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Eyesore to beauty spot

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Six students from Smithdon High School at Hunstanton in Norfolk have turned a town eyesore into a beauty spot as part of their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh's Awards.

They have been busy working at the site which is located next to the lifeboat station.

Rigil Kent, who works as a helmsman for the Hunstanton Lifeboat and also works for the fire service, said: “The students held a couple of sponsored bag packs at different supermarkets to raise the money for the plants.

“They’ve been doing a lot of volunteering over the past year and all thoroughly enjoyed it. The six of them have now completed their Bronze Awards.

“The plot where they have created a garden has always been an eyesore and we just wanted to change that, plus it will help with this year’s Anglia in Bloom competition.”

Story and image courtesy of www.lynnnews.co.uk

Apprentice awarded for DofE volunteering

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Wed, 9 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A DofE participant and Scottish Gas apprentice has recieved an award from the Scottish First Minister, Alex Salmond, in recognition for her voluntary work she carried out as part of her DofE programme.

Alexandra Preston was presented with a Saltire award certificate, signed by Alex Salmond, for reaching 200 hours of volunteering with the MS Society. The 19-year-old Scottish Gas apprentice engineer started volunteering with the MS Society in 2009.

As part of the apprenticeship all apprentices are required to undertake their Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award, including an activity to qualify for their Volunteering section.

Alexandra, who is based in Hamilton in South Lanarkshire, Scotland said: “I’m delighted to have achieved this award for my work with the MS Society. I initially got involved with the charity as my older brother has MS and I wanted to get an understanding of what MS is and to help others affected by the condition.

“When I started my apprenticeship with Scottish Gas, I was very pleased that I could continue to volunteer as part of my DofE programme, which meant I could get more involved with the charity.

“I hope to continue my work with the MS Society in years too come as it gives me a huge sense of achievement knowing that I can help people dealing with MS.”

Managing director of Scottish Gas, Kevin Roxburgh said: "I’m very proud of Alexandra’s achievement for her work with the MS Society and delighted hear that her hard work has been recognised.”

In addition to achieving the Saltire Award, Alexandra has been nominated alongside her boyfriend, who also volunteers with the MS Society, for the 'UK MS Young Person of the Year Award'. They are two of nine nominees in the UK and will find out next month if they have been shortlisted to the final six.

Story and image courtesy of www.local.stv.tv

Young fencers complete their Bronze Awards

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 4 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Young fencers completed their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh's Awards at Salle Paul Fencing Club in Camden last week.

Salle Paul is a Foil fencing club and teaches fencing to boys and girls from the age of eight upwards, the club is based in the London Borough of Camden

The DofE fencing course was established at Salle Paul in 2010 to encourage boys and girls aged 14+ to start fencing whilst completing the Physical section of their programmes.

At a presentation at Salle Paul last Thursday, five young fencers completed the Physical section of their Bronze Awards.

The five young achievers: Nadav Shina, Seeta Parmar, Lydia Pearce, Caroline Crang and Lavanya Sridhar, all aged 14, started their three month course in January.

They all received a sectional certificate and a book on fencing from Dr Clare Halsted, Chairman of British Fencing’s Foil Committee, at the presentation to mark the completion of their course.

Salle Paul’s DofE Liaison Officer, Caroline Woollard said:

“This is the third year we have run a special fencing course for the Physical section of the DofE. We are delighted that all the fencers enjoyed the course and that one is now joining Salle Paul to continue her fencing, while two others are planning to go on to do more fencing for their Silver DofE programmes at the club in September.

The course has been an excellent way to introduce young people to fencing and we hope they will all go on to achieve great things with their DofE Awards and their fencing.”

Richard Kruse from Salle Paul Fencing Club has been selected for the 2012 London Olympics and others from the club are on Olympic Pathway programmes for future Games.

The DofE shortlisted for its role in developing young people’s skills at work

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Leading youth charity The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) has been shortlisted for The Charity Awards 2012 in recognition for its work with young employees.

The DofE was chosen for its outstanding training initiative for young apprentices and recruits, DofE Business. The Charity Awards is the sector’s most prestigious excellence recognition scheme and the 2012 winners will be announced on 14 June.

The DofE works with a wide range of UK businesses allowing their employees, trainees and apprentices to benefit from a life-changing Gold DofE programme. In return, businesses support the Charity’s growth through donations that enable many more young people from all backgrounds to do their DofE in the wider community.

The Charity Awards is the highest profile event in the charity calendar. All shortlisted charities this year have been judged by an independent panel of sector leaders as having demonstrated outstanding best practice from which other organisations can learn.

Peter Westgarth, the DofE’s Chief Executive, said:

"We are delighted to have been shortlisted for The Charity Awards 2012. We are very proud of our work with businesses in the UK, giving apprentices and young recruits the chance to do their Gold DofE through their employer, while enabling us to widen our reach in the UK.

This is a huge honour for our Charity, at a time when young people need all the help they can get to realise their potential and develop essential skills for work."

Daniel Phelan, organiser of The Charity Awards said,
"For 13 years The Charity Awards programme has celebrated the exceptional work that takes place within the voluntary sector and the dramatic effects that charities have on a wide spectrum of social needs.

The rigorous judging process means that only the very best walk away with prizes, bestowing on them one of the highest accolades in the sector. In being shortlisted The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award has already demonstrated that it is amongst the best managed charities in the UK.

I wish them and all shortlisted charities the best of luck on the night.”

John Low, chief executive of Charities Aid Foundation, which sponsors The Charity Awards, commented,

“I would like to congratulate and commend all the shortlisted charities this year, as well as everyone who took the time to submit an application. Once again the calibre of entries was very impressive – at a time when the sector, indeed the country, is under such financial pressure, The Charity Awards gives us all the opportunity to step back, reflect and be inspired.”

Companies that run DofE Business have found it speeds up young people’s development, makes them better at their jobs, and develops the skills, attitudes and attributes that employers are crying out for in their workforce: commitment, communication skills, leadership and teamwork.

The DofE partners with a wide range of employers, giving them the chance to offer the DofE to their young workforce. This year alone, 99 young apprentices and employees from British Gas, Tesco’s, Amey and Lloyds Banking Group received their Gold DofE Awards at special presentation events with HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.

In total, 2,194 young people have started their DofE through this programme. To date, 1,037 have achieved their Gold DofE Award with DofE Business and many more are still taking part. We have a 95% completion rate.

Employers including Vinci, Peter Jones (part of the John Lewis Partnership), Robert McAlpine and Scotrail support the DofE and run DofE Business. Scotrail’s initiative scooped the Best Business Newcomer title at the Scottish Modern Apprenticeship Awards 2011. Many more companies are now seeking to offer the DofE in their training programmes, while also recognising DofE Award holders as future employees.

With the number of young jobless at a record high, and unemployment among Britain’s graduates at its highest level for 17 years, the DofE welcomes the development of more employment and training opportunities for young people.

The DofE is calling on British business to recognise the DofE Award, partner with the Charity and support young people as they develop skills for life and work at this critical time. Any companies wanting to know more about DofE Business can find more information at www.DofE.org/supportus.

Award nominees will be formally announced on 3^rd May 2012. A presentation dinner will be held at the Grosvenor House Hotel on 14^th June 2012.

Participants work on conservation project

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Students swapped the coast for the countryside when they gave up their Saturday to do voluntary work.

The group from Bede Academy in Blyth Northumberland, have all started their DofE programmes – the first from the academy – and threw themselves into the volunteering activites during their day at Wallington Hall.

The 14 and 15-year-olds headed into the woods of the National Trust property to help clear brash following a programme of tree thinning.

Twenty-eight students accompanied by teachers spent around five hours sawing branches and dragging them to bonfires under the guidance of National Trust ranger Matt Watson, with the aim of clearing a large area of the woods to make it more appealing to visitors.

Matt said: “This area was quite dense woodland and a bit dark and off-putting. We have been able to sell the unwanted timber but we needed help to clear the brash. Without regular volunteers and groups like Bede Academy we just couldn’t do it.

“You can’t put a price on the value of their help. It’s fantastic so many young people have been willing to give up their own time to help. Having more daylight coming through makes the woods more appealing, as well as being good for ground plants, insects and invertebrates. It will also encourage visitors to stray off the beaten track and hopefully inspire children to build dens and climb trees.”

The working day was also educational for the students as Matt explained to them the ecological and environmental reasons for thinning the woodland and about the floral and fauna.

Thirty-nine students at Bede have embarked on their Bronze DofE programmes under the leadership of teachers Dr Craig Sams, Paul Birdsall, Tom Whitworth, Emma Johnston, Kara Cordner, Charlotte Webster and Jenny Bell.

Image and story courtesy of www.newspostleader.co.uk

Participation in Merseyside rockets

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award celebrated the first anniversary of its partnership with ScottishPower in Liverpool today (19^th April 2012) which has enabled almost 800 young people to start their DofE in the Merseyside area in just one year.

With a focus on the most disadvantaged parts of Merseyside, nine new DofE groups have been founded. In just one year, around 800 young people have begun their DofE, more than four times the number expected, with far greater demand and participation than anticipated.

At a time when young people are facing the toughest jobs market for decades and the energy industry is facing an impending skills gap, ScottishPower is investing in developing young people’s skills to create a new generation of engineers and employees for the future of the industry.

The DofE helps young people develop the skills and attributes they need to get into work. The North West has one of the highest rates of youth unemployment, with the most recent figures estimating that 30.5% of young men between 16-25 are unemployed in the region.

The event also celebrated the success of ScottishPower’s Pre-Apprenticeship programme which offers young people the opportunity to gain vocational qualifications and industry experience while also completing a Bronze DofE Award to add a further dimension to their employability for the future.

ScottishPower employees were joined at the event by representatives of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and partner schools from Wirral, Merseyside and Knowsley currently participating in the DofE and benefitting from this major investment.

Pupils from the partner schools were also on-hand to give a first person account of their experience of the DofE and the benefits they have found in terms of their development which will support their future career aspirations and ambitions.

Ann Loughrey, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at ScottishPower, said:

"ScottishPower is committed to helping the next generation develop the necessary skills to succeed. It is fantastic that we are already seeing results from this partnership with young people successfully working towards and completing their DofE.

"Our investment in young people reinforces our commitment to the communities in which we are based, as well as ensuring that the energy sector is strongly equipped for the future."

Robbie Johnson, North West Director of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, said:

"The partnership between Scottish Power and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award across Merseyside has been instrumental in giving hundreds of young people an opportunity to achieve their DofE.

"The DofE is the world’s best personal development programme for young people and has been proven to develop key employability skills including leadership, decision making, confidence and team working. The programme also helps young people become better citizens whilst making a huge contribution to society.

“On behalf of the participants and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Charity, I thank ScottishPower for helping to improve so many young lives and hope that even more young people from the area will benefit in the future.”

For further information on ScottishPower, please visit www.scottishpower.com

From pub garden to petting zoo

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Participants from Northamptonshire have taken on an interesting challenge as part of their DofE programmes.

The group have helped to transform a pub beer garden in Wellingborough into a children’s petting zoo with help from the pub's workers and staff from their school, Tresham College.

The garden, at the Royal Oak in Doddington Road, was given a makeover as part of a joint operation between the pub and the young people doing their DofE. Building merchants Jewsons of Wellingborough also sponsored the project and supplied the materials whilst the animals came from Brook Farm Animal Sanctuary in Raunds.

Richard Abbott from the Royal Oak said: "They (participants) constructed a petting area with the help of staff from the Royal Oak.

"They had materials supplied from Jewsons of Wellingborough, and we also had some hutches which were supplied by AJ Sectional Buildings in Wellingborough.

"The project was completed over a period of weeks with the students attending every Monday to help out"

Story and image courtesy of www.northantset.co.uk/news

Participant helps homeless community

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Most schoolchildren are encouraged to stay away from strangers – but one DofE participant has been going out of her way to meet them.

Courtney Avey, 14, is offering hope to the homeless in Portsmouth after volunteering to help her mum’s friend dish out food to those in need as part of her DofE programme.

The Warblington School pupil, from Leigh Park, spends two evenings a week talking to those who are homeless as part of the Volunteering section of her programme.

She said: "At first I was quite nervous because I didn’t know how they’d be like towards us. I thought they’d be angry and aggressive but they were really kind and let us fit in straight away."

The schoolgirl has joined Jenette Mace’s mission to feed the homeless of Portsmouth, driving twice a week the to the local homeless hotspots.

Jenette, 41, of Leigh Park, is asking people to donate their spare food and clothing and has a collection point in the local supermarket.

Story and image courtesy of www.portsmouth.co.uk/news

Volunteering opportunity at The Skills Show

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

I AM... the UK’s biggest skills and careers event!

The Skills Show is a unique annual celebration that will inspire the fashion designers, web developers and engineers of tomorrow, with exciting opportunities in further education, skills and Apprenticeships.

The Skills Show will be held at the NEC Birmingham from 15-17 November and will play host to a range of skills competitions, awards and activities. Visitors will be inspired by skills in action as the best of the nation’s young talent perform at the WorldSkills UK Competitions; they’ll have chance to have a go at new skills, get up to the minute careers advice, and access Apprenticeships and real job opportunities from employers, to help them make that next important step!

I AM... keen to volunteer!

There are two great opportunities for you to get involved:

- Become a volunteer (aged 16 or over) - there are over 2,000 volunteering opportunities available, ranging from supporting the registration and delegate experience team to building the competitions and working on the Have a Go stands. This is a great opportunity to gain a wealth of experience at this unique event.

- Become a Team Leader (aged 18 or over) – this is an important position as you will be responsible for leading and co-ordinating volunteer groups during the event. This is a great chance for any young person, particularly those who are interested in a career in event management. Be sure to get your applications in soon, as the team leader deadline is Friday 27^th April!

For more information on the volunteering roles available and how to apply, visit The Skills Show website here: worldskillsuk.apprenticeships.org.uk

Now available... The Handbook for DofE Leaders 7th edition!

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Mon, 2 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

We have been busily updating our Handbook for DofE Leaders, ensuring that this crucial resource contains all the key information you need to run a successful DofE group.

The new edition contains updated information about key changes to the way DofE programmes are run such as eDofE, the Achievement Pack and Approved Activity Providers (AAPs).

Order your copy NOW via www.DofEshop.org !

Jobless to St. James’s – it’s Gold for Ealing’s trio

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Three inspiring young people from the London Borough of Ealing collected their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards on Wednesday.

Richard Parillon, Robyn Corroon and Joel Edmonds have successfully completed their Gold DofE Awards and travelled to St. James’s Palace, along with over 700 other young people, to collect their Awards from HRH The Duke of Edinburgh earlier this week.

The three Award holders first became involved in the DofE through the V Talent initiative at Ealing Council in 2009 which offered volunteering placements to young people not currently involved in full time education, employment or training. The aim of the placements was to enhance the employability skills and prospects of the young people involved.

Robyn was unemployed at the time and struggling to get interviews. Having left school without any qualifications she initially went on to train as a mechanic, but after countless job rejections and six months out of work she lost her sense of motivation and didn’t know where to turn.

“It was really hard. After so many knock backs I thought I’d never get a job. Then someone at my old youth centre suggested I apply for a work placement with Ealing Council through the V Talent programme. That’s how I was introduced to the DofE. I haven’t looked back.”

Once she had done her Bronze DofE she moved straight onto Gold. “I loved it – it was a fantastic physical and mental challenge, and I feel like I can do anything now. Two or three years ago I would never have had the confidence to stand up and talk to a group of 40 young people, and now I do it every day – and I enjoy it!”

Robyn’s experience on expedition made her grow up fast. “Some of the group members fell out during our expedition, and I had to act as peacemaker. I know how to manage myself now in tricky situations and how to deal with other people.”

The DofE’s London Region also helped Robyn develop her new found passion for the outdoors by sponsoring her from their City Bridge Trust initiative to enable her to undertake her BEL (Basic Expedition Leader) Course.

Robyn managed to secure a sought-after apprenticeship with the DofE at Ealing Council following her placement, helping other young people to develop as she has. She has also developed her sports skills and is looking to apply to university. “Never in a million years did I think I’d go to Uni. When I was 16 my attitude was all wrong, I didn’t care how I spoke to people. I’ve had to grow up fast. The DofE has turned my life around.”

Richard and Joel have also experienced some well-deserved employment success since starting their DofE programmes. Richard now has a fulltime job at Ealing Council working in a residential children's home in Ealing, which provides short breaks for young people with complex disabilities. Joel Edmonds is in the third year of his apprenticeship, also at Ealing Council working with looked-after young people.

67 British Gas Apprentices strike Gold!

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Golden day at the Palace for scores of British Gas Apprentices

A group of more than 60 British Gas Apprentices celebrated achieving their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) with HRH Prince Philip at a special ceremony at St James’s Palace today (28 March 2012).

British Gas, a Gold Partner of the youth Charity, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, asks all its apprentices to do the DofE as part of the company’s commitment to learning and development. In total, 97 British Gas Apprentices achieved their Gold DofE Award this month, with 67 of those attending the ceremony at the Palace today.

Angela Williams, HR Director at British Gas, said, “We’re really proud of what these young people have achieved. The DofE develops young people’s skills in a totally unique way that meets the needs of our young recruits. Everyone who has completed their DofE has become more confident and shows a maturity that makes them stand out and will help them progress in their careers.”

Amy Bays, 21, joined British Gas as an apprentice and is now a qualified engineer. Receiving her Gold DofE Award today, Amy said, “I’m so pleased I’ve done my DofE. I’d not had the chance to do it before I joined British Gas and I didn’t know what it entailed. The expedition was hard but I feel so much more confident now and I believe I could take on anything. I’d recommend anyone to do their DofE – it’s a great training for all that life and work can throw at you.

“The DofE was a bigger challenge to me, as I suffer from Crohn’s disease. I had more issues to deal with which made me feel as though I wouldn’t be able to complete. After proudly completing my DofE I feel much more confident in my communication skills which help me when I talk to customers. I am proud to be part of the DofE and feel that I’m a better person and more understanding of others having done it.”

Earlier this month 32 young employees and apprentices from Amey, Lloyds Banking and Tesco received their Gold Awards at a ceremony at St James’s Palace, having completed their DofE through their employers.

