The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is known as the President’s Award in Kenya, or the PA for short. Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit two very different schools where the Award is being run. Both were girls schools; both were full of engaged and enthusiastic young women. But they were as different as different could be.
Kirigiti Rehabilitation School is the only correctional centre in Kenya for girl child offenders. The children are sent to the school by the courts following sentencing for a wide variety of crimes, some extremely serious.
The school works hard to help the girls turn their lives around. There is some academic study, focusing on the basics of literacy and numeracy. There is some vocational training, including lessons in dressmaking, baking, hairdressing and beauty therapy. The facilities are very, very basic.
But there are also clubs and activities. And these include the President’s Award. About 20 girls are working towards their Bronze, learning new skills and then putting those skills into practice through their volunteering. For instance, they make dresses for other children in the school at no charge.
These children come from exceptionally challenged backgrounds and they have all the odds stacked against them. Many have been abused. Yet their engagement in the Award programme (and in the all girls Scout Troop that the school runs) shows that they can still enjoy the challenge of being part of the President’s Award programme – and can share the same activities as other, luckier, adolescents.
I was overcome with admiration for these young people and their hard working teachers.
I was no less impressed by the girls and staff we met at our next visit, just a few miles away. In the middle of a coffee plantation lies St Anne’s Secondary boarding school for girls. It’s a government school, with pupils drawn from a wide range of backgrounds. The school has about 400 girls – and a quarter of them are participants in the President’s Award.
I spoke at school assembly to the pupils, gathered in the main courtyard beneath two flagpoles – one flying the Kenya flag and the other, in my honour, the Union flag (which had been smartly broken by three Ranger Guides). I then toured the classrooms which included science laboratories that brought back immediate memories of my own schooldays.
The school principal, Mrs Kimemia, was an inspiration. Quietly spoken, but absolutely resolute in her determination to do the very best by her pupils. She has been associated with the President’s Award for many years, introducing it in each school she has managed.
The Award participants put on an entertainment for us of traditional songs and dances, shared food and drink they had prepared and gave short presentations about their Award experiences. They showed themselves to be highly articulate and amusing young women – ready to take on leadership roles within their families, communities and the nation as a whole.
“It is a tradition, you know,” Mrs Kimemia whispered to me as we watched the girls perform, “that all Gold PA Awardees go on to university.”
Two very different schools. One Award programme.
I have always found John to be a person of passion and inspiration in the area of maximising potential. He is friendly, a strong communicator yet has a steely determination for achieving what is right for the development of others.
John has a great grasp of the current challenges in education and articulates these well and persuasively...
John is an outstanding personality, full of energy, enthusiasm and wit, who sets extremely high standards and always delivers on his promises. His passion for lifelong learning and long experience of working with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds make him a skilled and sensitive coach and manager. John is a natural and visionary leader who inspires others and helps them achieve their full potential.
John is an exceptional person. I never stop being surprised with his energy, vitality and determination with which he carries his massive responsibility. I am honoured to be associated with the Award Program and it gives me a great satisfaction to be able to work with John as its leader.
Successful not-for-profit organizations run themselves in a businesslike way, planning strategically, and making themselves properly accountable for their actions and impact. John May is just the sort of person a good not-for-profit needs. I have worked with him for the last five years and greatly value his passion for helping young people succeed, his strategic and management skills and his ability to get disparate groups of people to work in partnership. John May makes things happen.
Having worked with John on various charitable causes I cannot speak highly enough of the work he does...
John has a fantastic sense of humour and was such a great person to work for! He is a great leader, communicator and networker and I learned a lot from him. His passion, enthusiasm and commitment to his work with young people is really inspiring and first rate. He is incredibly generous both with his experience and knowledge and always has time for people.
John is adept with people--able to understand issues quickly and apply his highly positive attitude towards solving them. His leadership style is collaborative and open but he is also very clear about what needs to happen and why. A creative and entrepreneurial person, he brings new and refreshing ideas to the table...
John is a great person to work with. He is inspiring, knows non-profit management and campaigning. John communicates well with all different kinds of people. He is a true connector and makes people smile a lot! He knows the difference between being serious and acting seriously!
John has been great at developing cross sectoral relationships between business, public and voluntary sectors. This understanding of balancing the needs and aspirations of all partners is one of the reason he has been so successful in developing campaigns and organisations.
