Forster's Camden Ceccato hasn't let the coronavirus and all its associated disruptions slow him down, with the 14-year-old spending six months of this year completing the Duke of Edinburgh's International Bronze Award.
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An internationally recognised program for young people aged 14-24, the award requires participants to learn a skill, improve their physical well-being, volunteer in the community and experience a team adventure in a new environment.
Already an active teen, Camden decided to give it a go after family friends told him about their own positive experiences completing the award.
With the six-month program now behind him, Camden is glad he followed their advice.
"I enjoyed the whole experience," he said.
"It was a pretty good thing to do in the break."
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Camden didn't have to stretch himself too far to complete the majority of the requirements, with the year nine student at Great Lakes College simply turning his attention to a number of activities he was already involved in.
For the skills requirement he had his guitar teacher, Phil Hitchcock, track his progress on the acoustic guitar, while for the physical well-being requirement his canoe coach, Phil Koch, did the same.
For the community volunteering requirement, Camden, who was already an active member of Cape Hawke Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC), increased his involvement and helped club president Gary Curtis with a number of important tasks.
"I was checking resuscitation kits, first aid kits, organising the shed," he said.
The experience proved quite rewarding too, with Camden receiving the Cape Hawke SLSC Junior Patron's Award, as well as being named the Junior Lifesaver of the Year for the Lower North Coast branch.
It also gave him a sense of personal satisfaction.
"It was good. It's a way of giving back to the community by volunteering," he said.
As a final requirement, Camden had to complete a 25 kilometre, three-day hike carrying all his own gear through the Marramarra National Park, north-west of Sydney.
Physically and mentally it was challenging.
- Camden Ceccato
He undertook the expedition with five other participants and a group leader and said it proved the most challenging part of the award.
"The hike was a pretty big achievement," Camden said.
"Physically and mentally it was challenging."
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With the experience now behind him, Camden believes it was a great way to spend what could've otherwise been a less than productive period.
"It gave me purpose," he said.
"Like keeping track of me so I wasn't slacking off or getting lazy with nothing to do."
He'll receive his official Duke of Edinburgh International Bronze Award in the coming months and says he's considering completing the silver award in the future.
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