Peter Westgarth, Chief Executive of the DofE, added, “I’m delighted to see so many young British Gas apprentices achieving their Gold DofE Awards and showing their employers that they have the confidence, determination, and a range of other skills that they will need for the rest of their working lives. The DofE is a unique tool for personal development and, while young people are struggling to get into work, education and training, the DofE can enhance their skills in a way that will help them get a job, stay there, and succeed in the workplace.”

The Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a personal development programme that takes at least 18 months to complete and includes Physical, Skills, Volunteering, Expedition and Residential sections. Around two thirds of Gold DofE Award holders continue to volunteer after they have finished.

Rebecca Clancy, Learning and Development Manager for Centrica, said: “The volunteering gives young people their first taste of work. For the very first time in their lives they have to turn up, and take some responsibility. Lots of trainees continue to do more charity work once they’ve finished their apprenticeship and their DofE.”

Participant creates exhibition of work

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

DofE participant Oliver, (previously featured on the DofE website last summer) started an innovative project called 'Art-a-graphs' - art and autographs - based initially around World Snooker Players and the World Championships in 2010 and 2011 as part of his Bronze and Silver DofE programmes.

'Art-a-graphs' is a unique concept created to fuse the production of abstract art representation and appreciation with the hobby of philography (autograph collecting). The principle idea to this concept is to produce an abstract art painting to represent a person of notoriety and incorporate their original autograph within this abstract.

Having successfully completed his Bronze and Silver Awards Oliver is currently working on his Gold DofE programme and has continued with his art theme. The project has so far has taken over 24 months to get to its current stage and counted towards the Skills section of his previous DofE Awards.

The Sheffield student now plans to use his activities to raise funds for various charities as part of the Volunteering section of his Gold programme. During this time he will put up for sale his collection of nearly 1,200 signed snooker players prints, which commemorate the 'World Snooker Championships of 2010' & its 'Finalists' from that year. From these sales a percentage of the profits will be donated to his two chosen Charities; ' The Paul Hunter Foundation' & 'Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity'

Oliver has also put together an 'Art-A-Graphs' Exhibition at the Bank Street Arts in Sheffield. It will be open to visitors from 17 April to 5 May 2012 and they are currently planning a grand private viewing event for the evening of 19 April where there will be several celebrities and a film crew. It will be opened by Paul Bloomfield MP and Steve Davis, six times world snooker champion. There will various original canvasses and signed snooker prints for sale over the duration of the exhibition.

Last year Oliver's great success and achievements were recognised when he won the 'Sheffield Young Artist of the Year'.

For more information visit Oliver’s website www.world-snooker-sheffield.co.uk and www.bankstreetarts.com.

Gold Award holder to carry torch for volunteering

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Gold Award holder Richard Salter, 19, has been picked to carry the Olympic torch on part of it's journey later on this year.

Richard was picked by judges for his tremendous volunteering efforts which he carried out as part of his DofE programmes. Some of these achievements included leading a team in organising a charity auction raising over £2,000 and organising a separate charity raffle raising £116 both for children with brain injuries.

He also volunteered as Vice Chair and Treasurer of St. John Ambulance at Warwick University and mentored on the Devon ACF Outreach project, working with children at risk of being expelled.

These activities did not go unoticed, with the judges commenting; "To be so young and so giving is great to see. There are many people that for years don’t think about these kind of things so it’s great to see (Richard) starting so early"

Richard has completed his Bronze, Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Awards and recently volunteered to help out at a national DofE event.

He will be carrying the flame on it's leg through Yeovil, Somerset on 22 May this year.

Richard attended Tiverton High School and is now studying at Warwick University.

Amey, Lloyds and Tesco celebrate Gold at the Palace

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

32 Young recruits from top UK employers celebrated their achievements at St James’s Palace yesterday with HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.

Employees from Amey, Lloyds and Tesco met HRH Prince Philip and Paralympian Danny Crates at a special ceremony at St James’s Palace yesterday to receive their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards.

Nine apprentices from Amey were presented with their Gold Awards having completed their DofE programmes as part of their apprenticeships. Amey, a Gold Partner of the Charity, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE), asks all its apprentices to do their DofE and gives all its young employees the same opportunity, as part of the company’s commitment to learning and development.

Mel Ewell, Chief Executive of Amey, said, “I’m so proud of what these young people have achieved in what is the toughest jobs market to date, it’s great to see that recognised today. We believe the DofE is incredibly important, offering young people the opportunity to experience fresh challenges and achieve new skills, whilst contributing to their local community. With youth unemployment at record levels of over a million, Amey is doing everything it can to help young people get through these tough times and develop skills they will use throughout their career.”

Sixteen employees from Lloyds have achieved their Gold DofE Awards. Lloyds Banking Group was the first company to introduce the DofE as part of its training, with a focus on retaining young talent in areas with a high staff turnover. Around forty per cent of employees who complete their programmes go on to be promoted three times or more and believe that they wouldn’t have secured promotions without having done their DofE.

Dean Lightwood of Lloyds Banking Group said, “The DofE provides a great framework and the opportunity to learn and test individuals through a variety of situations and environments. In my experience everyone who has completed their Awards has become more confident and shows a maturity that makes them stand out from some of their peers of a similar age, which has helped them to progress in their careers.”

Seven young people from Tesco received their Gold DofE Awards at the presentation. The supermarket chain launched a ground-breaking development programme for 16 to18-year-olds in 2010, designed to offer young people who have decided to leave school the chance to train while earning a salary. Participants can complete their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award as well as an NVQ level 3, learning all the technical and soft skills they need to fast track their career in retail.

Judith Nelson, UK and ROI Personnel Director at Tesco Stores Ltd said, "The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award supports an incredible opportunity to develop many of the early skills Tesco values in their staff. The programme focuses on teamwork, respect for others and confidence, which is key for future leaders within our business.”

Peter Westgarth, Chief Executive of the DofE, added, “I’m delighted to see so many young employees from top UK companies achieving their Gold DofE Awards and showing their employers that they have the confidence, determination, and a range of other skills that they will need for the rest of their working lives. The DofE is a unique tool for personal development and, while young people are struggling to get into work, education and training, the DofE can enhance their skills in a way that will help them get a job, stay there, and succeed in the workplace.”

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is the world’s leading achievement award for young people. In the last year 208,466 young people from all backgrounds started their DofE programmes. The DofE is a charity recognised nationally as the most valuable non-formal programme for young people, developing their skills for life and work. Research shows that employers value the DofE when they are recruiting as the most important achievement after academic qualifications.

No Gold rush for John May

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 9 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Almost 25 years after completing his Gold DofE programme, John May, the new Secretary General of the International Award, was last week presented with his Award at St James's Palace, London, by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.

There are almost 830,000 participants doing their DofE across the globe each year, and nearly one third of those are in the UK. Last Tuesday John was amongst 706 other Gold Award achievers who had travelled to London for the occasion.

John completed the five sections of his Gold Award whilst he was a student at Bristol University but didn’t manage to attend a presentation ceremony at the time. For his Volunteering section, he helped out as a Cub Scout Leader in one of Bristol’s most disadvantaged communities. He remembers running a camp in the countryside and introducing his Cubs to cows for the first time: “Several refused to have milk on their morning cereal for the rest of their trip away.”

For his Skills section, John learned about film making, long before the days of digital video, when the camera he used was transported in a suitcase and the editing was all analogue. He still has a copy of the finished film. John met the requirements of the Physical section by taking up running, a sport he continues to enjoy, even if he is “rather less fast than [he] used to be”.

He and a group of his friends successfully completed their qualifying expedition in the hills and moors of Northumberland, braving the wind and rain of a north-east English spring, and his residential involved training to be a leader on a children’s summer holiday scheme. Young people can still do their residential with the ATE charity today.

John recounts the proud moment, which gave him the chance to do something he should have done a quarter of a century before: “Failing to attend a Gold Award Presentation 25 years ago was a real mistake on my part – not least because it meant my mum was unable to see me receive my badge.

“Parents often provide so much support to their children as they go through their DofE programme and the presentation provides an opportunity for participants to acknowledge that support. I was delighted to be presented with my badge but I was even more delighted that my mum was invited to attend. Finally, I was able to say ‘thank you’ properly.”

For more information on the International Award, co-ordinating and developing the DofE programme worldwide, visit their website - www.intaward.org

Mencap celebrates first DofE Awards

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Mon, 5 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The achievements of 16 inspirational young people have been celebrated at a ceremony last week where they were presented with their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh's Awards.

The young people came from all across the country and completed their DofE programmes through the Mencap ‘Raising Your Game’ project which helps people, aged between 14 and 25, with a learning disability or communication difficulty. Some have been in trouble with the police and some are at risk of offending.

The 16 participants travelled down to Windsor from Hertfordshire, Avon and Somerset, East Kent, the West Midlands and Leeds to collect their Awards and were presented with their certificates by the CEO of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Charity, Peter Westgarth.

It was a fantastic achievement for the group who were the first from the ‘Raising Your Game’ project to complete their DofE programmes and they did so using eDofE as well as producing some brilliant, individual Achievement Packs to record their journeys.

Regional Coordinator for ‘Raising Your Game’ Heather Ribalta said “It was a fantastic day and an amazing atmosphere. I hope it will shape the future for awards for people with learning disabilities at Mencap and beyond; the day was very personal and should build on the young people's self-belief and self-confidence.”

They completed a number of different activities as part of their programmes including DJing, cooking and helping adults with learning difficulties. One participant Dean helped out at the Dogs Trust for his Volunteering section; “Volunteering is fun,” he says, “I like the different dogs. It gets me out of the house and off my games console, and keeps me out of trouble. It allows me to meet other people and make new friends – it has given me a lot more confidence to talk to people and be around strangers. And I get a bit of exercise too.”

During the evening members of the group also gave some entertaining presentations on their expeditions including one on wild flowers, an A to Z of the expedition and a catalogue of weird things they spotted on their travels! There was also a short film that was created by one of the participants showing photos from throughout their programmes that was put together under the theme of ‘personal journey’.

Bronze Award holder Javid said“I joined 'Raising Your Game' through my school. When I did my DofE expedition I met new people and it made me realise I want to think more about the sort of people that I hang out with. I didn’t realise how hard it would be, but it gave me a real sense of achievement when I had done it. I met some really cool people, but also learned to try and get along with people that are a bit different to me.

My volunteering has made me feel like I’m doing something good. I think it will help me realise that a job is a job – it is not always fun, but you have to get used to it. I hope it might help me get to uni one day, and get a job. It will show people that I can stick to things, and that I can be trusted.”

For more information on the 'Raising Your Game' initiative visit www.raisingyourgame.mencap.org.uk

Burnley Chairman gets behind the DofE

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Barry Kilby, the outgoing Chairman of Burnley FC, has called for all football clubs to get behind young people and support youth Charity, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

The call comes as four young people from Burnley FC met HRH The Duke of Edinburgh in a special presentation at St James’s Palace this week to receive their Gold DofE Awards.

Burnley FC opened its doors to The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in 2006 and is one of more than twenty clubs in the country offering young people the chance to develop and grow through the DofE. Burnley is now the largest football club DofE group in Britain with more than 300 young people taking part in the DofE and was the first to see its young people achieve Gold DofE Awards.

In one of his last moves as Chairman, Barry Kilby, who attended the presentation on Tuesday, said:
“We were delighted to see the success of these young people recognised publicly this week. We are a football club rooted firmly in the community. By giving the next generation the chance to do their DofE they can realise their potential and make themselves more attractive to employers at a time when young people need all the help they can get. For us this isn’t just about giving young people something to do, we believe it is our duty to the future success of Burnley.
“I’m calling on the football fraternity across the UK to get behind the DofE and help young people kick start their futures. With youth unemployment at an all-time high, clubs like ours need to give back to the communities that have supported them for so long.”

Life-long Burnley FC supporter and former Prime Minister’s spokesman, Alastair Campbell, was also at the presentation on Tuesday. He said:
“Burnley FC has always taken seriously its role in the wider community. We may not be top of the Championship right now, but we were the first to give young people the chance to do their DofE through a football club, and the Burnley FC DofE group is the largest of any football club in the country. These Awards represent a tremendous achievement for the club and for the young people who have seized the opportunity to increase their skills and experience. I commend them on their success and wish them well for the future.”

According to official figures, Burnley is one of the most deprived areas in the UK, with high levels of unemployment and economic inactivity among 16-24 year olds. Each year more than 300,000 young people (14-25) from all backgrounds embark on their DofE in the UK. Research shows that employers value the DofE when they are recruiting as the most important achievement after academic qualifications, and that the DofE has a significant impact on young people’s employability.

Peter Westgarth, The DofE’s Chief Executive, said,
“Critically, the DofE is able to offer an alternative route to skills, experience and personal development that could help young people in what is a really tough jobs market right now. Anyone can do their DofE and we want to double the number doing their DofE regardless of circumstance, giving many more the chance to fulfil their potential. Burnley FC’s work is helping us realise that goal and we thank Barry Kilby for his generous support and commitment to our work.”

The photo shows:

Back row: Barry Kilby, Chairman Burnley FC, Alastair Campbell, Clarets fan, Doug Metcalfe, Burnley FC Stadium Manager, Jonathan Sibley, Burnley FC Chief Executive, Matt Hargreaves Burnley FC DofE Manager.

Front row: Kelly Parkinson, Shona MacLeod, Melanie Lewis, Zak Lewis, Gold Award holders.

Roger receives Gold Award at Palace

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A participant who is deaf and blind was among 706 other young people who paid a visit to St James’ Palace in London yesterday to receive their Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Awards from HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.

We previously featured Roger Mulholland, 24, from Tiverton, in June 2011 when he successfully walked 24 miles of coastal path in Pembrokeshire, Wales, over two days for charity.

His walk raised money for the charity Sense, which made him the Deafblind Person of the Year in 2011.

He also volunteers as a waiter at Cafe 55, Sense's cafe in Exeter, which is staffed by volunteers who are deaf and blind.

In January this year, Roger was also among 50 young people who were presented with their Gold DofE Badges at a ceremony at County Hall in Exeter.

His trip to St James’ Palace yesterday was a memorable day in which Roger, along with his contemporaries, received his official Gold DofE Certificate to acknowledge and reward him for his hard work. TV presenter Ken Hames was there to meet and congratulate the young people receiving their certificates along with Roger and was delighted to meet such an inspiring DofE Award holder.

Roger said (via. an interpreter): “I’m really pleased to have completed my Gold Award. It was hard work but lots of fun. It’s inspired me to take on new challenges – I’m planning to try as many Olympic sports as possible in 2012”.

Roger’s mum, Jane Mulholland, said: “We’re extremely proud of Roger and what he’s achieved. The DofE has allowed him to focus on his strengths and use his own experiences of sensory loss to assist others to get out and about and enjoy the surrounding countryside in an accessible way. Roger’s efforts prove that there’s no such thing as ‘can’t’.”

The DofE is run in Devon by the county council, along with 70 schools, colleges and voluntary organisations.

Visit www.sense.org.uk to learn more about the leading national charity supporting deadblind children and adults.

NICFC and the DofE

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Broughshane woman Gillian Creevy was delighted and honoured recently to receive a very special certificate from HRH The Earl of Wessex on behalf of the Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for Children (NICFC) of which she is Chief Executive.

Prince Edward was visiting NICFC’s respite facilities, Shimna Valley and Narnia to present Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award certificates to participants from NICFC.

Since their introduction to the charity in 2005, the DofE programmes have been a core activity within NICFC’s Youth Programme, offering young people and young adults aged 14 – 25 years the opportunity to complete their Bronze, Silver and Gold DofE programmes.

Each programme is tailored to allow young people living with cancer to develop individual skills at their own pace, and in the past seven years, 140 young people living with cancer have successfully completed their DofE Awards.

A highlight of the day was when he presented The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Operating Authority Licence to Broughshane resident, Gillian Creevy on behalf of the NICFC.

Speaking at the event, Gillian said, “The young people who have completed their DofE Awards have faced many personal challenges, yet they have shown great strength and determination in achieving this accolade.

“We are thrilled their hard work and dedication has been recognised and would like to thank HRH, The Earl of Wessex for personally acknowledging their fantastic achievements. This will hopefully send out a message to other young people living with cancer that there are opportunities such as The Duke of Edinburgh's Award available, which will allow them to embark on new adventures and fulfil their true potential”.

Image and story courtesy of www.ballymenatimes.com

The Earl visits DofE participants in Wokingham

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Wokingham Borough Council was presented with its new Duke of Edinburgh's Award Operating Authority licence by HRH The Earl of Wessex at a ceremony on Thursday, February 2, at The University of Reading.

The licence allows the council to deliver the DofE to young people in the borough. Managed by the council’s youth service, the DofE is offered in six schools, three youth centres and through other community groups across the borough.

The Earl of Wessex spent time meeting volunteers who run the DofE throughout the Wokingham borough, including a group of students from The University of Reading.

The Honourable Mrs Bayliss, Lord Lieutenant for the Royal County of Berkshire, received His Royal Highness before he toured the University’s Henley Business School, escorted by the University of Reading’s Vice-Chancellor Sir David Bell, borough mayor Councillor Dianne King and interim chief executive Andy Couldrick.

Cllr King said: “This is great news for Wokingham borough’s young people and for the wider community.

“The Duke of Edinburgh's Award encourages young people to learn new skills, to help others and to experience some great adventures. I know many young people at our schools and youth centres are already doing their DofE programmes and I hope many more will take the chance to get involved.

“I would also like to thank all those volunteers, who keep the DofE running locally, who give up their evenings and weekends to run these very successful programmes. Without their support, we wouldn’t have had the successes we have.”

Karl Hobley, president of Reading University Students’ Union (RUSU), said: “We were delighted to welcome His Royal Highness, The Earl of Wessex, to The University of Reading.

“The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is looked upon highly by employers throughout the UK and further afield as an award which shows hard work, dedication and team work amongst other important life skills. The University of Reading and RUSU are incredibly proud of the commitment of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award society members and believe the royal visit goes a long way towards recognising this.”

More than 400 signed up to do their DofE in Wokingham last year and those young people have undertaken more than 3,150 hours of voluntary work.

