Record numbers of young people received their Gold Award on the 4th of July.
Up to 3000 young people and guests from Scotland, Northern Ireland and the North of England attended the Presentations at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, on Monday the 4th of July, 2011. 830 young people individually received The Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award Certificate in the presence of the DofE’s Patron and Founder - HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.
Celebrities from the world of television, music, radio and sport were joined by representatives from the armed forces to salute these talented young people, and to present them with their Gold Award Certificates. Presenters included; Juliet Dunlop (STV Presenter), Katherine Grainger (Olympic Rower) and Dawn Steele (Actress),
Katherine Grainger, when asked to be a presenter, said “I was equally honoured and excited to be asked to be a presenter for the Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Awards this year. I have known many people who have been a part of this incredible Award over the years and I have seen what a positive impact it has had on all of them. Any young person who has achieved an Award will have learnt invaluable lessons about themselves and about the amazing things they are capable of. It is fantastic to see a group of young people achieving things they didn't know they could and also seeing them make a real difference in the world.”
Among this years record number of recipients there were DofE Scotland Ambassadors, a DofE Scotland Staff member and even a young person who completed their Award through the international Award in India. There was also 9 young people receiving their Award that completed it as part of their apprentice programme with Scottish Gas.
This year a long service certificate was presented to Bob Hope. This recognition was due to his commitment with the Friends of the Award where he has been helping to develop DofE in Edinburgh for 14 years.
Last year over 15,000 young people take up the Challenge of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Scotland. Around 25,000 participate in the programme in Scotland at any one time. In total, over 4.4 million people have participated in DofE programmes and achieved over 1.9 million Awards in the UK since 1956.
Glenn Rodger appointed Scottish Advisory Chair
At the recent meeting of the Scottish DofE Advisory Committee, Bruce Robertson OBE, handed over the Chairmanship to Glenn Rodger.
Standing down from the post after 7 years Bruce will continue his involvement with DofE through fundraising events and supporting young people through international exchange opportunities. Since Bruce took over as Chair, participation has grown over 45% in Scotland with over 15,000 young people starting a DofE programme in Scotland in the last year.
Glenn in his current role as Director of Education and Lifelong Learning for Scottish Borders Council brings to the DofE a huge amount of experience of work across all learning and has a particular interest in how Outdoor Learning can play an important role in the education of young people.
Speaking at the SAC Meeting Barry Fisher (DofE Scotland Director) said “I would like to thank Bruce for his enormous contribution to the DofE in Scotland and for his interest, passion and commitment for supporting staff and volunteers take the DofE forward. We are grateful that this commitment will not be lost to the DofE. Equally we are absolutely delighted that Glenn will be taking over the role as Chair of the Advisory Committee, his experience will be essential as the DofE seeks to increase participation, increase completion of full awards and increase the number of leaders delivering the programme across Scotland”.
Earl of Wessex visits Edinburgh
On the 10th of May, the HRH Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, visited Bangholm outdoor centre to meet DofE Leaders and Participants from the city of Edinburgh Council.
The event was split over various areas of the centre, highlighting examples of DofE activities that the participants had been doing. These included, Bike maintenance and baking for skill, mountain biking and hockey for physical and some expedition tips.
STV Local were there to cover the event in full: http://local.stv.tv/edinburgh/news/17336-prince-williams-uncle-pays-a-visit-to-those-committed-to-the-duke-of-edinburgh-award-scheme/
It was a great event which really highlighted the mixture and abundance of DofE activities going on within the City of Edinburgh Council
Tribute to Jim Smyth
On 12 February 2011 Jim Smyth passed away after a long battle with illness. Jim was Expedition Co-ordinator for the Lowther Hills and a fantastic advocate and supporter of the DofE. Please read the full tribute to Jim and his contribution to the DofE and how he supported hundreds of young people. The DofE has lost a true friend and our thoughts are with Jim's family at this time.
Curriculum for Excellence through Outdoor Learning 2011
Please find below a link to our latest policy briefing. It demonstrates the links between the Expedition section of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DofE) and Curriculum for Excellence through Outdoor Learning (CfE through outdoor learning). These connections are made through highlighting links with subject areas and interdisciplinary learning, the experiences and outcomes with core principles and statements Curriculum for Excellence through Outdoor Learning
New Opportunities
Inspiring Event for DofE Scotland
Last November saw over 150 DofE Leaders, volunteers and Managers meet for the Triennial Scottish General Conference sponsored by ScotRail. This was a perfect chance for the whole network to share experiences and to hear from inspirational speakers. The theme was “Focus on our Future”. The essence of all the presentations and workshops definitely gave everyone involved a great insight into the positive future that we can expect from DofE Scotland.
Speakers included Stuart Boreham who, in 2004, became the first physically disabled person to row an ocean anywhere in the world. Stuart's association with The Duke of Edinburgh's Award stretches back to 2004, when he first spoke at a presentation event in the East Midlands region. Since then, he has undertaken a number of DofE events each year, across the UK. Stuart say's "whilst the participants in the DofE have already shown determination, perseverance and great endeavour whilst taking part in the various levels of DofE on offer, I think that it is vital that they are inspired to go on to even bigger things in their lives. I am always delighted to be asked to be a part of that process".
The Scottish DofE ambassadors also made a big impact on the Conference speaking to the delegates and presenting their experiences. It was great to hear from the participants and it definitely gave all the leaders the drive and determination after remembering the reasons why they got involved in the DofE in the first place. With plenty of workshops including Navigation Masterclass and 10 ways to increase the capacity of your DofE group, the weekend was packed full with exciting information in all areas of the DofE.
Barry Fisher, Director of DofE Scotland passed on his thanks to all our delegates. “Thank you for attending the recent Scottish General Conference in Aviemore it was a pleasure to meet with you and to hear about the work of the DofE right across the country.
