Two Okotoks youth were honoured on Friday by Her Honour, Lois E. Mitchell, CM, AOE, LLD, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta and Al-Karim Khimji, division president, at the McDougall Centre in Calgary.

Robert John Ferguson, and Katlyn Tulissi were presented with the Duke of Edinburgh's International Silver Award for their work to grow as active, responsible citizens.

The award, now in 144 countries, is given to youth who better themselves through physical activity, working on a skill, volunteering, and taking an adventurous journey.

11th Grader Katlyn Tulissi has been worked for a little more than a school year to achieve the award, she embarked on a three day canoe trip, participated in badminton, kick boxing, and yoga, continued her skills with art, and volunteered at an art studio.

She says she's proud to be the second in her family to win the award.

"It's awesome, my sister got the same award too, she has her Bronze, Silver and Gold. It's nice because we've both done it, and it took a lot of hard work to get it all done. It's on top of school, work, and all the other things we do in our lives. It's really neat that we actually get recognized for all the hard work we put in."

Tulissi says there were many lessons she learnt while earning the award, the biggest being prioritizing her time.

"When you do volunteering every week, and you do your physical activity, you still need to be able to do it, but also get your homework done, go to work, and hang out with your friends. You really need to get everything done right away, you can't procrastinate a lot so you have to plan your time wisely."

11th Grader Robert John Ferguson will also be joining his family in winning the Silver Award, he says the work fit well into what he was already doing.

He says his favourite part of working towards the Silver Award was the adventurous journey.

"I went on some wonderful hikes with my dad and went overseas with the scouts on a trip to Denmark, there was some pretty cool stuff going on there."

He encourages other youth to give it a shot, as there's much to gain from earning a Silver Award.

"It's worth giving a try for everybody else, it makes you feel really good once you achieve your goals, and it's a good way to help the community as well."

Ferguson feels receiving the award is quite the achievement, adding he's looking forward to going for the Duke of Edinburgh's International Gold Award.

Heritage Point's Jyoti Ruparell also received a Silver Award.

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