This year, 16 young people completed their Gold Award, the most since the council became a unitary authority in 1998. Over the next year they will all be presented with their Awards at St James’ Palace. Next month, more than 180 Bronze and Silver Awards will be presented at the annual Awards ceremony at Bearwood Theatre in Sindlesham

Young people from the Foundry College vulnerable children’s unit, youth offending service and carer leavers are all currently doing their DofE programmes. Bulmershe Youth Centre’s Explorers Extreme club for young people with additional needs is successful with 37 Bronze and 11 Silver Awards being presented and one member of the club has recently achieved their Gold Award, a first for the club.

Story and image courtesy of www.getwokingham.co.uk

The DofE and apprenticeships - skills for life and work

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

It's the final day of National Apprenticeship Week and we're looking at two other businessess VINCI and ScotRail, who offer the DofE to their apprentices.

VINCI UK

“I didn’t realise how much it would affect my life. It’s about going above and beyond what’s expected, and that’s what employers like to see. The DofE shows you’ve put in time and dedication.”
Alex English, VINCI apprentice

VINCI incorporated DofE Business into its employee development programme in 2010. VINCI gives young people from every corner of the business the opportunity to do their DofE, including apprentices, trainees, graduates and under grads, which has allowed the company to develop strong internal networks with young recruits.
VINCI has a three-way charity partnership with the DofE, Construction Youth Trust and the Prince's Trust giving apprentices the chance to work on projects with these charities for their Volunteering section, as part of their DofE. These projects include going into schools to pass on skills and experience, giving insights into careers in the construction industry to those still in education.

John Stanion, Chairman and CEO of VINCI UK, believes this is a chance for the industry to come together and support a highly treasured Charity with a track record of changing lives. “What we are committed to is investing in our people to ensure that they improve their employability prospects.”

“I’ve learned a lot about team-working and it has challenged my self-perceptions. When you’re in an expedition team you are forced to get on with people in fairly demanding circumstances. After five days you learn a lot about tolerance!"
James Walsh, Graduate Trainee Construction Manager, VINCI

Scotrail

ScotRail’s Award-winning apprenticeship in customer service is the first of its kind in the rail industry. Eleven new recruits began the 18 month programme in 2011, which will equip the young staff with an SVQ Level 2 in Customer Service and their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
The apprentices are trained at Scotrail’s training academy in Glasgow while completing placements in stations, on trains and in hospitality departments. The pioneering initiative to develop young talent has scooped the Best Business Newcomer title at the Scottish Modern Apprenticeship Awards 2011.

“Nurturing young talent is an excellent way of creating a highly skilled and loyal workforce.”
Steve Montgomery, Managing Director of Scotrail

For more information on National Apprenticeship Week go to www.apprenticeships.org.uk

Amey apprentices

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Day four of National Apprenticeship Week and we're featuring Ryan, an Amey apprentice who completed his Gold DofE as part of his apprenticeship programme.

Ryan Brown joined Amey in November 2008 after he heard about the company from a friend. Ryan had been training as an electrical engineer but was keen to focus on engineering and his interest was captured by Amey’s unusual apprenticeship scheme.

He’d heard of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and was among the first to do his Gold Award as part of the Amey apprenticeship.

“I loved it; doing my DofE was one of the best experiences of my life. You get such a great sense of achievement from the expedition, I’ve learned lots of new business skills, and I also met my partner in the group!

"You do something extra through the Volunteering section – I did gardening at a respite clinic. It feels good to make that contribution and I’m still volunteering even though I have finished my Gold.”

For Ryan, the expedition was a real test of strength, as his group battled against the elements.

“It was awful, the first two days were tough and it was hard work to keep up morale. But it’s a very good feeling at the end of the day when the sun comes out. It makes you realise that any goal is achievable. It really developed my leadership skills; you have to find your way within the group.

“The DofE gave me more confidence and I feel as though I could have a go at anything now; I understand what commitment really means. It helped me grow up and I have seen others really open up; you go on an expedition and you get to find out who people really are.”

Ryan feels it has given his career a boost too.

“It has opened up networking opportunities for me within Amey, bringing me into contact with people I wouldn’t have met otherwise.”

For Ryan, the DofE is equally about getting out into the big wide world.

“If I hadn’t done the DofE I would probably still be doing the same old things, not expanding my mind or meeting new people, I would have been happy just doing the day job. I used to stay in a lot, but now I am much more social.

“I think every young person should do it (DofE). I feel very loyal to Amey because of the commitment they have made to me through the DofE – you can’t fault it – they are investing in you and you are getting the benefit.”

Tomorrow we'll hear about other companies who offer the DofE as part of their apprenticeship schemes.

For more information on National Apprenticeship Week go to www.apprenticeships.org.uk

The DofE and Amey

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Day three of National Apprenticeship Week and we're focusing on DofE Gold Partner and leading public services provider Amey.

All Amey apprentices do their Gold DofE Award as an integral part of their training and, in keeping with its long standing passion and commitment to staff development, Amey offers Gold DofE programmes to all its younger staff.

The DofE helps bring out the distinctive characteristics of hard work, leadership and teamwork key to Amey’s business. While training under the Amey Apprenticeship Academy scheme, young engineers complete a structured career and self-development programme. This includes studying towards recognised professional qualifications, completing work placements, on-the-job training and achieving their Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award.

The programme is designed specifically to help young people negotiate a tough jobs market and learn practical skills that will give them real, long term career prospects.

"We believe the DofE is incredibly important, offering young people the opportunity to experience fresh challenges and achieve new skills, whilst contributing to their local community. Amey is proud to be working with The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award to help young people fulfil not only their professional potential but also their personal potential.”
Mel Ewell, Amey’s Chief Executive

Since the introduction of the programme 118 apprentices have started their Gold DofE Award and there are 35 more about to start with 10 young people already completed.

Tomorrow we'll hear from Ryan Brown, a former Amey apprentice.

For more information on National Apprenticeship Week go to www.apprenticeships.org.uk

British Gas apprentices and the DofE

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Tue, 7 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

It's day two of National Apprenticeship Week and today we're featuring two apprentices who have done their Gold DofE through the British Gas apprenticeship programme.

Rebecca

Former British Gas apprentice Rebecca Clancy joined the company in 2007 and was among the very first group of apprentices to do her Duke of Edinburgh’s Award as part of her training. She felt the impact of the DofE from day one, as they began their apprenticeship with the Residential section of her DofE programme.

“It was a great way of getting to know each other; we really gelled as a group right from the start.

Spending all that time together meant we saw different sides of each other; it brought people out of their shells and helped us communicate with each other.

The team-building tasks meant we worked really well together from the beginning. We could really rely on each other.”

Since 2007 British Gas has put all its apprentices through the DofE. Rebecca has a lot of respect for the company, and believes British Gas really invests in its apprentices to give them the best start in their career.

“I’m really glad I did it – I loved it and I feel a big sense of achievement. But even the ones that don’t love it feel they’ve achieved something, it gives them good stories to tell and great memories. When they come back from the expedition, they want to tell you what they have done.”

Rebecca believes the different sections develop essential work skills, and turn young people into responsible, mature adults.

"The Volunteering section gives young people their first taste of work. For the very first time in their lives they have to turn up, and take some responsibility. They realise the responsibility they have and it builds their confidence, their ability to communicate with other people, and it makes them proud.

“Lots of trainees continue to do more charity work once they’ve finished their apprenticeship and their DofE. We do quite a lot of charity work in India, and having done volunteering before, they feel confident to go abroad, and often with a group of people they don’t know and represent our company. They put their own time and effort into raising money.

“The expedition encourages them to put their skills together. They have to look after themselves and everyone else. It makes them grow up and turns them into adults. The change is amazing.”

Having first-hand experience of the DofE allows Rebecca to guide apprentices through their programmes in her role as Learning and Development Manager for British Gas. She’s able to show them she knows what they are going through.

“I would recommend anyone in any job to do the DofE. It really helped us through our apprenticeship.”

Sarah

Sarah Mcleod is currently working as an Engineer for British Gas and she's no stranger to the DofE. She first got involved in The Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards at school in Northumberland. The experience opened her eyes to the world and taught her how to look after herself, engendering a love of travel and adventure.

From school, Sarah followed an academic path, studying international politics at university and going on to work at the Ministry of Defence. But her success didn’t make her happy.

More than anything, Sarah wanted to learn a trade, something that would give her the chance to work independently, possibly even enable her to work anywhere in the world.

Finally Sarah made the leap and left the civil service to retrain as a plumber.

“Many girls wouldn’t even think about learning a trade. Anyone that’s bright is encouraged to go to university, but this is much more interesting than office work. Girls aren’t encouraged to go into trades or industries like construction, especially at school.”

At British Gas, Sarah found herself doing her Gold DofE Award as part of her British Gas apprenticeship.

Through British Gas, the DofE was quite a different experience. Sarah’s highlight was volunteering at a youth centre where she played sport and games with disadvantaged young people.

But the DofE at work also gave her the chance to develop her business skills including team-working, customer service and presentations.

“The DofE has helped me to develop the skills I need for life. When I was younger, the DofE gave me confidence, independence, and developed my sense of adventure. Now it has given me the skills I need to change careers and retrain.”

Tomorrow we will hear how apprentices from DofE Gold Partner Amey are doing their Gold DofE as part of the programme.

For more information on National Apprenticeship Week go to www.apprenticeships.org.uk

National Apprenticeship Week and DofE Business

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Mon, 6 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Throughout National Apprenticeship Week (6 - 10 February) we will bring you stories from our partners who are running the DofE through their own apprenticeships programmes. Today we are focusing on DofE Gold Partner British Gas.

Over the last five years British Gas has worked with the DofE to incorporate the Gold DofE into its award-winning apprenticeship programme with a focus on developing teamwork, communications skills, leadership and dedication in its young workforce. All young British Gas apprentices spend 18 months working towards their Gold DofE whilst completing their NVQ3. In 2011 the DofE was incorporated into a new IT Apprenticeship at British Gas to ensure the all-round development of individuals.

"Our partnership with the DofE fits perfectly with our company values and our social responsibility agenda. Through our partnership, our employees make an invaluable contribution to our local communities whilst developing all those skills that we treasure and foster in our workforce."

Angela Williams, HR Director at British Gas and Silver DofE Award holder

In a recent survey of British Gas apprentices, 89% would recommend the programme to other colleagues and future apprentices; 71% believe that they have been able to transfer the skills gained within the workplace 85% feel more positive about working for British Gas after completing their DofE.

British Gas has had 1773 participants starting their Gold DofE and 983 achieving it, since it was introduced. They have also recently had 30 new starters begin their DofE programmes from British Gas Information Services.

Tomorrow we will hear from some of those Gold Award holders at British Gas.

For more information on National Apprenticeship Week go to www.apprenticeships.org.uk

Be part of The DofE Challenge 2012!

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

After the phenomenal success of last year's DofE Yorkshire Dales Challenge, The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is inviting teams to take to the Peak District for 2012 and raise money for charity. This year the event is to take place 15-16 September 2012.

Teams of 4-6 will take part in a two day trek in some of the UK's most beautiful countryside, camping in wild country and testing their skills with a range of sporting challenges.

Participants will camp overnight and hike some 30 miles over two days tackling logistical, orienteering and Olympic-themed challenges including kayaking, archery, athletics, mountain biking and fencing.

As telecoms expert James Wilson of XLN testifies, the event has developed a reputation for building teams and loyalty,

"The DofE Challenge is great for staff retention; all our challengers are still with the company!"

You will join the ranks of British Gas, Amey, Vinci, DFS, Stopgap and many more Challenge alumni, and get a flavour of what young people experience on a DofE expedition.

So, are you going to let Handpicked Hotels retain their crown for the third year in a row? It's time to give our challenge champions from 2010 and 2011 a run for their money!

"We’ll be back in 2012", says Mark Clayton, Handpicked’s team captain, "To see if we can make it a hat-trick!"

The question is, can they be beaten?!

Dedicated to the personal development of young people from all backgrounds and walks of life, and helping them to become better citizens, The Duke of Edinburgh's Award relies solely on the generosity of individuals and organisations to give thousands of young people life-changing opportunities. This is your chance to challenge yourself whilst supporting a fantastic cause!

To get an idea of what a DofE Adventure Challenge is all about take a look at our challenge photo gallery

Please contact Nicola on 020 7227 9813 or nicola.oxley@DofE.org to register or find more information at www.dofe.org/supportus

Autism4Heroes

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Wed, 1 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Members of the ESPA College South Hill DofE group, Sunderland, have been involved in an exciting project for their Volunteering section. The group is made up of young people with autism who have been doing their DofE programmes through the college.

In December last year, members of the DofE group decided to collect items to send British service personnel around the world. At the same as this mini project was taking place another group of DofE participants were planning the annual college Christmas Carol Service. Traditionally the group perform a musical piece in front of friends, families and colleagues at Sunderland Minster. They were looking for inspiration for their performance and decided to continue the theme of the Armed Forces.

The idea quickly grew into writing an original song to raise awareness amongst their student group of the sacrifices and hardships endured by soldiers at Christmas. The performance was a great success and the group decided to expand the project to a wider audience and Autism4Heroes was born!

The song has since been rewritten for a year round appeal rather than just Christmas. They have now recorded the song at a professional studio, as used by McFly and Joe McElderry amongst others. The students experienced the rock n roll lifestyle for a couple of days as the tracks were recorded and learned about basic techniques involved in music production.

They have set up a Facebook group to publicise the project and keep people up to date with events. They hope to be able to sell copies of the song, called Help Our Heroes, to raise money for the official Help For Heroes charity, whilst using their activities to count towards their DofE programmes.

For more information, go to: www.facebook.com/groups/autism4heroes

ScotRail apprentice with the DofE scoops award

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A pioneering ScotRail initiative to develop young talent in partnership with The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award has scooped the Best Business Newcomer title at the Scottish Modern Apprenticeship Awards 2011.

The prestigious award follows ScotRail last year launching the UK rail industry’s first Modern Apprenticeship in Customer Service. During 18-month apprenticeships, the 11 Modern Apprentices are each trained, paid and given six-month placements in hands-on roles in ScotRail’s station, on-trains and hospitality departments while developing their skills, confidence and personal talents by doing their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award integrated into their training.

The apprentices, aged between 18 and 22, can gain recognition of their efforts by working towards a Scottish Vocational Qualification in Customer Service. The programme’s success has led to enquiries from other UK train operating companies interested in launching similar programmes.

The £250,000 initiative is designed to both boost business and provide opportunities for young people to enter the challenging jobs market. Humza Yousaf, SNP MSP for Glasgow, has praised ScotRail for using the Modern Apprenticeships scheme to ‘guide young people toward gainful employment.’ In a Scottish Parliament motion, Mr Yousaf said:

“The Parliament congratulates ScotRail on its modern apprenticeship scheme winning, what it considers to be, the prestigious, Best Business Newcomer title.”

ScotRail is a Partner with The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and has committed to recruiting Modern Apprentices for Customer Service on a regular basis, with an intake planned every 18 months in future. The 10th annual Scottish Modern Apprenticeship Awards 2011, run by Skills Development Scotland, were held at the Glasgow Science Centre.

Story courtesy of www.thecomfytrain.co.uk

200th DofE Award for Nuthall Boys’ Brigade

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A member of the 32nd Nottingham Boys’ Brigade Company achieved his Duke of Edinburgh's Award recently, making him the 200th DofE Award achiever in the Company, in it's 40th anniversary year.

Bradley Mullen, of the Nuthall based Company became the 200th achiever when he completed his Silver DofE Award. Bradley said, “Having completed my Silver Award I now want to start my Gold as I know how important it is for my own development and helping me with my job prospects”.

Also during the year Will Perrett achieved his Bronze Award, the Company’s 100th and David John achieved his Gold Award, the Company’s 40th. The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is a significant part in the Nuthall Boys’ Brigade programme and one of the Company’s key objectives is to give every young person the opportunity to do their DofE programme.

Boys’ Brigade leader, Dave Tantum, commented that doing their DofE helps develop the young person’s leadership, teamworking and communication skills. In addition it also presents opportunities to provide service to the community, learn and develop new skills, undertake physical activities and take part in an expedition. Achieving their DofE Award helps to put young people in a strong position when trying to secure a University place and competing for job opportunities.

Participants create woodland garden

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

For years the garden at the rear of St Mary’s Church in Arnold, Nottinghamshire was strewn with litter, bottles and needles.

Three young DofE participants, who attended St Mary’s youth club, decided that it was time to clear up the mess and to get the garden back to looking its best.

Twins Richard and Thomas Akers, 16, and Matt Lyons, 15, set about the task as part of their DofE programmes.

Richard and Thomas, who both attend Arnold Hill Academy, and Matt, a pupil at Colonel Frank Seely School, applied to Nottinghamshire County Council’s Local Improvement Scheme for funding. The application was supported by local councillor Ged Clarke and the boys were off and running.

Thomas said: "It was obvious for some time that something had to be done with the garden as it was a real eyesore.

"We wanted local people to have somewhere picturesque to go and sit and we were so determined to do a good job.”

The initial work involved litter picking, removal of dead trees, shrub and ivy clearance, picking up bottles and needles.

"Lots of volunteers turned up and the local cubs also helped out,” said Matt.

The next stage was drawing up plans and designing the new garden layout.

The funding was put towards benches and a picnic area. A special tree and bulb planting session was held which was attended by Coun Clarke and the county council’s deputy chairman Carol Pepper.

Con Clarke commented: "What a tremendous effort by the three boys. This really does show the very best side of today’s youth and the finished garden is a tremendous tribute to all their efforts.”

Vicar of St Mary’s Church Rev Ken Shill also congratulated the boys and said so many local groups, residents and parishioners had commented on the transformation.

"Everyone is over the moon with what the boys have achieved here,” Rev Shill said.

"It’s been lovely seeing the garden take shape and it should look a picture in the spring when all the bulbs come through.”

Story courtesy of www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk

Amey's Apprenticeship Academy and the DofE

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Construction firm Amey, which is headquartered at the Oxford Science Park, has celebrated the success of its Apprenticeship Academy and its partnership with The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) with a visit from HRH The Earl of Wessex.

