The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

The Duke of Edinburgh’s  (DofE)  gives all young people aged 14-24 the chance to develop skills for life and work, fulfil their potential and have a brighter future.  A DofE programme is a real adventure from beginning to end and encourages endeavour, teamwork, community and volunteer work.   As a school we run the award at all 3 levels.  Year 9 students undertake the Bronze award, the year 10 students undertake the Silver award completing at the start of year 11 and the year 12 students undertaken the gold award.

To achieve the Bronze Award you have to complete the physical, skill and volunteering sections and then the expedition section.

A Bronze DofE programme has 4 sections: Volunteering, Physical, Skills and Expedition.  You must do a minimum of 3 months activity for each of the Volunteering, Physical and Skills sections.   You must also plan, transfer and do a 2 day (1 night) expedition.

You also have to spend an extra three months on one of the Volunteering, Physical or a Skills section which is open to individual choice.

Volunteering Section

Volunteering is all about making a difference to other people’s lives.  From conservation to youth work to fundraising for your favourite charity or caring for animals.  There’s an endless list of projects you can get involved in.

Physical Section

Through the Physical section you should achieve a greater physical fitness through participation and improvement in physical activity.  It’s sure to make you feel healthier and you’ll have fun along the way.

From hockey to dance, rock climbing to swimming, wheelchair basketball to yoga – almost any dance, sport or fitness activity can count.  You can join a team or do it on your own, concentrate on something you are already doing or try something completely different – it’s up to you.

Skills Section

The Skills section is all about developing practical and social skills and personal interests.  By choosing to develop a particular skill you are not only developing a new talent, but you will also boost your self-esteem, develop practical and social skills and learn how to rise to the challenge.

From podcasting to playing a musical instrument, fine art to website design, there is an endless list of the types of skills you can do, so have a chat with your leader, Mr D Middleton and other people in your community to find out what is on offer.  Key skills areas include: creative arts; performing arts; science and technology; care of animals; music; life skills; learning and collecting; media and communication and natural work.

Expedition Section

There would need to be between 4 and 7 of you on an expedition team.  With your team, you will plan an area for the expedition, decide on your location and do lots of fun training to make sure you are fully prepared and know what you are doing.  Your leader will arrange a Supervisor to work with your team to organise all of this and help you plan your expedition.

Once you have completed your final expedition you will give a presentation about your experiences and your achievements to your Supervisor, Assessor or other adult.

If you are interested in pursuing the Bronze Award in Year 9 please see Mr D Middleton who will arrange information sessions.  Additional information is available on the D of E website at www.dofe.org