Joined by broadcaster Vick Hope and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, Ifrah addressed an audience of around 2,000 young award holders and their loved ones, sharing her inspiring journey of perseverance and community service.
Ifrah, who completed her DofE through Greenhead College, was among the first to celebrate in a series of four festival-style events held over two days in the Palace gardens. These events recognised over 8,000 young people from across the UK who have demonstrated remarkable determination, creativity, and resilience to earn their Gold Awards.

During her speech, Ifrah recounted her efforts to combat misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine within her local Pakistani community. Volunteering with Al Mu’minun Academy, she provided clear, factual presentations to dispel myths and improve vaccine uptake. “Within the Pakistani community in my area, there was a lot of misinformation being spread about the coronavirus vaccine. Feeling detached from the official guidance, many turned to social media, but here we saw an increase in myths and rumours. As a result, the uptake of the vaccine was dangerously low,” she explained. “To help address this, I delivered relatable presentations to break down the facts about the COVID vaccine, giving people an opportunity to ask questions and directly address the myths that had been circulated online. As a result, there was an increased uptake in the vaccine my local area.”
Now employed as a health advisor with the West Yorkshire Ambulance Service, Ifrah attributes much of her success to the skills and confidence gained through the DofE programme. “I’m happy to say that since that experience, I am now employed at West Yorkshire Ambulance Service as a health advisor, and although my job is stressful, my hands-on experience at the DofE has taught me so much.”
Ifrah also spoke about her desire to be a role model for other young Muslim women and said that she wants to inspire them to do things like the DofE, and “grab opportunities with both hands.” She added: “I used to be quite shy and in my shell. But through my DofE I’ve met people from all walks of life. It’s made me realise that I want to help and support other people as much as I can. I hope that by trying new things, I can be the role model in my community that I would have liked to have seen when I was younger.”

The Duke of Edinburgh, who received his own Gold Award in 1986, congratulated the attendees and spoke about the positive impact of the DofE on young people’s lives. Vick Hope, a Silver DofE Award holder, also shared her own experiences, highlighting the resilience and joy she found during her DofE expeditions. “Our feet were blistered, and our backs were aching. My lovely grandad had leant me his sleeping bag from his Navy days, it was about 100 years old and kept neither the heat in nor the cold out, but somehow, we persisted, and had a good laugh along the way. DofE showed me that I possessed not only the resilience to overcome challenges, but the ability to find joy in them. When times are hard, I pride myself in finding the good bit. And then passing that on to the person next to me – or to the person who has just switched on their TV or radio. I ended up carving a career out of hopefully making people smile, whatever they’re going through. DofE made me resourceful with my time and skills – sleeping on the floor of the BBC from midnight to 8am on my early reporting jobs? Light work after grandad’s sleeping bag in the Yorkshire Dales! DofE fostered confidence in me, and it played a huge part in teaching me that in challenging times we must be there for one another.”
The event featured a variety of activities, including talks from notable DofE alumni like actor Jason Watkins, Olympian Heather Fisher, and racing driver Billy Monger, offering career advice and life skills to the attendees. Ruth Marvel, CEO of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, praised the young awardees for their exceptional achievements and spoke of the charity’s efforts to make the DofE accessible to all young people, regardless of their background. “The young people here today have achieved something exceptional, and it is wonderful to see them celebrating together, sharing their experiences and hearing their aspirations for the future. DofE is all about proving to yourself just what you are capable of, and the young people here today have showed the world that their potential is limitless. I can’t wait to see what they go on to do next.”

The DofE programme continues to grow, with a record 545,910 young people actively participating in 2023/24 and over 330,948 new starters. The participants contributed an impressive 4.7 million hours of volunteering, highlighting the significant impact of the programme on communities across the UK.
As young people navigate the challenges post-pandemic, opportunities like the DofE are crucial for personal development, building resilience, and gaining skills valued by employers. Ifrah Shafiq’s story is a testament to the transformative power of the DofE, inspiring others to seize opportunities and make a difference in their communities.