Amey staged a workshop aimed at tackling youth unemployment which was attended by Prince Edward, business leaders from across the UK and 30 of its current apprentices.

Guests including Lord Digby Jones, as well as representatives from the Saïd Business School, Oxfordshire County Council and Nielsen discussed how to support young people’s career prospects and encourage greater participation in The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at a dedicated ‘round table’ event.

Amey currently employs 120 apprentices aged between 18 and 23, which represents 1 per cent of its workforce. Amey aims to double this figure to 2 per cent by the end of 2012. The company operates an Apprenticeship Academy, which offers young people the opportunity to study at local colleges and gain professional qualifications while carrying out paid work for two to three years. Amey is one of only seven companies in the UK to offer young people the chance to undertake their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award as part of its required training.

Amey has been a DofE Gold Partner since 2008, but has been involved with the Charity for over 10 years.

HRH The Earl of Wessex said: “The current environment is very challenging for young people, so it’s important they try to make themselves more attractive to employers. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is highly valued by business because they know it helps to develop more rounded individuals.”

Mel Ewell, Chief Executive of Amey, said: “With youth unemployment at record levels of over 1 million, as a responsible employer, Amey is doing everything it can to help young people get through what is a very challenging jobs market.

“Amey is proud to be working with The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award to help young people fulfil not only their professional potential but also their personal potential.”

Peter Westgarth, Chief Executive of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, said: “Our Charity has bold ambitions to double the number of young people from all walks of life benefitting from their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and this innovative partnership with Amey is a real step towards that goal. It is a tough time to be a young person in the UK with competition for jobs and training at an all-time high. We know that the DofE develops the skills young people need to get into work, and we are delighted that Amey has committed to helping young people improve their life chances across the UK through the DofE”.

In addition, Amey recruits up to 100 graduate trainees per year across two dedicated programmes - Leadership and Development. Amey’s Graduate Programme was listed in the JobCrowd’s 2011 Top Companies For Graduates To Work For index, in recognition of how well the company looks after and values its graduates, as well as offering flexibility in career development.

The company also supports its employees with its award-winning Talent Tracker Programme which identifies individuals with the skills to progress to more senior, critical roles within the organisation.

Amey has also won six national awards for its HR commitment including the overall award and the ‘Building HR Capability’ category at the Chartered Institute of Personal Development (CIPD) Awards.

Story courtesy of www.amey.co.uk

“The DofE is essential for Britian” Lord Digby Jones speaking at Amey in Oxford yesterday

Lord Digby Jones discusses the benefits of the DofE

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Speaking at Amey in Oxford yesterday, Lord Digby Jones discussed the benefits of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award.

"The DofE is essential for Britain at a time when it faces the challenges of an economy that will only deliver success if we grow the profits of business and its ability to employ people.

Growing an economy comes down to people being skilled and the ability to maximise talent, and if there is one thing the DofE does for young people it allows them to feel they can achieve.

Young people doing the DofE are surrounded by positivity; they feel good about themselves, they turn up to work on time and they are ahead of the game in the jobs market. Employers want to employ DofE Award holders because they are good for business and so the nation becomes more successful."

HRH urges business leaders to get behind the DofE on a Royal visit to Amey in Oxford

Deaf and blind participant achieves his Gold

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Mon, 9 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A participant who is deaf and blind was among 109 other young people in Devon who achieved their Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Awards recently.

We previously featured Roger Mulholland, 24, from Tiverton, in June when he successfully walked 24 miles of coastal path in Pembrokeshire, Wales, over two days for charity.

Roger was among 50 young people who were presented with their DofE Awards at a ceremony at County Hall in Exeter on Saturday.

His walk raised money for the charity Sense, which made him the Deafblind Person of the Year in 2011.

He also volunteers as a waiter at Cafe 55, Sense's cafe in Exeter, which is staffed by volunteers who are deaf and blind.

The Duke of Edinburgh's Awards are run in Devon by the county council, along with 70 schools, colleges and voluntary organisations.

Story and image courtesy ofwww.bbc.co.uk/news.

Celebration dinner

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Supporters of our Charity celebrated with HRH The Duke of Edinburgh on 15^th December at a special dinner at Buckingham Palace to mark His Royal Highness’s 90^th birthday.

The spectacular evening for 180 guests was arranged by two youth charities in recognition of the Duke’s patronage and support over more than half a century, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) and the Outward Bound Trust.

The celebration was connected to an appeal to raise funds enabling more young people to do their DofE at a time when so many are struggling to get into work.

The DofE supports more than 300,000 young people every year, 30,000 of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds. It is renowned by employers, colleges and universities alike for the leadership, confidence and commitment it helps to bring out in young people regardless of their background.

The guests were warmly welcomed to the Palace by Prince Philip, who talked about the progress he has seen in the work of both charities over the decades. Then His Royal Highness, accompanied by HRH The Duke of York and TRH The Earl and Countess of Wessex, and all the guests enjoyed a wonderful dinner together.

Emily Mailes, a young mother currently working towards her Gold, spoke to the gathering about her experience of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and how she felt it had transformed her future.

“If it weren’t for the DofE, I’d be sat in my flat living on benefits,” she told them. “It showed me that if I worked at something, I could achieve it. It gave me back my aspirations and the confidence to achieve them.”

Finally, the evening ended on a high note with an appearance by the world-famous singer and guitarist, Eric Clapton, who wowed the audience with an acoustic set after dinner.

Daughter of DofE Trustee reaches south pole

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 9 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The 16-year-old daughter of DofE Trustee and explorer David Hempleman-Adams has successfully skied to the south pole with her father.

Amelia Hempleman-Adams has become the youngest person to achieve the feat.

The Wiltshire pair began 97 miles from the pole, where Sir Ernest Shackleton abandoned his mission in 1909.

Both said they were "elated but tired" after enduring temperatures as low as minus 50C (-58F) and spending 17 nights camping in the Antarctic.

Miss Hempleman-Adams said: "This expedition has been an extraordinary experience. The biggest challenges were the freezing cold, dried food, and dad's snoring!

"The best bit has been experiencing what dad does on expeditions. It's the first time I've been on a trek with him and now I know what it's like. Would I do it again? I'll have to think about that after a few nights' sleep."

Amelia, who is studying for four A levels at Prior Park College in Bath, said she had taken homework with her but admitted she had not had time to do any.

Mr Hempleman-Adams said: "Amelia has done amazingly well. I'm very proud of her.

"This expedition was probably the most challenging for me. I'm very protective of Amelia who is my youngest daughter.

"It's one thing going off on an expedition on your own but another thing when you are looking after your own teenager daughter.

"Obviously, I wanted to make sure she returned to the UK with all her fingers and toes."

The pair, along with a small team, started their trip from The Farthest Point South, where Shackleton had to turn back on 9 January, 1909.

Miss Hempleman-Adams carried a photograph of Shackleton and a commemorative coin - gifts from his granddaughter Alexandra Shackleton - with her to the south pole. She had been keeping a blog of her progress in which she described the difficulties of navigating in snow storms.

It is not the first time one of Mr Hempleman-Adams's daughters has joined him on a polar mission. In 2005, Amelia's sister Alicia, then aged 15, became the youngest person to trek to the north pole.

Story and image courtesy of www.bbc.co.uk/news

Seasonal concert for the DofE at Windsor Castle

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Wed, 7 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Leading British Soprano, Claire Rutter, treated an audience to a taste of Tosca at Windsor Castle last night (6 December).

HRH The Earl and Countess of Wessex attended the charity event in aid of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) and The London Mozart Players (LMP).

Ms Rutter took time out from her leading role in the Italian opera with the ENO to sing a powerful rendition of Puccini’s aria, Vissi D’arte.

Set in the castle’s beautiful Waterloo Chamber, the LMP performed a festive programme including excerpts by Holst, Vaughan Williams and Hely-Hutchinson. Baritone Simon Thorpe performed Figaro’s first aria from Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, and later joined Claire for a duet from Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

Jordan Black, a young clarinettist currently studying at the Royal Academy of Music, performed three Bagatelles for Clarinet and Orchestra by Gerald Finzi.

Following the concert, the audience dined in the famous St George’s Hall, one of the most historic rooms in the castle, which was rebuilt after being damaged by fire in 1992.

DofE participant Raphael Oyelade from Brixton made a speech to the guests during supper. He explained that he had contracted polio as a child and used crutches to walk since he was 11. He did his DofE through the Army Cadet Force and still remembers his Bronze expedition. It was the first time he had been out in the English countryside, the first time he’d slept in a tent, and the first time he had seen the stars properly. The DofE gave him the confidence and skills to aim higher.

Raphael left the ACF with the rank of Company Sergeant Major and is now reading astrophysics and cosmology at Lancaster University. “I’ve always needed to show that I could do the same things as my friends. The DofE showed me aspiration was a possibility."

Speaking after the event, Peter Westgarth, Chief Executive of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, said:“I was proud to be part of this wonderful event. It was a stunning way to begin the Christmas season. At a time when the DofE has never been more relevant it is good to see so much good will towards our Charity. We want to double the number of young people doing their DofE, and support at events of this kind is essential to helping us achieving that ambition.”

Images courtesy of fergusburnett.com.

Participants helping community

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Tue, 6 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A group of young people are hoping to give local children in Croydon a fun start in life by setting up a toy library for them.

The 20 Year 10 students from Quest Academy, Croydon are working on the project in the neighbouring Woodlands Children's Centre as part of their DofE programmes.

It is hoped the library will benefit families living in small accommodation in the local area by lending toys and equipment free of charge.

Liz Hodgman, the manager of Woodlands Children's Centre, said "With all the bad press Croydon young people have been getting over the summer riots it is great to be able to work with a group of young men who are all voluntarily making a commitment to support the younger and more vulnerable members of their community.

"The boys are extremely positive about their voluntary work and they have really impressed me with their enthusiasm."

Anyone who wants to donate toys or equipment can call the centre, which is based at Gilbert Scott Primary School in Farnborough Avenue, Croydon.

Story courtesy of www.thisiscroydontoday.co.uk

Royal support for the DofE

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 2 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

HRH The Countess of Wessex pledged her full support for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) at a charity event this week at Bonham’s Auction House, London. The Countess of Wessex told an audience of senior and influential women in business that the leading youth charity had never been more relevant than now.

“The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is for all young people, regardless of their background or circumstances”, Her Royal Highness said. “We hear about the number of young people out of work, education or training on a daily basis and I believe the DofE has never been more relevant. We know that employers look for the DofE on young people’s CVs, it could help them get that essential first job.”

The DofE’s Women in Business group is made up of senior figures from a wide range of industries and sectors in support of the Charity. Many of those attending the event had first-hand experience of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award through their own children’s participation. The event was sponsored by investment management company, Williams de Broe. It took place at Bonham’s Auction House and included a preview of a Bonham’s jewellery auction held on 30 November.

DofE Leader Louisa Guthrie told the gathering how she got involved with the DofE while growing up on a council estate in west London. She explained that the DofE had made such a huge impact on her that she decided to become a youth worker, giving more young people the chance to do it. Louisa is currently leading the UK’s first group of young mums through their Gold DofE Award.

Louisa said, “Five years ago, I had a vision. I wanted to give teenage mums the chance to do their DofE. It was going to be a challenge, but it would give them the chance to get back on their feet, gain skills and eventually get into work. We started with the Bronze, taking their babies on expedition. Now they are doing their Gold, the babies are children, and the mums are all working, in education or training.”

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is for all young people (14-24) and more than 280,000 participants do their DofE every year. It is highly valued by employers, and participants and leaders alike believe the DofE develops the skills, confidence and commitment needed to get into work.

Hosting the event, Jacqui Larcombe, Director of Fundraising at The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, said, “It’s a tough time to be a young person right now and we want to double the number doing their DofE in the next five years. The DofE can transform lives, and we have the greatest impact on those that start with the least, which is why we want to treble the number of disadvantaged young people doing their DofE. We are delighted that HRH The Countess of Wessex continues to give her full support to our Charity.”

Inspirational Kate gets Gold!

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Kate, a remarkable young women, has shown incredible stregnth and determination achieving her Gold Award despite facing constant battles with her health. She was born with three kidneys, a hole in the heart, a swollen brain and battles daily bouts of sickness but still managed to complete her Gold DofE programme.

Kate McDevitt, 25, from West Kensington, carried out a variety of activities during her programme including sailing, swimming for charity, hiking through the Lake District, helping in a nursery and doing work experience on the London Underground.

Her feat was even more impressive as she also suffers from hydrocephalus, a condition that swells the brain causing problems with vision and other motor skills.

Former Cambridge School pupil Kate said her DofE programme had made her realise anything is possible. "I can't believe I managed to get through it all," she said. "It seemed like a mountain to climb but I did it."

On her health problems Kate said: "It has been depressing. I haven't been able to get a job and I've been in and out of hospital all my life but my DofE programme has showed me I can achieve anything."

She participated thanks to her membership of Hammersmith and Fulham Action on Disability (HAFAD), which runs the 1st Chance Project for 16-25-year-olds, and was one of only two participants to complete their DofE programmes.

On meeting the Duke at her Gold Award Presentation Kate said: "He was fantastic and really listened to all our stories. He was an inspiration and is amazingly fit and well for his age."

Esme Young, training and progression worker at HAFAD, said: "She persevered through 12 months of volunteers work, staying away from home for nights on end."

"We have to be imaginative and flexible with the DofE requirements, making sure the principle aims and needs are achieved but adaptations made to suit our members. It requires more money but it has been a great learning curve."

Story and image courtesy of www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk

Young mums raise £10k for Gold expedition

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Six young mums from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea have raised £10,000 towards their Gold Duke of Edinburgh's expedition.

The group have already completed their Bronze and Silver Awards together with their children, and are hoping to raise £15,000 to fund a cycle ride around Holland in April.

Harmony Vasadidi, Hayley Anglim, Laura Pham, Emily Mails, Daniela Oliveira-Miguel and Rennice Henry, plan to take their children in trailers, becoming the first young mothers in Europe to take their children on a Gold expedition, and as youth workers in the Royal Borough, have the full support of Kensington and Chelsea Council in doing so.

Their fundraising efforts so far include a fun day at Wornington Green Adventure Centre, a tabletop sale at Lancaster Youth Club, and walking around Portobello Market in their pyjamas.

Councillor Baroness Ritchie, head of family and children's services, said: "I wish these young mothers the very best in their efforts to raise funds for their expedition.

"The DofE has inspired generations of young people to learn new skills and help in their community. I hope their efforts can motivate other young people to improve their lives by doing something so rewarding."

Over the October half-term, the mums practised for the Holland trip by cycling with their children in the South Downs, covering 100km in five days, camping along the way.

And for the past year, they have been volunteering in the community and getting in shape ready for the trip.

They are planning to learn from groups in Holland and start their own community group to help young parents and provide education about teen pregnancy.

To follow their progress, visit www.changetogether.co.uk.

Story and image courtesy of www.kensington.londoninformer.co.uk

DofE participants win award for skatepark film

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A film about a group of skateboarders from Moray in Scotland has scooped the top prize in a national competition.

The three minute production by the Buckie-based group was selected as being the best from entries in a British Film Institute competition launched to celebrate the 75th birthday of legendary filmmaker Ken Loach.

Entries were received from hundreds of young filmmakers from throughout the UK with the Buckie film chosen as the winning entry at a ceremony in London’s South Bank last week.

Working alongside film producer Tom Duncan earlier this year, over a dozen young skaters were involved in making ‘Joose’, the title coming from the common greeting between skateboarders in Buckie.

The project was developed by Moray Council's Community Learning and Development worker in Buckie, Fiona Herd, with support from Moray Drug and Alcohol Partnership.

Featuring three local young people who talk openly and honestly about their lives and aspirations, the film was shot and edited over a three-month period by all those involved.

One of the boys featured, Gary Welford, also directed the film. He explained how skateboarding had helped change his outlook, adding that the skatepark had helped turn his life around.

Gary said: “One big mistake was I messed up at school, I left in second year and then I was really stuck for a while trying to find a job or get some form of education.

“I go to the skatepark and see my friends, and that gave me a reason to stop being lazy, to get up rather than lay in my bed all day.”

“I started becoming involved with the DofE and that is going to help a lot.

"I also got into college and had my first induction day at the end of June, so that is one of the biggest achievements I’ve made in the last six months.”

During the summer the group worked with graffiti artist Marc Delaye to create a large scale piece of artwork for the skatepark, and in the October holidays they organised and ran a competition supported by Moray Council's Youth Work Team.

The boys are hoping to lead workshops with younger skaters and BMX bikers, passing on their skills and expertise.

All the young people are DofE participants and their efforts will count towards thie programmes.

The project aims to empower young people by using their skills and interests to inspire not only themselves but other people in their community.

The film can be seen online where there are also interviews with some of the young people involved.

Story courtesy of www.local.stv.tv

Young Mother's Unit 'Big Lunch' for charity

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A group of eight young DofE participants who attend the Young Mother’s Unit (YMU) in the North East took part in the RSPCA’s 'Big Lunch' Campaign last week.

The young people invited guests to dine with them at the YMU on Friday 4 November. Guests were encouraged to leave a donation for the RSPCA in return for receiving a tasty 2 course meal cooked by the young people themselves.

There was also an opportunity to take part in an animal themed quiz and to buy homemade cakes, all of which were very popular.

There were 35 people in attendance at the event including Alan Campbell MP and Councillor Brian Burdis, both of whom expressed a strong interest in the girl’s work around animal welfare. The group raised a total of £98.72 which has been presented to the RSPCA.

The event ran very smoothly due to the hard work and commitment demonstrated by the young people who organised it. Comments from young people included:

“We felt confident on the day because everything was well planned and people were friendly to us”

“We raised more money than we thought we would for the RSPCA, we sold all of the shortbread!”

The young women are working on a six month Animal Welfare programme as part of their Silver DofE programmes. They are working on a series of projects all with the aim of raising awareness about welfare issues and raising funds to support animal charities.

The young people are being supported through their DofE programmes by North Tyneside Youth and Connexions Service and the Young Mother’s Unit.

