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DofE Scotland eNewsletter- March 2012
Col. Chay Corsar
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Scotland was saddened to hear of the recent death of Col. Chay Corsar. Chay was the Award Secretary between 1966 and 1988 and in that time played an instrumental part in establishing the programme across all parts of Scotland. Chay was, and will remain, an inspiration to the DofE staff that he worked with and those that he met in the course of his work.
Alistair Spowage, UK DofE Development Manager for the Army Cadet Force Association, said, “Colonel Chay was a great source of inspiration to me, and one of the main reasons that I became enthusiastic about the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award - I owe him a great debt. I consider myself fortunate to have been able to keep in touch with him over the years and am delighted that he was in good spirits when we last met.”
Chay attended the Gold Award Presentation last year to see his Granddaughter receive her Gold Award from HRH the Duke of Edinburgh and was every bit as enthusiastic about the DofE as he was as Secretary. Barry Fisher, Director of DofE Scotland, expressed his condolences by saying “It was always a pleasure to meet with Chay and I know that many people across the DofE Scotland will be very saddened to hear that Chay has passed away. He was an inspiration to everyone that he met”.
Staff past and present will miss his wise counsel and warm personality. Our thoughts are with Dame Mary and the Corsar Family.
Col. Chay Corsar with his Granddaughter and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh at the Gold Award Presentations 2011.
Lifetime Achievement for DofE Scotland Volunteer
Bob Hope, DofE Leader in Edinburgh and member of the DofE Scotland Advisory Committee yesterday collected a Lifetime Achievement Award from Youthlink Scotland (National Youth Work Agency) at the Youth Worker of the Year Dinner held at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Glasgow.
(Above: Barry Fisher and Bob Hope)
Barry Fisher, Director at DofE Scotland says “I am delighted that Bob’s contribution to the DofE has been marked in this way, his determination and commitment to young people is inspirational and it fantastic that this has been celebrated through a national Award”.Bob served as Chairman of the Friends of the Award in Edinburgh and Lothians for 11 years and in that time raised well over £1M to support young people particularly for those whom had everything to gain from participating in the programme. Bob received a DofE long service certificate from HRH The Duke of Edinburgh last summer at the Gold Award Presentations.
Residential Opportunities
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Dofe Scotland is running another Residential in 2012 after the success of the last one. It will be taking place between the 1st and the 5th of April 2012. If you are interested them please see the attached document
Check out the local opportunities tab on the left for some other new residential opportunities in Scotland
Commonwealth Youth Exchange
Are you a DofE Scotland leader over the age of 18? Are you a current or a potential organiser of the Commonwealth Youth Exchange? Are you interested in going to a training weekend for free? then check out this page and apply as for a limited time they will be covering all costs and travel for DofE Leaders. See this form if you are interested.
DofE Post Gold Expedition Leader Week
Loved your DofE and want to continue to support Expeditions? Then the DofE in partnership with Glenmore Lodge has the perfect opportunity for you. Both organisations are committed to supporting pathways for Gold Award holders to continue their DofE journey and further their skills and experiences. The programme outlined below is aimed to give young leaders the hard skills and confidence to build on their existing Expedition experience.
Over a 7 day residential delegates will cover the following;
- Welcome and course orientation
- Walking Group Leaders Training or Trail Cycle leaders Award with expedition module
- DofE Supervisors course
- DofE Expedition Accredited Assessor course
- 2 day BASP emergency first aid training
The residential course will take place at Glenmore Lodge, Aviemore, on the 8th—15th July 2012
To Book a place or to get more information then please see our
training page
The Next Big Wild Walk – 10th June to 30th July 2012
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Unit in Edinburgh has a unique opportunity for Gold and Silver Groups, and their leaders, to take part in the first continuous completion of the route which traces the Scottish Watershed. The purpose of the event is to raise awareness of and funding for Motor Neurone Disease charity, MND Scotland.
Motor Neurone Disease stops the nerve cells that control the body’s movement from sending messages to muscles. MND is often rapid and always fatal. There is no known cure, or effective treatment. There are currently 426 people living in Scotland with MND, and more than 130 people will be diagnosed this year. MND Scotland is the only charity providing care and support for people with MND and their carers, while also funding research into the disease.
This offers great expedition and volunteering opportunities and ultimately an experience which will be difficult to match. We aim to raise a combined total of £10,000, with Groups contributing a minimum of £500. Additional fundraising events will be arranged by the organising team, which offers further volunteering options for Groups. Further details of the route will be provided to interested Groups, however you can find out more about the Watershed itself at www.ribbonofwildness.co.uk.
