The document provides an overview of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DofE) program. It explains that the DofE is open to those aged 14-24 and involves completing activities in four sections - volunteering, physical, skills, and expedition - over three levels (Bronze, Silver, Gold). The Gold level also includes a fifth residential section. The document outlines the time commitments and benefits of participating in the DofE program.

1. What is the DofE?

2. The DofE is…
A DofE programme is a real adventure
It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from
You just need to be aged between 14 and 24
You can do programmes at three levels:
• Bronze (aged 14+)
• Silver (aged 15+)
• Gold (aged 16+)
…which lead to a Duke of Edinburgh's Award.

3. The DofE is…
You achieve an Award by completing a personal programme
of activities in four sections:
 Volunteering: undertaking service to individuals or the
community
 Physical: improving in an area of sport, dance or fitness
activities
 Skills: developing practical and social skills and personal
interests
 Expedition: planning, training for and completion of an
adventurous journey in the UK or abroad
 At Gold level, you must do an additional Residential
section, which involves working and staying away from home
doing a shared activity

4. Time and age requirements
Minimum period of participation by:
Level: Direct entrants Previous Award holders
Bronze 6 months n/a
Silver 12 months 6 months
Gold 18 months 12 months
Direct entrants are young people starting their DofE
programme at either Silver or Gold level, who have not
achieved the previous level of Award.

5. Bronze Award (14+ years old)
Volunteering Physical Skills Expedition
3 months 3 months 3 months Plan, train
for and
complete a
2 day, 1 night
expedition
All participants must undertake a further 3 months in the
Volunteering, Physical or Skills section.

6. Silver Award (15+ years old)
Volunteering Physical Skills Expedition
6 months One section for 6 months and Plan, train
the other section for 3 months for and
complete a
3 day, 2 night
expedition
Direct entrants must undertake a further 6 months in the
Volunteering or the longer of the Physical or Skills sections.

7. Gold Award (16+ years old)
Volunteering Physical Skills Expedition Residential
12 months One section for 12 months Plan, train Undertake a
and the other section for for and shared
6 months complete a activity in a
4 day, 3 night residential
expedition setting away
from home
for 5 days
and 4 nights
Direct entrants must undertake a further 6 months in either the Volunteering or the
longer of the Physical or Skills section.

8. Choosing activities
There is a massive choice of activities that count
towards DofE programmes. You can select
practically any activity you want – as long as it’s
legal and morally acceptable.
• Activities are placed in specific sections for
a reason.
• You need to choose activities you are going to
enjoy.
• Activities could be something that you are already
doing or perhaps one you’ve always wanted to try.

9. The steps for the sections
Preparation
Training
Activity
Assessment

10. Volunteering
Aim
• To inspire young people to
make a difference within
their communities or to an
individual’s life and develop
compassion by giving
service to others.

11. Benefits
• Learn about their community and feel a sense of
belonging and purpose.
• Learn to take responsibility for their communities
and their own actions.
• Build new relationships.
• Further understand their own strengths and
weaknesses.
• Develop teamwork and leaderships skills.
• Trust others and be trusted.
• Enjoy new adventures.

12. What is required?
• Volunteering is simple. It’s about choosing to give
time to something useful, without getting paid.
• Team volunteering can be beneficial to you and to
the project you choose.
• At least 3/4 of activity needs to be practical
volunteering, so only a 1/4 can be training.
• Training courses, therefore, must either:
– Change their content to include practical
volunteering e.g. raising awareness project
– Count towards the Skills section – Life
skills category

13. Volunteering categories
• Helping people
• Community action and raising awareness
• Coaching, teaching and leadership
• Working with the environment or animals
• Helping a charity or community organisation

14. Physical
Aim
• To inspire young people to
achieve greater physical
fitness and a healthy
lifestyle through participation
and improvement in
physical activity.

15. Benefits
• Enjoy keeping fit.
• Improve fitness.
• Discover new abilities.
• Raise self-esteem.
• Extend personal goals.
• Set and respond to a challenge.
• Experience a sense of achievement.

16. What is a physical activity?
In short, anything that requires a
sustained level of physical energy
and involves doing an activity.
You are free to do this section
independently or as part of a team.

17. Physical categories
• Team sports • Dance
• Individual sports • Fitness
• Water sports • Extreme sports
• Racquet sports • Martial arts

18. Skills
Aim
• To inspire young people to
develop practical and social
skills and personal interests.

19. Benefits
• Develop a new talent.
• Improve self-esteem and confidence.
• Develop practical and social skills.
• Develop better organisational and time
management skills.
• Sharpen research skills.
• Learn how to set and rise to a challenge.

20. Something old or something new
Ultimately you must be able to prove that
You have broadened your understanding
and increased your expertise in the chosen skill.
Activities can be undertaken on
either an individual or group basis.

21. Skills categories
• Creative arts • Life skills
• Performance arts • Learning and collecting
• Science and • Media and
technology communication
• Care of animals • Natural world
• Music • Games and sports

22. Expedition
Aim
• To inspire young people to
develop initiative and a
sense of adventure and
discovery, by planning,
training for and completing
an adventurous journey as
part of a team.