Kris Koth, Youth Worker leading on the Animal Welfare programme said, “We are so proud of the way the young people organised the event and interacted with those who attended. They are a fantastic group of young women to work with and we are all looking forward to the next challenge”.

Presentation of Gold Awards

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Tue, 1 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Last Wednesday saw another amazing Gold Award Presentation take place at St. James’s Palace in London. Over 700 young people travelled to the palace for the morning and afternoon ceremonies, accompanied by their guests.

The ceremony was attended by HRH The Earl of Wessex who presented the young people with their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award certificates. The Earl of Wessex is a Trustee of the DofE Charity and is himself a Gold Award holder.

A selection of special guests also attended helping the young people to celebrate their achievements. Famous faces included actor, writer and theatre director Simon Callow, television presenter Kirsten O’Brien and BBC weather presenter Carol Kirkwood.

There was also a separate presentation to The Navy Training Corps who received their DofE Operating Authority License which allows them to run the DofE nationally.

It was the second of four Gold Award Presentations taking place this Autumn with the final two coming up later this month.

Participants give fly-tip eyesore a facelift

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A fly-tipping eyesore has been transformed by young people on a community justice scheme.

The area of Morfa Drive in Conwy, Wales, had become a dumping ground for rubbish after getting overgrown with weeds. This had seen kitchen units, a sink, baths and even a cooker tipped on the site.

But 15 young people on community orders who are currently doing their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award with Community Justice Interventions Wales (CJIW) have helped to turn the area around.

They worked with Tidy Towns and Conwy Council’s Environmental and technical department to clear seven tonnes of waste from the land. The group then cut back bushes and weeds to open up the area and created an access path for the disabled.

The sessions have been organised by Dave Brown, a Development Officer with CJIW. Dave said: “The Youth Offending Service does an excellent job and it’s good for people within the area to see that the young people are out there putting back into the community.

“Projects like these give the opportunity to help build better relations between young people and the community.

“The young people have been working really hard and it is nice for themselves to look back and see that something positive has been achieved by their work.”

They have also completed Open College Network (OCN’s) qualification in Health & Safety, Manual handling and recycling while being involved on the project and undertaking their DofE programmes.

Story courtesy of the Daily Post (Wales).

Commonwealth Day Observance 2012

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The International Award has teamed up with The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) to help promote their fantastic opportunity to celebrate The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee at the Commonwealth Day Observance with their Jubilee Time Capsule project.

The RCS is offering schools and individuals the opportunity to attend this prestigious event. To register your interest and apply to attend the Observance, your school will have to participate in the Commonwealth Jubilee Time Capsule; an innovative multimedia project collecting memories from the last 60 years, where students with the most exciting entries will win tickets to the service.

Commonwealth Day has been celebrated around the Commonwealth every year since the 1970s. In London, celebrations are focused around The Commonwealth Day Act of Observance, a multi-faith service at Westminster Abbey. It takes place in the presence of HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, the Prime Minister, specially invited guests and approximately 1,000 schoolchildren.

The 2012 Observance is especially important as next year marks The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee – both 60 years since her ascension to the throne and 60 years as Head of the Commonwealth.

Register your interest for tickets by visiting www.rcsregister.org and submitting the relevant details by 23 December 2011. After you’ve done this go to the Commonwealth Jubilee Time Capsule website and register your school under the Groups / Schools section at www.jubileetimecapsule.org/info/groups.

For more information and application details visit www.thercs.org/society/commonwealth. The team at the RCS will be happy to answer any queries that you might have; please call Mary Greer on 020 7766 9206 or email jubilee@thercs.org.

87 Bronze Awards in Glasgow

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The achievements of 87 Glasgow school pupils have been celebrated at a ceremony where they were presented with their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh's Awards.

The young people aged 16 to 18 all achieved their Bronze Awards with support from ScottishPower. The energy company encourages young people from all walks of life to participate in their DofE programmes to develop their life skills and improve their employment opportunities.

The event, which was held at the City Chambers, also celebrated the achievements of 24 volunteers who made it possible for the pupils to take part in their DofE Awards.

ScottishPower is dedicated to helping the next generation develop the necessary skills to succeed in the future.

Ann Loughrey, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at ScottishPower, said: “ScottishPower is committed to investing in young people with the aim of having a lasting impact on their behaviour, skills and life chances.

“It is fantastic to see so many young people benefiting from our support of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards. Many of these pupils are not in mainstream education so it is a great achievement for them to successfully complete their Bronze Awards and we hope it is an experience they will be able to draw on for a long time to come.”

Councillor Sadie Docherty, Children and Families PDC chair, said: "I'm delighted to meet this group of young people, present them with their Awards and congratulate them on their achievements.

"They are an inspiration to us all and they should be very proud of the new skills and friendships they have developed over the last year. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank ScottishPower for their support and commitment to this project.

"My hope is that this successful partnership will continue and we will see more and more young people in our schools embracing The Duke of Edinburgh initiative over the next few years."

Barry Fisher, Director of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Scotland, said: “I am delighted to see The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award having a real impact in Glasgow and I congratulate these young people on their success.

"With competition for jobs and further education so high, the DofE is providing a real alternative for young people, and participation in Scotland has gone up by 20% in a year with more than 25,000 young people now doing their DofE programmes.

"Our unique partnership with ScottishPower is making a big difference, with 10 new centres delivering the DofE in Glasgow. Young people who wouldn’t have had the chance before are not only starting but completing their Awards, and we know that the DofE helps to develop the skills young people need to get into work.”

DAKS Simpson becomes a DofE Partner

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

DAKS Simpson, the classic British fashion retailer, has pledged its support for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and become a DofE Silver Partner with a generous donation of £20,000 and lifetime donations totalling more than £200,000.

DAKS Simpson’s deputy chairman and long-time supporter of the DofE, Paul Dimond, is keen to get behind the Charity, and give more young people the chance to develop the skills and opportunities they need to get into work and lead a successful adult life.

It’s a tough time to be a young person in the UK right now with high youth unemployment and the rising cost of education. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award equips young people with the essential skills they need for work, in society and the rest of their lives. The Charity wants to double the number of young people from all backgrounds doing their DofE in the next five years, and DAKS Simpson’s support will help in making this bold ambition a reality.

DAKS Simpson, known for its traditional British tailoring, was founded in Whitechapel in 1894. The family business expanded in east London and by 1932 it had become the largest manufacturer of quality menswear in Britain, selling throughout the world. DAKS are proud holders of three Royal Warrants, including the Charity’s Patron, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.

Peter Westgarth, Chief Executive of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, says,

“We are trying to reach out and help as many young people as possible. We want to double the number of young people from all backgrounds doing their DofE, and we will only meet that target with the support of companies and individuals. We’d like to thank DAKS Simpson for their generous donation, and look forward to working with them as a Silver Partner of the DofE.”

Paul Dimond, Deputy Chairman of DAKS Simpson, says,

“Young people need all the help they can get at the moment. Here at DAKS we want to get behind The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award because we believe it is something all young people should have the opportunity to get involved in, whatever their background. We share a vision with the DofE based on quality, reliability and innovation. We believe that by achieving their DofE Award, young people have a better chance of staying in employment, which is good for UK Plc.”

Tackling youth unemployment

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Amey, Birmingham City Council and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award have launched a three-way partnership to improve prospects for young people living across Birmingham, starting with one of the most deprived wards in the UK.

The three organisations have joined forces to employ a dedicated DofE development worker, who will encourage disadvantaged young people from across the city to start their DofE.

The first area being targeted is Ladywood, which is reported as having the highest rate of unemployment in the UK, as 10.8 per cent of the working population do not have a job. By offering a chance to complete their DofE, the organisations hope to improve young people’s self esteem and career prospects.

The agreement forms an extension of the £2.7 billion Birmingham Highways Maintenance and Management Service; a partnership between Amey and Birmingham City Council. In addition, Amey is a DofE Gold Partner, which recognises a genuine commitment to supporting and promoting the Charity.

Mel Ewell, Chief Executive of Amey, said: “Amey is delighted to be working with The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and Birmingham City Council to help young people in the West Midlands break the cycle of unemployment and fulfil their potential – personally and professionally.

“As a major employer in the region, we believe Amey has a responsibility to continually ‘give back’ to local people and help regenerate the communities we work in.”

Peter Westgarth, Chief Executive of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award said: “Our Charity has bold ambitions to double the number of young people from all walks of life doing their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and this innovative partnership with Amey is a real step towards that goal.

“It is a tough time to be a young person in the UK with competition for jobs and training at an all-time high. We know that the DofE develops the skills young people need to get into work, and we are delighted that Amey has committed to helping young people improve their life chances in Birmingham through the DofE.”

The initiative was officially launched at the E R Mason Youth Centre in Birmingham, when several of the young people who will be taking part joined representatives from the three organisations involved, as well as the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Anita Ward.

Funding for the initiative was provided by Amey and Birmingham City Council. The new development worker will work with the City Council’s Youth Service team to target young people who are disadvantaged – through economic circumstances or personal reasons.

DurhamGate launches £50,000 DofE initiative

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

DurhamGate, County Durham’s leading regeneration development, is launching a new £50,000 DofE initiative to support young people doing their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award across the county.

The DurhamGate developers, along with Durham County Council, Sedgefield Borough Homes, Bishop Auckland College and partner businesses and organisations, have committed funds and resources to lead this new initiative, which will support a minimum of 50 young people in the first year.

The initiative has also been backed by County Durham MPs Roberta Blackman-Woods, Helen Goodman and Phil Wilson.

DurhamGate, a partnership between Carillion Developments, part of Carillion plc, and regional property business, Arlington Real Estate, is working closely with the Charity, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, to have a positive effect on the lives of young people in the local area and improve their skills, self-confidence and career prospects.

As the leading youth achievement award in the country, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award aims to double the number of young people from all backgrounds doing their DofE, with a particular focus on those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Employers are looking for DofE Award holders when they recruit, and independent research shows that the DofE develops the skills young people need for work, including leadership, team-working, problem-solving and communication skills.

Administered by Bishop Auckland College, DurhamGate will recruit young people from across the county, particularly South West Durham where there is currently no DofE provision. A number of the first group will be identified by Sedgefield Borough Homes from among its communities.

Alongside the programmes founders, a group of businesses, known as ‘Friends of DurhamGate’, will support the programme through funding and will provide valuable work experience placements for DofE participants.

The first ‘Friends of DurhamGate’ to join the initiative are NG Bailey, Thorn Lighting and Spennymoor Area Action Partnership. DurhamGate is encouraging other County Durham businesses to get behind the initiative, which is designed to help young people fulfil their potential and increase their employability skills.

Participants on the initiative will work towards their Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards by taking part in a number of community and employment-related activities. The group will also embark on the renowned Expedition section of their DofE programmes.

Neil McMillan, Director of Carillion Developments, said: “DurhamGate is passionate about creating worthwhile opportunities for young people, which improves their lives and can help set them on the path to a career that is beneficial to them and helps to support more sustainable communities. The life skills earned by doing their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programmes should not be underestimated. I am sure this initiative will ignite new ambitions in the participants and have a profound effect on their futures.”

Neil added: “The support from Durham County Council, Bishop Auckland College, Sedgefield Borough Homes and the ‘Friends of DurhamGate’ has been invaluable in making this programme a reality. With the involvement of more business from the area we can make a difference to a lot more young people across County Durham.”

Nicola Meredith, Director – The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, North East Region said: “The launch of this programme is fantastic news for young people in County Durham. Participation in The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award boosts young people’s motivation, self-belief and confidence as well as giving them the appetite to try something new. It also improves their resilience and perseverance and has a positive effect on how they interact with others. All this has a direct impact on their future prospects in education, training and employment.”

DurhamGate are now inviting young people to register their interests in participating in the DurhamGate Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. They should send a brief paragraph on why they would like to be involved to either durhamgatedofe@bacoll.ac.uk or DurhamGatedofe, c/o Bishop Auckland College, Woodhouse Lane, Bishop Auckland, Co. Durham. DL14 6JZ. Closing date is 11^th November 2011.

DofE licence presentation

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

On Tuesday HRH The Duke of Edinburgh presented London based housing
association One Housing Group with their DofE Operating Authority licence
in a ceremony at St James's Palace. One Housing Group, a leading provider of services to young people, is one of only two housing associations to be licensed to deliver the DofE to young people in London.

The DofE is recognised nationally as the most valuable non-formal programme for
young people with the highest impact on mobility and employability and it has the
greatest impact on those that come from disadvantaged backgrounds. With one in six young people not in work, education or training, the Charity has never been more
relevant, and employers are actively looking for DofE Award holders at interviews.

Kevin Beirne, Group Director of Housing, Care and Support at One Housing Group
said, “We are delighted to be awarded the DofE Operating Authority licence. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award offers something to young people of all backgrounds. Some of our young people have come from very challenging backgrounds, and the DofE gives them something they can excel at.”

Peter Fleet, London Director for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award added, “We are
trying to reach out and help as many young people as possible and we want to
double the number of young people from all backgrounds doing their DofE. By
working with delivery partners like One Housing Group we are giving young people who may be outside of the education system the chance to do their DofE and transform their future. We're delighted to see One Housing Group welcomed by our Patron, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh."

The DofE operates in 33 local authorities in London. 20 of these boroughs
rank amongst the 50 most deprived local authorities in England on at least one
measure of the Multiple Deprivation.

Be on TV!

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Maverick TV, makers of ITV1’s Billy Connolly’s Route 66 and Channel 4’s Embarrassing Bodies, are developing a new show for BBC3 looking at the everyday lives of some of Britain’s brightest young people.

They are looking to film high achieving, hard working young people for a non-broadcast taster tape over the next few weeks in central London.

So if you fit the above description and want to be part of this exciting opportunity email m.winter@mavericktv.co.uk straight away with your name, age and contact number.

Good luck!

Participants are park rangers

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

DofE participants and other volunteers were faced with challenging weather conditions on their first day volunteering as Park Rangers in the Lake District.

The rain was slanting in diagonally and low clouds were obscuring Windermere below as the tasks were being lined up for the young people, designed to give them a sense of what being a National Park Ranger entails.

Anyone between the ages of 14 and 19 now has the opportunity to become one of the new Lake District Young Rangers, helping with a variety of construction and environmental tasks in the national park.

This could be anything from volunteering on the Osprey Project, communicating the work of the rangers or helping to preserve the distinctive landscape over the park's 885 square miles.

In promoting the Young Ranger service national park learning co-ordinator Anne Blackburn said she was looking for young people with bags of enthusiasm and the latest group had that in spades.

Edward Pike, 16, of Kirkby Lonsdale, said: “I’m hoping to have fun and learn how stuff gets done. I would quite like to do the Fix the Fells. It’s something I’m interested in. If we don’t look after it (the national park), even in 10 years it won’t be nice and this is an opportunity for this generation to give something back.”

The Young Ranger service has been established to teach young people about the national park and to encourage them to put something back through practical tasks to improve the landscape.

Young people from all over Cumbria are involved in the project, with the aim of meeting up once a month over the next year.

Volunteer Young Ranger leader, Ruth Kirk, added: “It’s giving them a whole new skill set and developing existing skills and giving them confidence and practical skills to put on their CV – and they’re pioneers because it’s not been done here before.”

James Firth, 14, from Braithwaite is the son of a vet and hopes there will be an opportunity to work with animals. A common interest among the group is a love for the outdoors.

Some of the young people, including 16-year-old George Coldham, from Wigton, are working towards their DofE Awards.

George, who attended the event with his 14-year-old sister Katie said: “I spend a lot of time in the Lake District and I’m curious about the whole thing.”

Beth Dutson, 16, from Shap, added: “I’ve always been interested in the fells and enjoy fell running and walking so I thought it would be nice to spend more time doing practical things outside.”

The young people involved also got the chance to try orienteering, pond restoration and as the scheme progresses they will have the opportunity to be part of archeological digs at Ambleside.

Story and image courtesy of www.nwemail.co.uk

Gold achievers with RNIB NI

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 7 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Four young blind and partially sighted DofE participants from Northern Ireland have achieved their Gold Awards.

In August they completed their final expedition to achieve success. They spent four days on a cycling expedition in the Netherlands, covering up to 75 kilometres each day.

The group were supported on their programmes by RNIB Northern Ireland and the Belfast activity centre.

Story and image courtesy of www.rnib.org.uk and Vision magazine.

Royal visit for Kent school

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Thu, 6 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The Earl and Countess of Wessex visited Chaucer Technology School in Canterbury on Tuesday to help celebrate students’ efforts and achievements with their DofE programmes.

They were greeted at the school by the Lord Lieutenant of Kent Viscount De L’Isle MBE and headteacher Simon Murphy. Prince Edward and his wife spent nearly an hour chatting to the students and staff.

They included members of a group of 18 pupils who went to work in Kenya last summer as part of a Camps International project.

They spent a month working with local African communities to build a new school classroom and several houses, and digging a half mile trench to bring fresh water into a village.

The Royal couple also spoke to representatives from the county council’s youth services and expedition leaders from MENCAP who also have a team of young people doing their DofE Awards.

Headteacher Simon Murphy said: “I believe it was the school’s first Royal visit but I hope it won’t be the last. The Earl and Countess really put the students at ease.”

Story and image courtesy of www.kentonline.co.uk

Participants raise £1,000 in climb

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Mon, 3 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

DofE participants from Richmond have raised more than £1,000 for charity after hiking up Snowdon last week.

Laura Morris, Laura Toolan, Sam Seagers, Gokulan Vamatheva, Jack Butler, Jasmine Bardzinski, William Henderson and Lucy Rogers, from five schools across the borough hiked up the 1,085m summit to raise money for Shelterbox.

They climbed the highest mountain in Wales and England for the charity, which aims to provide humanitarian aid to 500,000 people across the world every year.

Education, youth and children’s services cabinet member at Richmond Council, Councillor Christine Percival, said: “I would like to offer my congratulations to these dedicated young people. The weather on Snowdon earlier this week wasn’t great and they battled on through low clouds, winds up to 50mph and heavy showers throughout the day.

"Their perseverance and dedication has paid off however and they managed to raise over £1,000 for a very worthwhile charity."

The young people were raising money as part of the Volunteering section of their Bronze DofE programmes. It was their third attempt at the climb after it was called of twice earlier this year due to the poor weather conditions.