If you are interested, please follow www.thenextbigwildwalk.co.uk for further details.
Figures climb at DofE Scotland
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Scotland is delighted to announce, in Youth Work Week, that participation in DofE programmes has reached its highest ever point!
Last year 16,640 young people started a Bronze, Silver or Gold DofE programme, an 11% increase from 2009-2010. Perhaps more exciting was the increase in full Awards being achieved, which reached over 6,000 for the first time ever (an increase of 15% on the previous year). Since 2008, the DofE Charity has seen a 43% increase in participation.
There has been a significant increase in the number of young people with Additional Support Needs and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. They now make up around 22% of all participants.
Crucially there has been an increase in the number of Leaders supporting young people through their programme of personal development. This is now up to 3,454 an increase of 15%.
The DofE would like to thank all its supporters including the Scottish Government, Youthlink Scotland, The Robertson Trust and Scottish Power for all their support in helping this inspiring Charity to work in partnership with over 67 Partners, including all Scottish local authorities.
Barry Fisher, Director of the DofE in Scotland states “I am delighted that many more young people are taking the opportunity to get involved in DofE activities right across Scotland. The DofE provides a structure for young people to learn more about themselves and the world in which they live. The skills that they learn throughout their programmes are keenly sought after by employers. We will be working hard over the coming years to ensure that this growth continues. To ensure this we will help in developing many more inspiring Leaders to support the demand coming from young people”.
DofE Roadshow 2011
Over 40 Operating Authorities were represented by the 60 delegates attending the UK Roadshow which rolled into the Royal Society in Edinburgh on the 14th of September. CEO of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Peter Westgarth, presented look back over 3 years of achievements and a look into the future for the DofE. The highlight of the event was the presentation by DofE Ambassador, Aisling (pictured below right), who remined us all of the impact that DofE can have for young people.
Julia McComasky (pictured above left), HR Director for Scotrail, also spoke passionately about how young people doing the DofE through their apprentice programme is really making a difference their company as they demonstrate the values that they have learnt of compassion and dedication in the workplace.
Above left, Peter Westgarth looking back at the DofE's accomplishments over the last three years. Above Right, the Q&A session panel.
It was great to see so many people attend this event at the Royal Society in Edinburgh. DofE Managers were also provided with an opportunity, in the afternoon, to feed into the next stage of the development of eDofE.
Thanks to everyone that attended.
Learning Outdoors Fund (East)
Funding is available to education establishments located in the Central Scotland Green Network area. Funding should support activities that encourage child-led outdoor play taking place in natural spaces or in playgrounds where natural elements have been introduced to enrich play.
Managed by the Forrestry Commission and Schools and education organisations can apply.
http://www.fundingscotland.com/grants-info.asp?grantID=2670
DofE Scotland Golf Tournament 2011 at Cruden Bay
It was fantastic to see 15 teams from the North East of Scotland battle it out in remarkably good weather conditions at Cruden Bay for the inaugural DofE Scotland Golf Trophy.
The Premier Oil Team were worthy first winners of the quaich trophy with a magnificent score of 102. They have been invited to the DofE Raymond Griffiths Memorial competition at Carden Park Golf Club. Premier Oil were closely followed by the RBS team with a score of 100.
Congratulations to Andrew Smith of Rydens who hit an astonishing drive on the 18th to record the longest shot at this hole. Murray Bain, from J&E Shepherd, recorded the nearest shot to the pin on the 11th with David McEwing, from McGrigors, recording the closest shot on the 4th.
We are over the moon that the event has raised over £12,000 for the DofE in Scotland.
We couldn’t have done this without the support of all the teams and players taking part and being so generous buying raffle tickets & bidding for the auction items as this raised almost £3,000. Please see this document listing all the people and companies who donated their time, expertise and fabulous prizes which made the day such a success.
Discounted Courses for DofE Leaders - Glenmore Lodge Volunteer Programme
Due to the demand and enthusiasm of volunteers requesting funding for courses, Glenmore Lodge have increased their funding to £2500 this year to support DofE volunteers. The funding will be used to subsidise courses at Glenmore and can be used for any walking, cycling or paddling qualifications (training or assessement). To apply for this discount please email Mira@DofE.org with an endorsement from your DofE Manager and details of the course you want to attend.
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