New statistics reveal that a record-breaking 321,622 young people started their DofE in 2021/2022 – the highest in their 66-year history.
HRH The Duke of Edinburgh first considered the idea of a national programme to support young people’s development in the autumn of 1954 at the request of his inspiring former headmaster, Kurt Hahn.
Prince Philip was a passionate supporter of the youth sector, and now after 66 years since the first pilot scheme was launched, the Duke of Edinburgh Award continues to maintain the importance of having positive activities available for young people.
The Duke of Edinburgh was a lifelong advocate for young people, believing in each individual’s potential.
Prince Philip was a passionate supporter of the youth sector, and now after 66 years since the first pilot scheme was launched, the Duke of Edinburgh Award continues to maintain the importance of having positive activities available for young people.
What is the DofE
The DofE can be a life-changing experience and a fantastic opportunity to discover new interests and talents. It is a great way to develop essential skills for life and work and is a recognised mark of achievement; respected by employers.
There are four sections to complete at the Bronze and Silver level and five at Gold. They involve helping the community/environment, becoming fitter, developing new skills, planning, training for and completing an expedition and, for Gold only, working with a team on a residential activity.
Why do the DofE
For the hundreds of thousands of young people who take part each year, the benefits of achieving a DofE Award at any level are endless. DofE is about helping young people along the path to a productive and prosperous future. As many participants say, it’s life-changing.
Does Youth Club Support DofE?
Yes, we do!
In fact, the DofE website, recommend that young people contact their local youth clubs to see if they offer placements because the youth service is the heart of the DofE.
What can young people expect to gain from completing their DofE with Youth Club?
Youth work is extremely rewarding, and when completing their DofE with Youth Club, participants can expect to be challenged through a variety of tasks that utilise several skills such as communication, commitment, leadership and teamwork.
Whilst completing their DofE with Youth Club, participants can easily complete a number of the sections needed for each of the three levels. For example, community activities, becoming fitter, developing new skills, planning and training.
Why choose Youth Club to complete the DofE?
Young people who complete their DofE with us will not only learn new skills through task-based activities; but will also increase their confidence because their observation, listening, and communication skills will naturally improve.
Completing the DofE with us can also serve as a gateway into youth work.
How old do you need to be to complete a DofE?
– Bronze – for those aged 14+ years
– Silver – for those aged 15+ years
– Gold – for those aged 16+ years
If the young person is not 14 yet but is in the school year in which the peer group turn fourteen, they may be able to start a Bronze DofE programme but would need to check with their DofE Leader.
How can a young person complete their DofE with Youth Club?
As part of the DofE, young people are required to choose what activities they want to do and decide what goals they would like to achieve.
At this stage, we ask that the young person or their parent/guardian to contact us and let us know what they would like to do so we ensure we currently have space for placement.
If we have a space, we will likely invite the young person and their parent/guardian to come and meet us to discuss what they hope to achieve.
Once they have completed that first stage, they can speak to their DofE leader and tell them that they would like the youth club to be one of their Assessors.
Once the DofE Leader has approved the young person’s plans, then we are good to go.