Story courtesy of www.richmondandtwickenhamtimes.co.uk/news

Cleaning up the riverbanks

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Following an organised river bank clean up earlier this year in Banchory, Scotland, it was decided to do a subsequent clear up last Sunday involving some local DofE participants.

River Dee Fisheries Development Officer, Ken Reid said: “I was really thrilled to see eight young men from Banchory put themselves forward to participate with the clear-up.”

Community learning worker Carol Douglas said: “All eight of the young men are members of the Banchory Skate Park Development Group, co-ordinated by me, and their ultimate aim is to have a new skate park built in the village.

“In the meantime, they are taking up any opportunity to get more involved in volunteering work that enables them to contribute to their community. Their efforts can contribute to their completion of an MV Award Certificate and the Volunteering section of their DofE programmes.”

Ken Reid said: “I have to admit to being quite shocked at seeing the amount of broken glass on the riverbank, where people have been discarding their empty beer bottles. The amount encountered was really hazardous to anglers, walkers, pets and, of course, our native wildlife."

The DofE volunteers from the skate park worked diligently and carefully, removing dangerous debris from the river bank and were thanked for giving so generously of their time.

“I do hope the local people get behind this group of fine upstanding young men and help them get a skate park in the village,” said Mr Reid. “PC Whyte is to be applauded for his initiatives in trying to engage constructively with the local youths from Banchory. The team in the river office have a close working relationship with the local police force, and officers like Mike Whyte deserve recognition, respect and all our thanks for working diligently in trying to deliver a nicer, safer community for us all to enjoy.”

Story courtesy of www.donsidepiper.co.uk

The DofE Challenge 2011

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Hand Picked Hotels have been crowned The DofE Challenge Champions 2011, after winning the Yorkshire Dales Challenge event (10-11 September) for the second year running.

The unassailable team of six, led by Mark Clayton, manager of Crathorne Hall Hotel in Yarm, North Yorkshire, beat off more than 100 competitors to take the title, after trekking 30 miles in glorious sunshine and horizontal rain through Ribblesdale, near Settle. Participants also had to chart the River Ribble in a raft they had made and spend a night under canvas in the stunning Gordale Scar campsite near Malham, to raise money for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

In a field of 20, the top five teams fought hard for their placings. Vinci Sphere came in second, just ahead of Captain Eastwood’s British Gas Challenge team, who were third. The Stopgap Stompers came in a close fourth.

Teams tried their hand at archery and had to abseil up rock faces on day one of he challenge. The highlight of the weekend came on Sunday, when the teams scaled the extraordinary Gordale Scar Waterfall; a terrifying achievement for all that took part.

The event has raised more than £30,000 for the DofE. Hand Picked Hotels swept the awards, winning the prize for the best raft, and the best dressed, with all team-members wearing bow-ties for the occasion.

British Gas’s Dartford Dodgers took the award for being the wettest team when their raft disintegrated and they ended up in the River Ribble. XLN Telecom’s Bondway Phat Boys were declared the most in need of navigation practise; they got lost on the first day, walking for two hours in the wrong direction. The Vauxhall Harriers from XLN won the Bruce Parry Award for foraging for food, and sources suggest that one of the teams stopped off for a Yorkshire cream tea before heading to the finish line.

The Challenge is not designed for elite athletes but for those with a reasonable level of fitness and the determination to succeed. It offers numerous benefits to business, including personal development and team-building, as well as giving a taster of what DofE participants endure. Peak Pursuits ran the Challenge with the help of 27 volunteers, all of whom made the event possible by manning checkpoints and supporting participants through the activities.

All final positions in the Challenge will appear on the website once they have been calculated. Please make sure all donations and sponsorship are received by the end of October.

Congratulations to all who took part!

DofE CEO response to recent proposals

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

DofE Chief Executive Peter Westgarth responds to proposals by David Blunkett MP on youth volunteering - www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2031938/UK-riots-Why-Britain-needs-new-kind-National-Service.html

I was delighted to read David Blunkett’s proposal for a volunteering programme for young people (Why Britain needs a new kind of National Service, Daily Mail 31 August 2011). The DofE has provided a structure to encourage, facilitate and recognise volunteering by young people for over 50 years and has proven itself to be resilient to political change, financial constraints and fashion.

Over 275,000 young people are involved in the DofE as I write. In the last year 208,466 new young people started their DofE Award journey (a year-on-year increase of 13%). The demand by young people for the DofE experience is growing and is greater than we have the resources to support. Thousands are turned away by their local authority youth service, school or youth group each year through lack of resources to support more. Heart-breaking and frustrating to me!

Volunteering is a key component of the DofE. We calculate the value of young people’s time, dedicated to supporting their local communities, at £21 million a year.

The DofE works with and through the most comprehensive network of youth and community organisations in the UK. Our experience of working with the complete range of ability and background (prisons to private schools, army cadets to Foyers) confirms to us that David Blunkett is correct in his view that young people will respond positively to opportunity presented to them by enthusiastic, motivated and skilled adults.

Volunteering is also at the heart of the DofE network. Some 45,000 adult volunteers give over 2 million hours of their time each year to support young people in their efforts. A very conservative calculation of the social value of their efforts is £15.25 million.

Whilst our focus is on delivery to young people and support for our network of youth organisations rather than our own profile, I am keen that the DofE’s impact is not overlooked.

I am also keen to see that Government is not encouraged to “reinvent the wheel” as has been done in the past. There are excellent organisations and programmes of activity in existence (most of them linked through the DofE network) that can do more if given the encouragement and resources.

Society’s recognition of the efforts of young people is also important. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award has built a reputation as a badge of high achievement by a young person. It is that recognition that gives the DofE real currency and credibility for the young person leaving prison or their local school. It is trusted and valued by employers, higher education establishments and parents. We believe this should be embraced by politicians too and built upon as tried and tested, moving with the times, and continuing to extend access, inclusion and involvement.

We wish David Blunkett every success in furthering his proposal.

Peter Westgarth

Chief Executive, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

DofE South Dales Challenge!

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Wed, 7 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

From Edinburgh to Cardiff, Manchester to Suffolk, more than 100 challengers from across the UK will converge on the Yorkshire Dales this weekend (10-11 September) to compete for the charity title of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Challenge champions 2011.

Teams will trek 30 miles, chart the river Ribble and spend a night under canvas to raise money for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Charity. Participants will be expected to build a raft, try their hand at archery and even climb a waterfall.

British Gas and XLN Telecoms have both entered five teams for the event, alongside entries from Amey, Vinci, Stopgap and DFS. Reigning champions from 2010, Handpicked Hotels, are returning to try and preserve their record. Hotel General Manager, Mark Clayton, says he can’t wait:

“We’re proud and excited to be coming back to defend our title this year. It’s a great cause and we’re all geared up for a very challenging couple of days. We’ve been swapping team tactics and we’ve got a secret weapon; our hotel chef has packed individual portions of fine gourmet food! It will help keep our spirits and energy high, we even have marinated lamb in a red wine jus - how's that for campfire cooking!”

The event is expected to raise more than £30,000 for the charity. Peter Westgarth, Chief Executive of the DofE, says he’s delighted by the show of support this year:

“We are trying to reach out and help as many young people as possible. It’s a tough time to be a young person in the UK right now, and that’s where the DofE comes in. We want to double the number of young people from all backgrounds doing their DofE, and we will only reach that target with the generous support of companies and individuals. It’s great to see so many turning out for this event – I wish them all the very best for the weekend, and may the best team win!”

IT classes run by participants

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Tue, 6 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Three community spirited DofE participants from Watford Grammar School, Hertfordshire, have spent much of their summer break teaching life-changing IT skills to the elderly.

Seb Walker, Anojan Ratnarajah and Conor Foster, all aged 15, held a series of term-time IT workshops at the Holywell Community Centre earlier in the year as part of their DofE programmes.

The young students, however, had no intention of putting their feet up after completing their original twelve weeks of lessons. In fact, they enjoyed the experience so much that they decided to extend the popular weekly sessions for another six weeks, right through their summer holidays.

Seb explained: “We had to do some voluntary work to count towards our DofE programmes but we didn’t want to do the normal thing of working in charity shops. Most teenagers are good with computers and we are no different. We thought it would be nice to pass those skills on.

“I think the older people have learned a lot and really enjoyed what we have been teaching them. It has been really nice for us to give something back to the community.”

The trio, all of whom will begin their GCSE year in September, taught a range of basic and more advanced skills, introducing their students to the joys of the internet, email, on demand television and video communications.

Their latest round of recruits, who now have better access to public services and even their families, gathered at the centre yesterday afternoon to receive certificates of achievement and the congratulations of their friends, family and tutors.

The boys, who have even set up a professional website to advertise the course, plan to continue their programme of lessons throughout the year and pass their skills onto many older people.

Anojan added: “It was really satisfying to hear people say that what we taught them has been useful to them. We’ve all really enjoyed doing it.”

For more information go to www.itcourse.tk

Story courtesy of www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news

Image courtesy of www.itcourse.tk

Scottish Power and the DofE

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Mon, 5 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Young people from across Glasgow have successfully completed their Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards with support from ScottishPower.

Over 40 participants from Glasgow completed their DofE programmes, including 18 from Soccer Success. Soccer Success is a programme that has been developed by Glasgow City Council in conjunction with Celtic and Rangers Football Club and two Further Education Colleges.

The programme lasts the length of a normal school year and is used as an alternative form of education for fifth year students who may be more suited to an informal learning environment and who, it is hoped, will engage with education and learning through the Soccer Success and their DofE programmes.

The pupils included Ryan Daly from Dennistoun, Caitlin Friel from Pollok and Sam Bouiffissen from Carntyne who achieved their Bronze DofE Awards. Ryan Daly said: “I gained a lot of experience and confidence in myself. I also worked well in a team which was good for us and I lost weight which was a gain.”

Ann Loughrey, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at ScottishPower, said: “ScottishPower has a proud track record of working with young people to enhance their employability, education and life skills and this partnership with The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is enabling over 1,000 more young people to do their DofE.

“The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is dedicated to positive development of young people from all backgrounds and this unique link-up will make the UK programme more vocational, with the aim of helping young people from underprivileged communities improve their employment opportunities.”

Baillie Jean McFadden, Executive member for Glasgow City Council Education Services, said: “Education Services are delighted that Soccer Success have made The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award an integral part of their programme.

“The DofE is delivered in an environment which is suitable to the learning needs of individuals. Achieving their DofE Awards has developed a range of personal qualities within the participants giving young people a solid foundation to constructively build on for their future.”

Barry Fisher, Director of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Scotland, said: “I am delighted to see The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award having a real impact in Glasgow and I congratulate these young people on their success.

“With competition for jobs and further education so high, the DofE is providing a real alternative for young people, and participation in Scotland has gone up by 20% in a year with more than 25,000 young people now doing their DofE programmes.

“Our unique partnership with ScottishPower is making a big difference, with 10 new centres delivering the DofE in Glasgow. Young people who wouldn’t have had the chance before are not only starting but completing their Awards, and we know that the DofE helps to develop the skills young people need to get into work.”

Mobile phone appeal

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Thu, 1 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A group of DofE participants, supported by Richmond Council, are appealing to members of the public to donate their disused mobile phones to charity as part of the Volunteering section of their programmes.

Georgina Reeves, Eleanor Bryant, Zahra Subjally and LA Dymore-Brown, all from Lady Eleanor Holles School, are collecting old and broken mobile phones which will then be tested, decommissioned or recycled. The money raised through this process will be spilt between the Laura Crane Trust, a charity that raises money for cancer research in 13-24 year olds, and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Development Fund in London for marginalised and disadvantaged communities.

This project is part of the official DofE phone recycling programme and aims to encourage residents to help raise funds for charity whilst disposing of their own handsets in an environmentally friendly manner, preventing the handset from ending up in a landfill site.

Residents can donate their old or broken mobile phones at the receptions in the Council’s Civic Centre in Twickenham.

Cllr Christine Percival, Richmond Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, Youth and Children’s services, said: “This is a fantastic initiative. As part of their DofE programmes, the young people have to complete a volunteering activity, where they make a difference to their local community. This is a very imaginative approach, which will give them a chance to raise money that will be very beneficial for their chosen charities. There are thousands of mobile phones lying broken or unused in drawers and cupboards. I urge residents to dig them out and donate them to this cause.”

Georgina Reeves, 17, added: “The Laura Crane Trust appealed to us as it is our school charity and we were so touched by a talk given by a member of the charity last year that we decided that we too could make a difference. We chose the recycling scheme as we believe that there are so many wasted mobile phones amongst the community that can potentially generate a lot of money for such a good cause.

“People should donate their mobile phones to the scheme as it not only provides vital aid for the Laura Crane Trust and for the DofE, but it is also helping the environment by preserving natural resources and preventing the dumping of toxic materials on landfill sites. It is estimated that around 75 million mobile phones are lying unused in people’s homes across the UK, and we hope to make good use of as many of them as possible, with your help!”

Mobile phones can be donated at Council offices until Friday 30 September.

For more information about The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Mobile Phone Recycling scheme, go to; www.dofephonerecycling.org

Story courtesy of www.richmond.gov.uk

Peter Jones offers the DofE

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Peter Jones, the John Lewis department store in London's Sloane Square, has launched a new partnership with The Duke of Edinburgh's Award.

The DofE's Brighter Futures programme will give 15 employees under the age of 25 the chance to complete their Gold Awards as part of an 18 month training programme at Peter Jones.

The young staff will complete all five of their sections with a focus on improving their business skills, as well as contributing to the community through their volunteering activities.

Peter Westgarth, chief executive of the DofE said: “We are trying to reach out and help as many young people as possible. We know that employers value an employee’s attitude just as much as academic qualifications, and that's where we come in."

As part of the initiative, Peter Jones will support the charity towards its aim of doubling the number of young people benefiting from doing their DofE by 2017.

The DofE is backed by leading British employers and organisations and helps to improve young people’s employability, developing essential skills like leadership, resilience and team-working.

Story and image courtesy of www.theretailbulletin.com/news

DofE participants clean up streets

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Young DofE participants are staging a major street clean-up to do their bit for the community.

The 15 young people are carring out the clean-up as part of their DofE programmes. They will be volunteering tomorrow at sites in Ray Hall Lane, Great Barr and Wellington Street in West Bromwich.

The group has been involved in the programme since the start of July and have given up their summer holidays to undertake community projects.

DofE participant Terri Fox, of Tipton, said: "We want to show that not all young people cause trouble and provide a useful service to the community."

Story courtesy of Birmingham Mail.

The value of a DofE Award

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Check out this fantastic article published this morning on the Telegraph's website: www.telegraph.co.uk/education!

It really highlights the importance of the DofE and its benefits for young people today. It seems more relevant than ever, particularly on university and job application forms in this fierceley competitive market.

Story and image courtesy of www.telegraph.co.uk

Protecting water voles

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Young DofE participants from a North East school have joined up with river experts to help improve life for water voles on one of the region's nature reserves.

The young people are from Belmont Comprehensive have and been helping the staff from the Living Waterways project to improve Rainton Meadows as part of their Bronze and Silver DofE programmes.

The project is trying to link up water voles in Hetton Bogs and Great Eppleton with their cousins on the reserve using money from a Biffa Waste Services funded scheme.

Work that has already been completed includes the installation of two sluices to control water levels and the creation of a water vole corridor at Rainton Bridge.

The young volunteers helped dig out the Red Burn and remove overgrowing vegetation as part of efforts to prevent the stream from becoming dry during the summer months.

Story courtesy of the Evening Chronicle.

Young mums go for Gold!

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Seven young mums from Kensington and Chelsea are raising funds to allow them to complete their Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award expedition.

The mums, who have previously completed their Bronze and Silver Awards, have formed a group called 'Changetogether' to help raise the £15,000 required to take them and their children on their Gold expedition.

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea was the first local authority to support young mothers to complete their full DofE programmes with their children in tow. To date no group in the country has taken on a Gold expedition but no challenge is too big for these mums.

Councillor Baroness Ritchie, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea's Cabinet Member for Family and Children's Services, said: "I wish these young mothers well in their efforts to raise funds for their DofE expedition. Over the years the DofE has inspired generations of young people to learn new skills and help in their community. It consistently shows the good things our young people are capable of."

So far the group has raised nearly £6,500 for their expedition. This has involved them raising money around Portobello Market dressed in only their pyjamas!

They were also successful in gaining funds from The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Jubilee Fund, and are also planning a fun day in Westfield Park in September.

The mums plan to go to Holland for their assessment expedition in May 2012. They will travel for over eight hours a day, for five days, on bikes with the children in trailers, camping at night. They plan to meet with other young mothers in Holland. So please look out for them and show your support. If you would like more information or just to follow their journey please check out their website www.changetogether.co.uk

Story courtesy of www.rbkc.gov.uk

Pedalling pair

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Two more DofE achievers are crossing the country to do their bit for charity, this time by bike.

Lucy Knowles and Michael Bennett have both recently completed their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. The two former students from Kirkham Grammar school are now preparing to cycle the length of the country for their chosen organisations.

Lucy’s DofE programme combined volunteering at Rainbows with piano, hockey and a team building holiday as well as an expedition. She believes the challenges she encountered during this time have helped prepare her for the demanding ride. She continues to help out with DofE activities at her former school.

The planned ride is to take them just fourteen days, cycling the 966 miles from Land’s End to John O’Groats and they aim to set off on 2 September. The pair have been training all summer going out for runs and cycling every day.

They both hope to raise £1000 for three charities. You can donate by visiting www.justgiving.com/lucyknowles, www.justgiving.com/Michael-Bennett0 or www.justgiving.com/Michael-Bennett1.

Story courtesy of Lytham St Annes Express.

Three Gold achievers

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A trio of top achievers from Cynon, South Wales, have reached the highest level of their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programmes.

Thomas Davies, 20, a former pupil of Ysgol Gyfun Rhydywaun, travelled to St James’ Palace in London to receive his Gold Award last month.

His activities included helping youngsters at the annual Council’s Services for Young People Summer Outdoor Activity Camp and finally completing his expedition over four days in the Swiss Alps near Grundelwald – which included creating a bridge out of rope to cross a ravine.

