Duke of Edinburgh
Duke of Edinburgh Award
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) is a personal development program for 14 to 24 year olds. The award is designed to be enjoyable whilst learning a wealth of new skills, such as self-reliance, teamwork and leadership. The award also helps students to push themselves physically, help others and explore new territories.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a recognition of a young person’s successful journey of self-discovery and development, the benefits of achieving an award at any level are endless. It’s difficult to list them all here … but students should know that they will have fun and will push themselves to do new things that will help them to grow in confidence and develop useful skills. A DofE Award can also give students the edge when they apply for college, university or a job.
Swinton Academy currently offers the DofE Award at Bronze and Silver with Gold about to be launched in Post 16. It is a personal challenge available to all students however it does require students to commit some of their own time to undertake their selected activities.
Each level of the award has four sections to complete, Volunteering, Skill, Physical and Expedition. There is also an additional five-day Residential section for Gold participants. Activities for each DofE section take a minimum of one hour per week over a set period of time, so that they can be fitted around students’ studies and life outside school. Students will also need to participate regularly and show that they’re committed to their DofE during this time.
The Volunteering Section
Volunteering is simple. It’s about choosing to give time to help people, the community or society, the environment or animals. The Volunteering section of a DofE programme is often the most rewarding, uplifting and memorable part of a young person’s DofE adventure. For the volunteering activity students will need to choose to give time to do something useful without getting paid (apart from expenses). It can, however, sometimes be hard to find a suitable volunteering opportunity for those under the age of 16.
Here is a collection of ideas and opportunities that participants might like to think about for their Volunteering section.
https://www.dofe.org/dofewithadifference/activities/volunteering
The Physical Section
For the physical activity students need to choose any sport, dance or fitness activity – in short, anything that requires a sustained level of energy and physical activity. For example, playing a sport regularly and showing personal improvement would count, such as a school club, gym sessions or out of school sports club. It is not only excellent for students own personal health but also a good training regime for the expedition.
Here is a collection of ideas and opportunities that participants might like to think about for the Physical section.
https://www.dofe.org/dofewithadifference/activities/physical
The Skills Section
For the skills activity students need to choose an activity that will allow them to prove they have broadened their understanding and increased their expertise in their chosen skill. It should not be a physical activity, for example horse riding, as this counts towards the Physical section, however, students could choose to learn about caring for horses.
Here is a collection of ideas and opportunities that participants might like to think about for their Skills section.
https://www.dofe.org/dofewithadifference/activities/skills/
The Expedition
This is often the section that the students are most looking forward to! For the Expedition section, students will need to plan, train for and complete an unaccompanied, self-reliant expedition with an agreed aim. Students must do the correct training for their level and mode of travel, at least one practice expedition, a qualifying expedition (the one that is assessed) and a final presentation in order to complete the section.
The expedition must be completed by the students own physical efforts with minimal external intervention and without motorised assistance.
We provide a kit list of equipment that is required for the expeditions and there is a discount at several outdoors shops when using a student DofE Card. This card is included in the students’ welcome pack when signing up with DofE.
The Residential Section (Gold Award only)
For the Residential section students need to undertake a shared activity or specific course with people they don’t know, in a residential setting away from home and in an unfamiliar environment. Evenings are often as much a part of the experience as daytime activities.
This section offers a high degree of flexibility but it must be done with an organised group, registered charity or Approved Activity Provider. Students must join it individually and not with an existing group of friends or as part of a school or youth group trip. Students will be staying away – anything from an activity centre or camp to a boat or barge – but they cannot stay with friends or relatives.
If you have any questions, please contact any of the members of staff below:
DofE Manager
Laura Colman
DofE Coordinator
Calum Wadsworth
DofE Coordinator
Hannah Dobson