Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme
What do you do in DofE?
There are four sections;
1. Volunteering
Helping people / Community action and raising awareness / Working with the environment or animals / Helping a charity or community organisation / Coaching, teaching and leadership
Click on the link for further details.
2. Physical
Individual sports / Water sports / Dance / Racquet sports / Fitness / Extreme sports / Martial arts / Team sports
3. Skill
Performance arts / Science and technology / Care of animals / Music / Natural world / Games and recreation / Life skills / Learning and collecting / Media and communication / Creative arts
4. Expedition
Usually by foot but can be by bicycle / boat / canoe or kayak / wheelchair / horseback
5. Residential (at Gold level only)
Service to others / Environment and conservation / Learning / Activity based
Check out the following link for further details:
What are Bronze, Silver and Gold levels?
BRONZE
Year 9 – two sections for 3 months and one section for 6 months, plus a two-day/one-night local expedition, e.g. South Devon.
SILVER
Year 10 – one section for 3 months and two sections for 6 months, plus a three-day/two-night more remote expedition, e.g. Dartmoor.
GOLD
Year 11/12 – one section for 3 months, one section for 6 months and one section for 12 months, plus a four-day/three-night ‘wild country/mountainous’ expedition, e.g. Snowdonia.
You are also required to take part in a Residential at Gold level – staying away from home for four nights/five days taking part in a shared activity with people that you don’t know.
Look at the following link for further details:
https://www.dofe.org/do/timescales/
Why complete DofE?
It’s ‘life-changing’! It’s fun, it builds confidence, resilience and leadership skills, gives you new experiences and challenges and gives you the ‘edge’ when applying for university or employment as it is recognised both nationally and internationally as the world’s leading youth scheme.
Look at the following links for further details;
https://www.dofe.org/do/benefits/
https://www.dofe.org/do/parents/
If you complete your Bronze, Silver and Gold Award, you will get to go to London to be awarded by a member of the Royal Family at either Buckingham Palace or St James’s Palace.
Watch the below video for an insight into this experience:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJEb4poVP10
How do I get involved with DofE?
Following DofE assembly promotions, students will be asked to collect a DofE letter/information pack which they can take home to discuss with their parents.
Students will then have their DofE place ‘created’ and will then be invited to the eDofE training to plan and submit their section activity plans under the guidance of their DofE Leader.
Ongoing support for DofE participants
If students need any help, guidance or simply have some questions, they can contact their DofE Leader using their edofe account (send a message on their Communication tab), by email, or by seeing them face-to-face (in the PHSG Learning and Resources centre).
Contact details
Please do not hesitate to contact Miss Barnett – the DofE Manager at Plymouth High School for Girls at Nikki.Barnett@phsg.tsat.uk.