Two former pupils of Ysgol Maesgwyn in Aberdare returned to the school to be presented with their Gold DofE Awards at the Leavers’ Award Ceremony.

Steven Davis,18, and Jonathan Bush, 19, also completed their Bronze and Silver Awards, before embarking on their Gold.

They took part in environmental projects, learned how to cook, and keep fit by hill walking. They also took part in the residential International Volunteering Project based at Dare Valley last summer, and made new friends from around the world.

Steven and Jonathan will be travelling up to St James’ Palace in the autumn to receive their Gold Award certificates.

Story courtesy of www.walesonline.co.uk/news

Pair to walk width of country

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Two Gold DofE participants are planing to trek across the country for charity. Backed by their local Rotary Club, Sophie Bowman and Jack Caine will walk 200 miles from one side of the country to the other in aid of a health centre in the Philippines.

The trek will take place between Sunday August 21 and Friday August 26 from St Bees Head in the north west to Robin Hood’s Bay near Whitby, and take in some amazing scenery and climbs of more than 2,000ft.

Sophie, 23, and Jack, 24, are scout leaders and are taking the challenge after recently completing their Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award expeditions.

All money raised will go to Bahay ng Pag-Asa, the House of Hope, in the Philippines, which provides essential health care to children in desperate need.

The charity was founded in 1996 by the chairman of the Dagenham Rotary Club, Nickie Kenning. You can donate by going to www.mycharitypage.com/SophieC2C.

Story and image courtesy of www.london24.com

Volunteers help young readers

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

This summer more than one hundred 14 to 17-year-olds, including DofE participants have joined staff at Northamptonshire’s libraries to encourage children taking part in the Summer Reading Challenge.

It is the highest number of young people volunteering in the county’s libraries during the summer in recent years. They are acting as reading buddies to younger readers, helping them to choose books they will enjoy and assisting with the craft activities offered.

The county’s children’s reader development librarian Rosalind Robinson said: “We’ve had volunteers in Northamptonshire’s libraries for the summer holidays for at least three or four years. Year on year we’ve seen the numbers going up. We ask for 10 to 15 hours over the holidays but a lot of the volunteers actually do a lot more than that. They talk to the children doing the Summer Reading Challenge about the books they have read. They also come and help with some of the activities taking place in the libraries."

She added: “Some of them are quite shy talking to people but once they know what they're doing they get more confident and they enjoy coming and doing something different.”

Young people volunteering on the scheme can use it to count towards their DofE programmes.

One of the volunteers Calum Smith, 17 said: “I’ve always liked the idea of being a primary teacher and this is my first chance to do some real work experience with children. The scheme is really good as it helps them to get some extra reading practise when they are off school.”

Story and image courtesy of www.northantset.co.uk

Scottish DofE students all at sea

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

This summer will prove to be a nautical extravaganza for South Ayrshire DofE participants with various school groups going east and west to explore, under sail, remote islands and coastlines.

Ten students from Prestwick Academy, Queen Margaret Academy and Marr College, Scotland, in two groups of five flew east at the beginning of July to Turkey to take charge of a 40ft yacht and sail in the Gulf of Fethiye for a week each exploring remote islands and coastlines. While at sea the pupils also participated in their John Muir Discovery Award learning about the marine environment and the importance of protecting the planet, during their expedition they also did a beach clean in a remote Turkish bay.

Also during the summer a group of five students will be sailing west to the Outer Hebrides and the remote outcrop of St Kilda. The intrepid group will depart from Mallaig and sail to Leverburgh on the coast of South Harris and make a day crossing to St Kilda weather permitting. The crew will spend a day on the island exploring this fascinating archipelago which is the remotest part of the British Isles. A first for the DofE group is also a Silver sailing expedition around Mull and the west of Scotland for a young group of intrepid explorers.

All groups will be involved in the Hebridean whale and Dolphin Community Sighting programme recording and reporting cetacean sightings. The waters of the Hebrides are one of the most important marine habitats in Europe, home to nearly 70% of its whale, dolphin and porpoise species, in addition to basking sharks and seals.

All pupils have spent the last few months preparing for the expeditions with sea training and RYA navigation courses delivered by the Central Scotland Sea School. In addition they spent a week training on a yacht in the Firth of Clyde and the west coast as their practice expedition, in preparation for their Qualifying adventure. While at sea all the pupils will be completing their RYA Competent Crew certificate.

Pupils from all the sailing expeditions will be putting on a public photographic exhibition and presentation of their exciting adventures at Carnegie reference library in the Autumn.

Story and images courtesy of Vincent McWhirter

DofE volunteers at cathedral camp

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

DofE participants joined other community spirited young people for a week, working together to help preserve and protect Lichfield Cathedral in Staffordshire.

Ten young people aged 16 to 22 took part in the programme which involved a range of activities including clearing overgrown shrubs and marshalling the Staffordshire Hoard on Tour (a display of the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found) which is expecting around 14,350 visitors during its three weeks at Lichfield.

The camp took place over the first week of August and included not only DofE participants but also volunteers from across Europe.

Camp Leader Emma Robinson said: “It was the first time any of us had been to Lichfield, and we had a great time – it’s a beautiful city. We spent our time marshalling visitors, helping out at the coffee shop, doing lots of weeding and helping to clear out the attics. It was hard work but very rewarding and the staff made us feel really welcome. We’ll definitely be back!”

Chris Nuttall, Cathedral Administrator commented: “We were delighted to welcome Cathedral Camps to Lichfield. We hope that for the young people involved it was a worthwhile and memorable experience. Their assistance was invaluable in helping us to address some long overdue tasks.”

The UK charity Community Service Volunteers runs the Cathedral Camps scheme and through it the DofE participants were able to fulfil the Residential section of their DofE programmes.

Story and image courtesy of the Lichfield Mercury.

Boat building project

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Young people in Maybole and Troon, Scotland, supported by South Ayrshire Council and local community members, are taking part in an ambitious boat building campaign run by the Scottish Coastal Rowing Project.

Delivered through The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, the initiative, sponsored by the Scottish Fisheries Museum, aims to reintroduce inter-community rowing in Scottish coastal areas, using hand-built craft, supplied in kit form through the Scottish Coastal Rowing Project.

Two kits of a St Ayles skiff have been purchased thanks to sponsorship from Boyd Tunnock of Tunnocks Biscuits and a number of private individuals, for pupils at Carrick Academy in Maybole and Marr College in Troon. When complete, the 22ft boats will need four people to row, plus a coxswain.

The Carrick boat building project will start in earnest at the beginning of the new school term in August, but work on the skiff in Troon, berthed in a boat shed donated by West Coast Marine Services, has already reached the halfway stage.

Development worker Vincent McWhirter said: “Both boats are being built with the help and support of young people doing their Bronze and Silver DofE programmmes and we aim to use the skiffs for expeditions on our coasts and inland lochs next year. The Troon boat was recently turned, meaning work can now begin on the interior of the vessel, so it is nearing completion.”

Councillor Hywel Davies, said: “The boat building initiative is an excellent idea, combining practical skills with project management, woodworking and problem solving. It will also promote healthy living through rowing and the notion that we might have a number of skiffs racing and competing on local waters again is exciting.”

A competition has now been launched to name Troon’s new rowing skiff. The successful name must have a direct association with Troon and entries must be received by 10 September.

Story courtesy of www.carricktoday.co.uk

DofE presentation Isle of Man

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Mon, 8 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Young people on the Isle of Man were invited to attend presentations at Government House to receive their Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Awards from the Lieutenant Governor last week.

A total of 21 people attended, they included four of Broadway Baptist Church’s young people. Liz Coase, Sara Connolly, Jonathan Rowlands and Joel Rowlands faced a challenging four day expedition in the Lake District under the supervision of group Leaders Debbie Carcas and John Harris.

"It is a great achievement for the four of them, they have worked extremely hard and both myself and Debbie are extremely proud of what they have achieved," said John.

Last weekend saw another nine young people from Broadway set out on their Silver expedition with a group of 10 young people heading across the water to the Lake District to undertake their Gold expeditions.

Other Gold Award acheivers at the presentation were: Laura Bevin, Ballerkermeen High School; Richard Corlett, Queen Elizabeth II High School; Clare Fisher, QEII High School; Rebecca Fong, QEII High School; Zoe Gaggs, QEII High School; Rachel Hall, QEII High School; Andrew Kniveton, St Ninian’s High School; Mark Lilleyman, Open Award Centre; Jade McKinlay, Ramsey Grammar School; Sally Oates, Ramsey Grammar School; Kerry-Anne Quilliam, Ramsey Grammar School; Kieran Rollins, Southern Explorers; Faye Starkey, Ramsey Grammar School; Rosalind Storey, Ramsey Grammar School; Kaya Teare, QEII High School; Jemima Thomas, Open Award Centre; and Jay Thompson, Southern Explorers.

Story and image courtesy of www.iomtoday.co.im

DofE success for Omagh RDA

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 5 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Riders and volunteers at Omagh Riding for Disabled Group have recently achieved their Duke of Edinburgh's Awards.

Omagh RDA's education programme provides nationally recognised vocational and national curriculum-based qualifications for riders and volunteers.

This year their Arvalee 16+ Group successfully completed their ASDAN Independent Living Animal Care: Horse Care and Stable Management, and their Duke of Edinburgh's Bronze Awarads.

As well as this there were over 30 young volunteers completed the Skills and Volunteering sections of their DofE programmes with the group. Many of these also completed their Millenium award volunteering certificate.

Some volunteers have gone a step further into nationally recognised vocational training qualifications. Four volunteers, Christopher Bogle, Emma Jayne Simpson, Gemma Elliot and Louise Bogle gained the ASDAN Level Three A level equivalent Community Volunteering qualification.

Story courtesy of www.tyronecon.co.uk

Increase in DofE starters

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Thu, 4 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Young people have demonstrated they are a committed bunch by signing up, in their droves, to start their DofE programmes.

A massive increase in the number of young people undertaking their Duke of Edinburgh's Award in the borough has been recorded in the past two years. The number has increased to 1,100 taking part in April 2010 to March 2011 from 900 in the year previous.

Richmond-based marketing recruitment agency recently showed their support by raising more than £5,000 for the DofE in the borough by completing a sponsored walk.

Story courtesy of www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news

DofE offered by Reading Uni

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Wed, 3 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Reading University's DofE group is opening its doors to participants from across Wokingham Borough.

Reading University DofE group and Wokingham Borough Council are excited to announce that any participants aged 18 or over and looking to start their DofE programme, at either Bronze or Gold level, can now do so through the DofE group which runs from Reading University.

The agreement was struck when it was discovered that participants who are aged 18 or over may not have access to the DofE in their area or feel comfortable working with younger participants.

The Co-ordinator for Reading University DofE group, Philip Pitcher, says: "We worked closely with Wokingham Borough Council to see how our DofE group could make closer links with the community [...] We have access to some useful resources here at the University of Reading and felt it was only right to allow others benefit from them. I would like to thank Nigel, Noel & Liz at Wokingham Borough Council for their time, energy and enthusiasm for making this happen."

To take a look at what Reading University DofE group (RUDE) are offering, see their website: www.rudofe.org being launched on the 15th August 2011 or alternatively email: enquiries.rude@gmail.com.

Trio scoop Bronze Awards

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Tue, 2 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Three students from Blakebrook Special School in the Midlands have each achieved their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh's Award.

The Kidderminster school, which supports young people with additional support needs, set up the DofE for the first time this year with the help of Worcestershire County Council's youth club, Youthworcs, in Droitwich.

Year 10 and 11 students, Thomas Oliver, Ellie Jones and Matthew Jones all threw themselves into achieving their Bronze Awards.

Their hard work included volunteering on an environmental project, developing new skills as part of a Young Enterprise company and taking part in physical challenges such as athletics and football.

Jane Potter, the county council’s cabinet member for education and skills, said: "I am very happy to hear about the good work that's going on in Blakebrook School, they are a shining example of a community school that is dedicated to raising the hopes and aspirations of its pupils."

Jules Issacs-Garfield, the county council’s DofE development worker, added: "The DofE is always a great achievement for young people and I am sure that at times for Matthew, Thomas and Ellie it felt like an unachievable goal. Each section presented them with new challenges to overcome but with the support of their teacher, Emma Salt and the team at Blakebrook School they have persevered and achieved their Bronze Awards. Well done to them all."

Story and image courtesy of www.dudleynews.co.uk

Leader praised for work

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Mon, 1 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

One Vision Housing resident and DofE Leader Matt Smith has won a top national award at a coveted ceremony which celebrates tenants’ contribution towards making their communities safer and more desirable.

The student, 20, from Merseyside was awarded Young Tenant of the Year at the National Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) Connecting People Awards.

Judges praised Matt’s commitment to youth empowerment which sees him run a voluntary youth club where he delivers The Duke of Edinburgh's Award. He helps his young participants to fund raise as well as taking them camping and ice skating. He also works as a Youth Engagement Consultant bridging the generational gap by teaching adults how to successfully engage with young people.

One Vision Housing Chief Executive Roy Williams said: "Matt’s a highly motivated and inspirational young man who does an enormous amount for his community. He works tirelessly to create opportunities for others and his knowledge and expertise enable him to work as a youth engagement consultant as well as chairing One Vision Housing’s Youth Forum.”

Earlier this year, Matt received a fellowship from The School for Social Entrepreneurs – a school that seeks to help social entrepreneurs create community-engaged, community-shaped organisations. It was here Matt came up with the idea for Fresh Minds- a social enterprise Matt set up with help from One Vision Housing’s Community Development Fund.

Matt used the funding to run an environmental after school programme where young people learnt about their environment, their school’s sustainability and how to decrease their impact on the world around them. After completing the course, they all received a nationally recognised Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network (ASDAN) award.

He said: “I'm really proud to have won this award. I want people to see that with the right opportunities, there’s a lot of young people who want to engage and who want to learn.”

Story and image courtesy of www.24dash.com

Gold Awards for Rangers

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Members of the Rainhill and St Helens Rangers, in the North West, have successfully completed their Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Awards, a fantastic achievement for all the group!

Fifteen young girls from the Senior Section of the local Girlguiding group successfully completed their Gold programmes and travelled to Edinburgh for the presentation ceremony, attended by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, earlier this month.

The girls attended the presentation with their leaders, Irene Humphreys and Ann Aspinwall and were presented with their certificates by Pat Dickinson, the Merseyside County Commissioner and Squadron Leader Paul Routledge.

Story and image courtesy of www.sthelensreporter.co.uk.

Britain's Kindest Kid 2011

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Have any DofE participants you know volunteered, raised money for a charity, done something to improve the area where they live or shown real kindness by caring for, or helping others? If so, you can nominate them for a 'Britain's Kindest Kid 2011' award, launched by 5 News and the Charities Aid Foundation, and receive £1,000 for themselves and £1,000 for their chosen charity (the DofE perhaps!).

Find out more here.

The deadline for nominations is 5 September 2011.

Library project praised

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A reading buddies project involving DofE participants that featured in DofE Latest news last month has been praised for its work at an annual national awards ceremony.

The North East Access Library and Information Services (NEALIS) project was announced last week as runner up in the 2011 CILIP (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals) Libraries Change Lives Award.

The Libraries Change Lives Award is known as one of the leading accolades in the library and information world. Its purpose is “to recognise achievements and promote outstanding library based initiatives”.

The project was created to improve library information and reading services for blind and partially sighted people. Volunteers received training and a recognised qualification, giving them the skills to help visually impaired visitors. It was created in partnership with The Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards allowing DofE participants to volunteer as reading buddies as part of their DofE programmes.

For more information on the Libraries Change Lives Award visit www.cilip.org

Image courtesy of www.chroniclelive.co.uk

Young mums get their Bronze

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Young mums from the North East have recently completed their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards. The nine girls from North Tyneside’s Young Mothers’ Unit were presented with their Awards at a special ceremony last week.

This incredible success is all the more impressive as all the participants were aged between 15 and 18 years old and they were responsible for their babies throughout their DofE programmes, including on their overnight expeditions.

The unit has been rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted inspectors for the specialist information and support it gives to the young women who are pregnant or have young children.

Margaret Lacey, one of the teachers in charge at the unit, said: “This has been an amazing opportunity for the girls and their success is particularly impressive because their babies have been with them along the way. I have seen the girls’ confidence grow enormously as they’ve bravely broken down barriers and embraced the challenges of the unknown.”

The young women have been involved in their programmes over the last nine months and together have taken part in a range of activities, including making items to sell and also building on their cookery and first aid knowledge. Training for their two day expedition included walking with their babies in harnesses.

Amber, 18, took her son Kaiser with her on her expedition. She said: “My DofE programme gave me an opportunity to do things I’ve never tried before, like abseiling and finding my way just with a map.”

Jessica, 16, also a member of the unit said: “I really enjoyed it. I am really proud of myself and it has made me more confident and ready to take on more challenges.”

The chairman of North Tyneside Council, Coun John Stirling, was at the ceremony. He said: “The demanding Bronze DofE Award requires persistence, commitment and personal development. It is a fantastic achievement for any young person and I am very impressed that these young mothers have risen to the challenge.”

Story and image courtesy the Evening Chronicle

Guisborough Gold Awards

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Talented twins Katy and Elizabeth Templeman were among 310 young people from across Redcar and Cleveland, to be honoured at a glittering DofE Awards ceremony.

The DofE participants from Guisborough, received their Gold Awards at the special event held in Coatham Bowl, Redcar.

As part of their DofE programmes they learned how to sail, embarked on a four-day expedition in the Lake District and picked up lifeguarding skills. They also worked with Gisborough Priory Project, helping to restore historic gardens in the town.

Former Laurence Jackson School students Katy and Elizabeth were two of 25 Gold Award recipients at the presentation evening.

Katy said: “We did exactly the same disciplines for our Awards, including a 50-mile expedition in the Lake District. It was quite hard and testing.”

Elizabeth added: “It wasn’t a walk in the park and I was the one who did most of the complaining!”

Silver DofE Awards were also handed out on the night to 125 young people, with a further 160 receiving their Bronze Awards.