John is great to work with. His sense of humour and engaging personality should not mask the fact that he is fundamantally a high achiever who has the confidence to tackle big challenges...
John is quite simply an inspiration. He has been responsible for improving the life chances of a vast number of young people who might otherwise have missed out on the chance to build a career for themselves. He is affable, committed and always positive and enthused about his role which makes working with him a very rewarding partnership.
John is committed to making a difference for young people and he lives this as well as talks this. Moreover, my experience is that an organisation he runs will be highly professional, hard-working, and demand the same quality from their customers and partners as they will provide themselves. I moved into teaching to provide opportunities for pupils they wouldn't have had otherwise. Because of John, it has not been a wasted move...
I have worked with John over a number of years on a variety of projects that require tact, diplomacy, cooperative working and just good old fashioned passion. John is engaging, positive and has a great desire to get things done. 
John is an adept strategic thinker, leader and people manager. His engaging and conscientious work ethic is exemplary.
John is an inspiring colleague and leader. In 1995, Scouting and Guiding together took more young people to an overseas event than ever before (World Scout Jamboree). Working with him for 2 years in the run-up was an exceptional experience for me - although Guiding sent fewer girls, I felt equally valued and included in all the planning. Balancing the needs of the young people and leaders was achieved with great finesse and the event was a huge success for all the UK particpants.
John is an exceptional and inspiring leader and a major authority on youth education and development in this country and around the world. In addition to his track record of transformational leadership in a number of significant organisations, John is well known and respected as a public speaker. 
Having been one of John's pupils some 25 years ago in primary school, I can say that to this day he has left a memorable impression that will be with me for ever. He is truly a fantastic role model for the next generation.
John May wears his obvious enthusiasm for Youth Development and Organisational Vision on his sleeve when he presents. Listening to John speak at The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Americas Regional AGM in The Bahamas not only brought clarity to how The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Association was going to meet its Vision and Mission, but made the entire room excited to be a part of if all!
During the time in which I have worked with John I have found that, not only is he a hard working and enthusiastic individual, he is also someone who is easy to work with. He is quick to understand the issues involved and then to help formulate responses, sometimes with little or no notice. Although possessing a great sense of humour he does not shy away from being serious and to the point when the occasion demands. He appears to be a great team leader as well as being a team player
I first taught John a very long time ago, which of course therefore makes him very old. He was an argumentative young man, and still is. Focused, driven, able, principled - just we want in an organisation like the DofE.
John is a fabulous speaker who is able to adapt to meet the needs of the group with whom he is working. I have heard John speak in many situations and he never fails to impress and inspire both adults and young people. John is passionate about what he believes in, and as one of the young people whom he has supported I am forever grateful for his time in helping me learn new skills and develop personally.
John is a great organizer, who keeps focus; yet is open to new inputs and ideas. He is sensitive to different cultures and keeps everyone happy while the ball is rolling...
wow!! thank you very much sir for having such a big heart to touch millions of smaller hearts not mentioning the time we had at kenyatta university too. i really liked your sense of humour and wish such ‘CROWD CATCHING’ humour some day too. thank God i never forgot to comment you on that!! thank you again for i now know form your story of Charlie and the fourteen year Johnnie that i should lead, follow and get out of the way!
My account may be similar to yours sir,because I have also had the chance to experience being in the two institutions. My name is Catherine Wangui,a student at St.Annes Lioki.I had the opportunity to have my residential project at the Kirigiti Rehabilitation Centre.Our group of 18 lodged at the centre for 5 days undertaking several activites such as clearing the grass,teaching and making learning aids.The main objective was to intervene in their lives and make them want to be become responsible and successful people in the world.To be honest sir,I believe we did most of the learning.The girls at the centre were bright and enthusiastic despite the challenges they have faced.Some of them have never seen any of their relatives for almost five years and for those five days,we were their family.Our school mates were kind enough to donate toiletries,clothes and writing material to them but they seemed least concerned with the items that we eagerly carried for them.All the cared about was that we took our time to get to know them.In that short time i realised all the girls ever wanted was love.Under the Presidents Award Scheme they received exactly that.An unending bond of sisterhood was formed between St.Annes Lioki and Kirigiti Rehabilitation Centre.I agrre with you sir,that we are two different institutions but we are forever united under one Award Scheme.