I am very grateful to you for taking part in the event and providing your experience and expertise in discussion groups and workshops, we shall be working over the coming weeks to incorporate your comments into our strategy – “Focus on our Future 2011-2016”.
Thank you for everything that you are doing for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award – this is an exciting time for the programme and I look forward to working with you over the coming years to ensuring that all possible resources are available to leaders and Operating Authorities.”
Celebrating our volunteers
Last year’s Gold Award Presentation at Holyrood Palace was made extra special as we were not only celebrating over 600 young people receiving their Gold Awards but also applauding the work of three of our volunteers, and one member of staff, receiving long-service certificates.
Jim Murray from Perth received a certificate to commemorate 50 years of volunteering for the DofE. He was also recently awarded an MBE for his service to the Charity which he began back in 1960 when he joined the Boys' Brigade and started his Bronze DofE programme. He was presented with his Gold Award in 1964 and has been heavily involved in the DofE ever since.
Charles Black has been volunteering in Edinburgh for the last 50 years and was one of the first to get his Gold DofE in 1961. He’s since been involved with the DofE at various stages, including being responsible for the development for the DofE during his time as Education Officer at Scottish Widows. As well as doing various jobs for the Friends of the Award in Edinburgh, he also spends time at the DofE in Scotland office archiving documents from the last 54 years.
Alex Pettigrew from North Ayrshire was presented with a certificate for his 37 years of volunteering for the DofE. Alex was awarded a Youthlink Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009 for his hard work and commitment to developing the DofE. He has supported DofE capacity for 34 years, with the last 13 years as the DofE Manager for North Ayrshire Council. He has been instrumental in developing the DofE with young people at risk.
Yvonne Scott from Edinburgh was also presented with a certificate to recognise her 25 years of service to working for the DofE. Yvonne joined the DofE when she was asked to help out for six weeks, and has been with the DofE ever since.
Congratulations to all Duke of Edinburgh’s Award recipients!
CfE through outdoor learning
The Scottish Government has recently launched a report on Curriculum for Excellence through outdoor learning. This is a useful resource for all those involved in the DofE and outdoor education. The DofE has been mentioned as a potential route for accreditation, and our Director, Barry Fisher and Assistant Director, Alex Cumming have been involved in the current round of conferences to launch the report.
It is anticipated that there will be additions to this in future, which can be accessed on the LTS website.
Clipper Race- DofE Capital Crew
For latest news on how the DofE Capital Crew are doing in the international boat race, click here. Amazing things 2 Since 2008 DofE in Scotland has been part of the Awards Network, working with partners and other voluntary organisations to raise awareness of the work of awarding bodies in Scotland. The Amazing Things 2 document gives an overview of how the Awards are structured and can be downloaded here. HMIE gives top marks for the DofE in ScotlandThe DofE’s impact on young people rated as ‘Excellent’, read the full HMIe report here.
Curriculum for Excellence Impact Project
Since September 2007 DofE Scotland has been working in partnership with 3 local authorities to develop the capacity of school to deliver the DofE and recognise young people’s achievements. The DofE has been used as a framework to support ongoing work around Curriculum for Excellence.
The full report on the Curriculum for Excellence Impact Project is now available here
Funding
Communities 2014 and Awards for All
To support groups who want to benefit from the 2014 Commonwealth Games coming to Glasgow the Big Lottery Fund has developed a new funding programme, 2014 Communities, which is focused on building a legacy of well-being before and beyond the Commonwealth Games. Grants between £300 to £1,000 will be offered based on a process similar to the Awards for All model. For further information both fundings available please click here: Awards for All; 2014 Communities.
Jadezoe Mackenzie and Emma Marshall, Denny High School
We started our Bronze DofE programmes three years ago, it was something new to our school. After completing Bronze we thought we would go on to Silver which we also enjoyed so instead of giving up we were the only two in our year to go on and do our Gold. Our dream was to go abroad to do our expedition and residential so that we could help out in a poorer country and experience another way of living. That dream came true after a meeting with Roddy Ross in May 2010.
Roddy told us about the P.I.A which is the President's International Award in Gambia. The P.I.A is Gambia's equivalent to the DofE. After very little thought we were desperate to go. In order to go we had to fundraise £1,000 each which would pay for our flights and accommodation plus we had extra money which we donated to Gamscot. We raised £2,000 in under two months which was amazing and then we raised an extra £500 which paid for our injections.
Arriving in Banjul airport was amazing, it still hadn’t sunk in what we were actually doing there but it was a great feeling. After getting our bags we met some Gambians who were taking us to the Skill Centre where we were staying. We sat on the back of a Mitsubishi – something which is illegal in the UK with the hot air and the warm breeze hitting us as we drove to the centre.
For our expedition we walked roughly 80km in four days. It was really hard at the time but looking back it was a doddle! On the first day we walked about 21 miles in 7 hours – I think we power walked. Seeing all the different villages and schools made us realise how lucky we really are. They don’t have windows or lights in the class rooms and they also have very little tarmac. The villagers have very little to survive on yet they are living longer than us and are healthier.
We got the chance to go to a nursery and a private school. The nursery was owned by a Scottish woman. There were three class rooms and they weren’t very big but there were a lot of children which is the opposite of what the nurseries are like in Scotland. The private school was amazing! Much better than the schools over here. It sort of ruined our impression of Gambia because you can go to one part which is very poor then just up the road is a posh school for wealthy families it just doesn’t seem right.
Overall we loved every minute of our trip, we have relived it all with telling friends and family all about it. It has definitely changed the way we see things and also it has showed us how lucky we really are, taking things for granted such as a washing machine! More details attached.