Duke of Edinburgh Award

The aim of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) is to provide young people with an enjoyable, challenging and rewarding programme of personal development, which is of the highest quality and widest reach. Young people doing their DofE programme complete four different types of activity, the first three must be carried out in their spare time and not during school hours and the fourth has to completed at a time determined by the school. The four are:

Volunteering:
Undertake service to individuals or the community. This develops compassion, commitment and the confidence to make a difference.
Physical:
Improve in an area of sport, dance or fitness activities. This develops fitness, enjoyment and, depending on the activity, teamwork.
Skills:
Develop practical and social skills and personal interests. This helps young people to realise their unique potential and gain greater self-esteem.
Expedition:
Plan, train for, and complete an adventurous journey in the UK or abroad. This develops teamwork and leadership, and challenges young people to push themselves beyond their expectations

The Award Scheme is a fantastic opportunity for youngsters to further their skills of independence and leadership and is highly regarded by higher education institutions and employers. The Award Scheme requires persistence and commitment and it is therefore the responsibility of the participant to find and arrange the activities that they will undertake for their volunteering, physical and skills sections. The school can offer advice but cannot find or organise the activities. Participants should also ideally choose something new to them; there is an extensive list of activities that are acceptable on the DofE website www.dofe.org