The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) is a voluntary, non-competitive programme of activities for anyone aged 14-25. There are three levels; Bronze – from age 14, Silver – from age 15 and Gold – from age 16. These tie in and count towards the Chief Scouts Platinum Award (Bronze) and Chief Scouts Diamond Award (Silver) and The King’s Scout Award (Gold). As with the Chief Scout Awards, each DofE award has four sections; Volunteering, Skill, Physical and an Expedition. Gold DofE has an additional residential section to complete, consisting of 5 days and 4 nights. Once you complete your DofE, you can add activities from the International, Community and Values lists from the relevant Chief Scout Award or The King’s Scout Award to achieve both awards.
It is all about raising your own standards so for instance if you use swimming for your skill and cannot swim then your goal would be to swim at least 10 metres. If however you are a competent swimmer then perhaps a life guarding course may be required.
You must be a member of the Explorer Scout or Scout Network section in Oxfordshire. For more information please contact the Duke of Edinburgh Advisor.
Information can be obtained from your local Explorer Leader if you are an Explorer Scout.
Although a lot of the sections can be completed as an individual, there are other things that can be done together in a group i.e. learning a new skill – sewing, knotting, weaving etc. Can be done as a class, or alternatively there are many tutorials on YouTube. It’s currently a bit more difficult with physical activities as a group, but you could still go running, walking, cycling.
