Duke of Edinburgh
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is an internationally recognised program for young people, building their skills to equip them for life and work. By creating opportunities for young people to develop skills, get physically active, give service and experience adventure, the Award can play a critical role in their development.
The choice to do the Award is entirely voluntary and every Award is different. Each Participant chooses what activities they want to take part in for each Section. It is a very personal program that offers young people a structure to fulfill their passions and ambitions in a way that suits them. Apart from the requirements for each Section, and the safety training requirements for the Adventurous Journey Section, the activities a Participant chooses to undertake is entirely up to them. They have the freedom to progress through the Award according to their personal needs and abilities.
For the hundreds of thousands of other young people who take part each year, the benefits of achieving a DofE Award at any level are endless. The opportunities that DofE create are very powerful for young people, allowing them to push themselves to do new things which will help them to grow in confidence and develop useful skills. They will develop their team working skills as well as resilience and determination which are powerful transferable skills which is why the DofE Award can give you the edge when you apply for college, university or a job. Put simply, the DofE is about helping young people follow along the path to a productive and prosperous future. As many participants say, it’s life-changing.
Bronze Award Overview
GETTING STARTED
Bronze award is offered to both Year 9 and Year 12 students at Dagenham Park. During September, both year groups what a presentation of what the scheme involves and how to sign up. studies
ACTIVITY SESSIONS
Activities for each DofE section take a minimum of one hour a week over a set period of time, so they can be fitted in around academic study, hobbies and social lives.
The activity sections are:
- Volunteering
- Physical
- Skills
- Expedition
Development and regular progress must be shown in each section. They can be completed concurrently (where time and other commitments allow). They should aim to complete all sections by the end of the year they started.
Timescales
- Volunteering – 3 months
- Physical – 3 Months
- Skills – 3 Months
- 2 x Expedition – 2 Days/1 Night (Practice & Qualifying)
An additional 3 months must be spent on one of the Volunteering, Physical or Skills sections.
Training
Initial and supplementary training in the use of the eDofE system for keeping track of Award progress will be given to participants.
For the purpose of the expedition section, training is provided in map reading, compass skills, camp craft, cooking in the outdoors, equipment and rucksack packing, First Aid, group safety and The Countryside Code ahead of departing for the “Practice Expedition”. This training will be done during after-school sessions and led by different members of staff.
Equipment
Dagenham Park will provide group kit that is essential to the expedition, such as group tents, a gas stove and gas supply (per tent group) and cooking pans.
Students will need to have their own walking boots for the expeditions.
Financial support can be applied for the purchase of equipment for those in receipt of the Pupil Premium.
Expedition Area
Dagenham Park runs its Bronze expeditions in Epping Forest, using a combination of public and Scout campsites overnight.
Cost
There is a small charge to participate in order to cover costs related to the registration, group equipment, campsite costs and insurance on the practice and qualifying expeditions at Bronze Award level.
Enrolment fee: £15
Expedition fee: £30
