The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) is the world’s leading achievement award for young people and is designed to recognise all the of the great things students get up to away from college. It is highly valued by employers and UCAS and provides valuable opportunities for young people to develop ‘soft skills’ such as communication, leadership and motivation. Over 100 of our students currently take part in DofE, and we are proud of the work they put in to achieve their awards.
What’s Involved?
There are three levels, Gold, Silver and Bronze, with increasing amounts of commitment required as participants progress through the levels. Bronze takes a minimum of six months, someone entering the scheme at Gold would take at least 18 months to complete. It is not necessary to complete lower levels before moving on to Silver or Gold, although most students prefer to start with Bronze and progress through.
Students must complete four sections to complete their award, with Gold participants also taking part in a Residential:
- Volunteering – helping a community group or charity, for example coaching at a sports club, helping a conservation project or working in a charity shop.
- Physical – improving their fitness or sporting skills. This can be anything from walking or yoga to physical sports such as rugby or mountaineering.
- Skills – improving a skill or learning a new one. This section is very open but previous participants have done activities such as cooking, photography, playing an instrument or coding.
- Expedition – participants take part in a self-sufficient, independent expedition which has been planned by the team themselves.
The award is designed to be personalised so students choose what they would like to do in each section. South Devon College DofE Leaders can help to find opportunities for learners to volunteer but we ask that parents ensure they are happy with any placements offered to learners.
How To Take Part
Some sections at South Devon College include DofE as part of their course programme, so please check with the course tutor to see if there is a group running. If not, there are cross-college groups that you can join. If you have started your DofE elsewhere, we can transfer your registration if wish to continue it with us.
Registration on DofE costs £22 for Bronze or Silver and £29 for Gold. This fee is passed directly on to DofE and we do not make any extra charge for operating the scheme. We are determined that this opportunity should be available to everyone regardless of financial circumstances, and even maintain a store of kit for DofE Expeditions that learners can use on if required. The only potential extra cost is for expedition costs such as campsites and transport and we will always try to keep these as low as possible.
If you are just signing up for DofE, you will need to secure your place by clicking here. When you have secured your place, you will be emailed a form that you need to fill in to complete your registration.
South Devon College employs a Duke of Edinburgh Award Co-ordinator to support you so please email dofe@southdevon.ac.uk if you need any help.