23. Benefits
• Gain an appreciation of and respect for the
outdoor environment.
• Learn the value of sharing responsibility for success.
• Learn the importance of attention to detail and
organisational ability.
• Develop and demonstrate enterprise and imagination.
• Become more self-reliant.
• Become more able to overcome challenges.
• Recognise the needs and strengths of others.
• Improve decision-making skills and the ability to accept
consequences.
• Gain skills to reflect on personal performance.
• Learn to manage risk.
• Learn through experience.

24. The expedition process
Preparation
Training
Practice expedition
Qualifying expedition, debrief and
presentation
Assessment

25. Expedition examples
• This can be far flung or close to home:
– Exploring team dynamics on foot in the Cairngorms
– Using cycle paths in Germany to compare to the UK
– Following a disused railway track by wheelchair
– Utilising canoe trails in Canada on a wilderness trip
– Exploring bridle paths in the Brecon Beacons

26. Expedition examples
• Meridian Expeditions:
– Silver
• In the Peak District
• In Devon
• In the Cotswolds
• In The Chilterns
– Bronze
• In Cambridgeshire
• In Rutland
• In Hertfordshire
– Training
• Lee Valley
• Newmarket
• Suffolk Coast

27. Timescales for qualifying expeditions
Level Duration Minimum hours of planned
activity each day
Bronze 2 days and 1 night At least 6 hours during the
daytime (at least 3 of which
must be spent journeying)
Silver 3 days and 2 nights At least 7 hours during the
daytime (at least 3½ of which
must be spent journeying)
Gold 4 days and 3 nights At least 8 hours during the
daytime (at least 4 of which
must be spent journeying)

28. Why do D of E ?
• The value of the DofE to employers
• The United Learning Trust (ULT) recently published the results of a major
survey, undertaken by them in association with Ratcliffe Hall Ltd, focusing on the
methods major employers used for selection of new employees. It was primarily
about graduate recruitment and asked for the employers’ views on the attributes
that were most attractive in candidates.
• The organisations interviewed were all major employers, representing 12% of all
UK employers, 3.6% of the private workforce and 47.5% of the public sector and
included:
• Alliance & Leicester plc, Boots plc, British Energy Group plc, British Nuclear
Fuels plc, BT Group plc, Centrica plc, Civil Service, Coors Brewing company,
Corus Group, Diageo plc, Eurotunnel plc, Herbert Smith LLp, Honda (UK) Ltd ,
Morrison’s plc, Michael Page International plc, Nabarro Nathanson, Northern
Rock plc, Newcastle Chronicle & journal Ltd, AGN Shipleys, Tesco Plc, 3i Group
plc, Vauxhall Motors Ltd.
• The organisations were asked what attributes and characteristics they valued as
key determinants in the selection of employees. The following were rated the
highest: leadership, teamwork, self-motivation, communication,
confidence, consideration and the ability to learn.

29. Why do D of E ?
• From the sample 76% of the organisations emphasised how important it is for schools to enable ‘life skills’ to be developed, with 64% of the
sample indicating that a specifically designed and packaged course of ‘life skills’ development activities, pursued by an applicant, might make a
positive difference in selecting the applicant for interview.
• The sample was asked what they considered to be the most important activities undertaken at school and were asked to rate them from 1-5, with
1 being the highest:
• Average Ratings in
• Rank order of importance
• 1 The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (‘DofE’) 1.96
• 2 Work experience 2.00
• 3 Community activities 2.04
• 4 World Challenge 2.16
• 5 Young Enterprise 2.20
• 6 Team Sporting activities 2.28
• 7 Youth Awards 2.28
• 8 Public Speaking/Debating 2.32
• 9 County/National teamsports 2.36
• 10 Interview skills 2.44
• 11 School Council 2.48
• 12 School Prefect 2.48
• 13 Individual Sporting achievements 2.48
• 15 Financial awareness courses 2.52
• 16 Work Shadowing 2.60
• 17 Industry days 2.60
• 18 School Newspapers 2.64
• 19 Plays/drama 2.68
• 20 Investment Clubs 2.68
• 21 Outside speakers 2.76
• 22 School Radio 2.76
• 23 The House/prefect system 2.76
• 24 Solo musical ability 2.84
• 25 Orchestral participation 2.84
• 26 Artistic skills 2.88
• 27 British Schools Exploring Society 3.00
• 28 School trips 3.08
• 29 Take your daughter to work 3.28
• These results are obviously a great endorsement of the benefits that participating in a DofE programme can provide for a person’s employability.

30. Why do D of E ?
• leadership,
• teamwork,
• self-motivation,
• communication,
• confidence,
• consideration
• and the ability to learn.
• …..and finally, it is fun, most of the time!

31. Residential (Gold only)
Aim
• To inspire participants through
a concentrated involvement
with people they don’t know,
who are usually from different
backgrounds, and bring
alternative views to the
challenges they will face.

32. Benefits
• Meet people.
• Develop the confidence to thrive in an unfamiliar
environment.
• Build new relationships and show concern for others.
• Work as part of a team towards shared goals.
• Accept responsibility for themselves and others.
• Develop communication skills and effective coping
mechanisms.
• Develop respect and understanding for others.
• Show initiative.
• Develop the skills and attitudes to live and work with others.

33. Residential examples
• Developing an existing interest or something new:
– Assisting at a kids’ summer camp
– Joining a conservation project
– Doing a photography course
– Improving language skills on an intensive course
– Stewarding at a music festival

34. Have fun!