Joan Guy, Redcar and Cleveland Council cabinet member for children’s services and education, said: “The DofE is well-established and popular among local young people. It shows real commitment by the council to assist them in gaining qualifications beyond their GCSEs or A Levels, which could help secure employment in future.”

Story and image courtesy of www.gazettelive.co.uk/news

Projects target gang culture

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Efforts to combat gang culture in Keighley, Bradford, have proved to be tremendously successful, according to local youth workers.

The professionals have worked with several key groups of young people across central Keighley.

Gang members in different areas have come together for joint activities at Parkwood Youth Centre.

Some young people, who were previously gang leaders, have now started their Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards.

The Bradford Council youth workers have also worked with disaffected families in the gang territories.

In recent years, organisations including the council, police and schools have worked to reduce 'territorialism' across Keighley and dissuade youngsters from joining gangs.

Mr Walker, the town's senior youth worker, said one of his team’s successes was an open access session in Parkwood on Friday evenings.

He said: "It is used by young people from all the different gang territories – something that would have been inconceivable a few months previously."

Story courtesy of www.keighleynews.co.uk

Participants paint skatepark

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

DofE participants from Banffshire, Scotland, have been working towards their Bronze Awards by carrying out a make-over on their local skatepark.

The young people used funding from the Moray Drug and Alcohol Partnership to create a colourful mural using graffiti on the wall of the park.

The project was led by local artist Mark Delaye, of Fresh Paint Inverness, who created several different designs, from which the most popular one was picked and used.

Now that the work has been completed, the Chairman of Buckie Skatepark, Chris Bremner, hopes to find more funding to continue the artwork onto the other walls.

As well as the painting, the young people have been working on a coaching project with the intention of passing on their skills to new young recruits.

The Moray partnership has helped provide funding for DofE projects in the areas that have previously had difficulties with drugs and alcohol.

The project has resulted in a positive boost to the young skaters who now feel proud of their efforts and their skatepark and are more eager to help in the community and also complete the rest of their Bronze DofE programmes.

Story courtesy of Banffshire Advertiser.

eDofE Mapping is here!

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

eDofE Mapping is a free, optional expedition route mapping tool designed to create DofE route cards and route summaries. It can be used by participants and Leaders through eDofE. eDofE mapping is simple but it can do a lot.

Digitally mapping your route is quick and easy: set your waypoints and checkpoints, then add descriptions and escape routes to generate your route card and a route summary.

Once complete you can

print your route card and a summary route map;
email the route plans within eDofE to volunteers, Leaders and Co-ordinators;
save the route card or map to your computer as a picture (jpg) to email or use it as evidence in eDofE and Achievement Packs;
download them as GPX mapping files onto your computer to email outside of eDofE to Assessors or use with other mapping products or GPS mobile devices;
If you use other software you can upload GPX mapping files or saved eDofE mapping routes from your computer.

Participants will find the new tool on the practice and qualifying expedition pages within the Expedition section of eDofE.

Leaders can access the new tool from the Resources Zone on their eDofE account. Leaders will have the option to input the expedition route and route plan on behalf of the young people. They will also be able to view the young people’s routes and email them across to the Assessor.

eDofE Mapping has been built by Satmap and requires Microsoft Silverlight to run. This is a small piece of free software designed to run images and can be downloaded from: www.silverlight.net/getstarted. Download Microsoft Silverlight now so that you can start to use eDofE mapping today, please remember to ask your IT Department to download it in advance if necessary.

This is an optional tool, it is up to you how you use it and it is not intended to replace group route planning or having full maps with them on expedition.

Downloads

Cadets achieve Bronze Awards

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Cadet Corporal Joshua Greenslade and Cadet Corporal John Prevett, from Tiverton Detachment of Devon Army Cadet Force, have successfully completed their Bronze DofE Awards which they have been working towards for the past year.

Joshua and John completed all four sections of their DofE programmes, which are open to to all members of the Army Cadet Force who are aged 14 years and over.

As part of his DofE programme Josh carried out voluntary work through the Army Cadet Force, completed fitness activities, improved his cookery skills and completed a two day expedition on Dartmoor.

John completed his DofE Award by helping out a senior citizen with jobs around her house, attending the gym at Tiverton Leisure Centre, improving his cookery skills and also by completing a two day expedition on Dartmoor.

For more information on joining Devon Army Cadet Force, either as a cadet or Adult Instructor, visit the website at www.acompanyacf.co.uk.

Story courtesy of www.tivertonpeople.co.uk

DofE leads to rowing success

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Rower Jon Collins, from Whitton in London, has been named in the Great Britain team for next week’s World Under 23 Championships in Holland.

The 22-year-old is one a 49-strong squad of Olympic prospects heading to Amsterdam on Thursday hoping to match GB’s best-ever medal-tally of a gold, three silvers and three bronzes at last year’s U23 Championships in Brest, Belarus.

Collins, who is in the men’s quadruple sculls boat, started rowing at Putney Town Rowing Club for the Physical section of his Duke of Edinburgh’s Award when his dad suggested he might be good at it.

He is now a member of the prestigious Leander Club in Henley and was selected for the same event last year in Brest, finishing ninth.

Team manager Steve Gunn, who coached Greg and Jonny Searle to gold in the coxed pairs at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, reckons the race for gold is wide open.

“The nature of the U23s is that form is difficult to predict before you get there, it makes for exciting racing, so we’re looking forward to it.” He said.

You never know where your DofE programme could take you!

Story courtesy of www.kingstonguardian.co.uk/sport

A home for dragonflies

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

School students have created a dragonfly pond at an Isle of Wight wildlife reserve, much to the delight of children who visit the site.

A group of students from Carisbrooke High School in Newport on the Isle of Wight, created the pond at the Naturezones Wildlife Education Trust, based at Blackwater, as part of their Duke of Edinburgh's Awards.

With a helping hand from Naturezones' volunteers, the 14 year olds have built bridges and a walkway and grown some of the plants surrounding the pond.

Island schoolchildren who visit the site will now be able to study the pond and the creatures that inhabit it, including a pair of broad-bodied chaser dragonflies who have already taken up residence.

Project manager Angela Hewitt said: "I am hugely impressed by the abilities of these young students who gave the project a good deal of thought throughout the whole process. They came up with several good ideas we could implement."

Story and image courtesy of www.iwcp.co.uk/news

Participant exhibits work

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The Great Sheffield Art Show this year is full of surprise such as a piece of football memorabilia, a couple of pictures painted using Henderson’s Relish and sculptures made out of Sheffield street rubbish.

The event will showcase more than 1500 pieces of art work form over 600 artists, both amateur and professional, with many people exhibiting and selling for the first time in public.

A Chesterfield football fan and DofE participant, who previously featured in DofE Latest news, will be exhibiting his work. Oliver Byne, 16, spent the last day of the football season collecting the autographs of the entire Chesterfield first team squad along with manager John Sheridan.

He incorporated the signatures into a piece of abstract art that depicts the town’s famous Crooked Spire and is putting it on show at the event at Sheffield University’s Octagon Centre.

The A-Level student at High Storrs School, Sheffield, came up with ‘art-a-graphs’, the concept of fusing the production of abstract art with the appreciation of the hobby of philography, autograph collecting, as part of his Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

Oliver hopes to sell the painting to raise money for charity. Great Sheffield Art Show spokesperson Mike Fearne admitted: “At first the piece left some of our judges puzzled – we’d never seen anything like it! But it was selected and is now set to be one of the most interesting artworks we’ve ever put on sale.”

Run solely by volunteers the Great Sheffield Art Show, now in its 24^th year, has been responsible for nurturing scores of amateur artists who have become professionals.

Story courtesy of Sheffield Telegraph

Kirsty strikes Gold

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A young person who recently recovered from major brain surgery has beaten the odds by completing her Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

Kirsty Brown, aged 18 from Newtongrange, Scotland, was invited to the Palace of Holyroodhouse on July 4 to receive her certificate from the DofE’s patron and founder HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.

The Gold Award presentation is a celebration and recognition of Kirsty’s achievements in completing her Gold DofE programme. Between preparing for and recovering from major brain surgery, Kirsty worked tirelessly through the five sections of her DofE programme over a number of months to achieve her Gold Award.

There were 830 young people receiving their Gold Awards last Monday at the ceremony in Edinburgh. The sun shone as the presentations took place and the achievements were celebrated. Amongst the guests attending were Britain's Got Talent 2011 winner Jai McDowell and television actress Dawn Steele.

Story courtesy of www.midlothianadvertiser.co.uk/news

Eco-friendly project

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 8 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Young people who have been in trouble with the law have helped build an eco-friendly greenhouse at a special needs school as part of their DofE programmes.

Five of them, who are on community based court orders or undertaking their Duke of Edinburgh's Award within the Youth Justice Service, did the work at Ysgol y Gogarth in Craig-y-Don, North Wales.

Dave Brown, a development officer with Community Justice Interventions Wales, said: “It’s good for people in the area to see that young people are putting back into the community, and projects like these help build better relations between them and the community. The young people have worked really hard and it is nice for them to look back and see that something positive has been achieved by their work.”

He said another benefit was that they had all completed qualifications in health and safety, manual handling and recycling while being involved in the project.

The greenhouse was constructed from 1,500 recycled two litre pop bottles, which came from the Conwy County Council recycling depot in Abergele.

Working together, the young people and Ysgol y Gogarth pupils first cleaned and cut the bottles, then fed them onto canes. A timber frame was built and the canes attached to it.

The Youth Justice Service has been funded by Tidy Towns to work on further environmentally friendly projects in Conwy county.

Story courtesy of www.northwalesweeklynews.co.uk

Gold Award Presentation

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Thu, 7 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A Dunfermline staff nurse and Perthshire entrepreneurs were among some of those who attended the Gold Award Presentation ceremony at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh on Monday.

Fiona Duncan left Queen Margaret Hospital after a nightshift in the high dependency unit to come straight to the Palace of Holyroodhouse to be presented with her certificate at the ceremony which the Duke of Edinburgh himself was attending. And, after a nap, she was returning to her life-saving work on another nightshift.

"I've told my mum I won't be too talkative in the car going home!" she laughed.

Fiona had an eventful DofE expedition in America, encountering the tail end of Hurricane Bill. With that cut short, she completed a second expedition and went on to achieve her Gold Award with the Rosyth Network, a Scouting initiative for 18 to 25-year-olds, while simultaneously working towards her Queen's Scout award.

Also collecting their Gold Awards were twin entrepreneurs Guy and Jamie McKenzie, who started their DofE Awards while students at Perth Academy.

Usually on a sunny day like Monday's, the identical twins would have been found on the beach at St Andrews, where they run their award-winning Blown Away land yachting experiences, which was also set up with some Royal help, from the Princes Scottish Youth Business Trust.

The 24-year-olds said it was through doing their Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards that they were able to help shape their career; their Residential section meant they spent all their time in the great outdoors. And now the company has been up and running for four years, gathering awards along the way.

The twins met a potential new client — Britain's Got Talent 2011 winner Jai McDowell, who was delighted to be a guest at the Palace for the first time. He moved among hundreds of Award holders and revealed he wished he had taken part while at school in Ayrshire. He praised the DofE, established in Scotland in 1956, for leaving its mark on the thousands who embark on their Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards every year.

Elizabeth Corsar, a former pupil of St George's School in Edinburgh, celebrated after receiving her Gold Award with her grandfather Colonel Che Corsar, who headed the DofE in Scotland from 1966 to 1989.

This year, among the 3000 recipients who converged on the gardens at the Palace, were a group of nine young people who completed the Gold Awards as part of apprenticeships with British Gas.

Other Gold Award achievers were Lindsay Murray and Ben Jamieson, former pupils of St Leonards School in St Andrews. Lindsay, who is now studying law at Aberdeen, worked with those suffering from leprosy in India as part of her DofE programme. Meanwhile Ben is now studying petroleum engineering at Adam Smith College in Fife. Groups from all over Fife, Tayside, Angus and Perth were among a record number of 800 plus recipients.

Last year over 15,000 people took the challenge in Scotland and around 25,000 participate in the programme here at any one time.

Story courtesy of www.thecourier.co.uk/news

Participants make an Olympic splash

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Wed, 6 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Barking and Dagenham DofE participants got a taste of the Olympics when they were invited to one of the sites that will host some of the world’s best athletes in 2012.

Students from Dagenham Park Community School, School Road, and from Jo Richardson School, Gale Street, tackled the fast-flowing rapids at Lee Valley White Water Centre – the only new London 2012 venue people can use before the Games.

Their skills were tested as they rafted the same white water that the world’s best athletes will face next year during five days of intense competition on the Olympic Standard Competition Course.

Lesley Montague, sports co-ordinator at Jo Richardson School, took along Year 9 to Year 13 pupils who had shown commitment to their Duke of Edinburgh's Awards programmes over the year.

She said: “They all had a fantastic time. They did climbing, flat water paddling and mountain biking. The white water rafting slalom course was quite dramatic. It was really fun and enjoyable and brought a sense of excitement about the Olympics.”

The Schools Festival, funded by Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, gave 2000 young people across London, Essex and Hertfordshire the opportunity to experience the Olympic Games a year before they begin.

Story and image courtesy of www.bdpost.co.uk

Penmaes paddle to success

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Tue, 5 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Ysgol Penmaes in Brecon, Wales, has become the first special educational needs DofE centre in Powys to complete its Silver canoeing expedition.

Four enthusiastic pupils paddled their way through their Silver canoeing expedition, with all nineteen participating students completing their Bronze and Silver Awards as part of their 14-19 option studies.

Claire Mills, DofE Development Officer said; “This was an excellent opportunity for the young people completing their Silver DofE Awards to undertake their expedition by canoe and a huge achievement for them to complete the three day long adventure. They should all be immensely proud of what they have achieved.”

Ysgol Penmaes has been a DofE centre for three years, giving young people the opportunity to undertake a range of activities and develop new skills while also forging links within the local community.

This year saw the nineteen participants complete a first aid qualification with the support of the British Red Cross, in preparation for their expeditions.

Participant Thomas Hall said; “Completing my Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Award has been a great achievement for me. It gave me a chance to explore a variety of skills such as map reading, survival and leadership. Not only that, but it has also left me with more confidence and determination and it has taught me the importance of teamwork. I would recommend the DofE Award to anyone who is looking for a fun and exciting challenge that both teaches you and challenges you.”

Story courtesy of Brecon and Radnor Express

Praise for volunteering

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Mon, 4 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Kind-hearted young person from Wishaw, North Lanarkshire was among volunteers honoured at an awards ceremony hosted jointly by Supercounty and NHS Lanarkshire.

Jayne Copeland, a DofE achiever and student from Clyde Valley High School has also recently received a prestigious Diana Award, which are reserved for inspirational young people.

The 17 year old sixth year student regularly volunteers in the paediatric ward of Wishaw General Hospital, as well as assisting at Netherton Court Nursing Home.

Ken Corsar, chairman of NHS Lanarkshire, paying tribute to all the volunteers county-wide, said: “It is a privilege and an honour to acknowledge the sterling work which is undertaken on a daily basis. Each volunteer provides a valued service within our hospitals and local communities. The commitment and dedication has not gone unnoticed by the patients and staff. There are more than 50 different volunteering roles available with more than 450 volunteers currently giving their time on a regular basis. It is our aim to involve more than 1000 volunteers by 2014.”

In addition to voluntary work Jayne also plays the flute in the school band and in the North Lanarkshire Schools Wind Ensemble.She is also a member of the Jamieson Dance School, where she helps the younger dancers and has achieved her Bronze Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Jayne regularly helps out at the 2nd Wishaw BB company and has learned sign language to allow her to communicate with her gran, who is deaf.

Ian Livingstone, chairman of Supercounty, said: “Lanarkshire is proud that so many dedicated volunteers give so much to the community. This is our way of saying thank you for all the time, efforts and energy that the volunteers give to the hospitals and local communities.”

Story and image courtesy of www.wishawpress.co.uk

DofE success at Harbury Olympics

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 1 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The Harbury DofE Olympics team had a fantastic time at the Harbury Olympics in Warwickshire last Saturday.

They won an amazing nine Gold medals on the day between them, that combined varied and eclectic activities. Running, jumping, dribbling and tug of war were all included!

The weather threatened to put a dampener on the proceedings but failed. There was a fantastic atmosphere of friendly rivalry among the nine teams. Each team was made up of eighteen adults and children and £1220 was raised in total, for the local Village Hall.

Congratulations to the whole DofE team and special thanks go to Susie who helped to put on the event and organise the group.

Cycling challenge leads to DofE

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

An enthusiastic team of boys have completed a unique mountain biking programme. Specially designed for young people with autism, Aspergers and mild learning difficulties, the course aimed to develop the group’s teamwork skills.

Run by Sefton Council’s Positive Futures scheme, the ten boys, aged between 13 and 14 years old, were initially taught about basic cycling maintenance. They then progressed onto novice rides to improve their riding skills and techniques.

The programme saw the students inspire each other and work together as they developed as a group. By the end of the course all of the group had improved their biking skills and were able to complete a tough mountain biking circuit.

It proved such a success that the boys have all now decided to further develop their skills by starting their Duke of Edinburgh's Awards. This will enable them to gain recogntion for all the new skills they have acquired.

John Doran, development officer for the Sefton Positive Futures team, recognised the achievements made by the students. He said: “The sense of achievement witnessed in the group in incredible. Every boy has made very significant progress, but the positive morale and comradeship among the team has witnessed a number of friendships form, which provides further support.”

Story courtesy of www.crosbyherald.co.uk/sport

DofE and Viridian Housing

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Viridian Housing are paving the way for young people living in their homes through providing tailored programmes and support networks to help them reach their goals and aspirations.

More than 600,000 children and young people are living in poverty in London and face a future of limited opportunities, low self-esteem and unemployment if they are not properly catered for. To help combat this Viridian have entered into a partnership with The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

This partnership will enable Viridian to offer the DofE to their residents aged between 14 and 24. This amazing opportunity for young people will allow them to benefit from leadership skills, training work placements, volunteering and even travel.

Resident Involvement and Community Engagement officer, DB Crawford said that “the response so far has been fantastic with three DofE participants now back from Malta having completed the Residential section of their DofE programmes and there are more residents eager to come on board”.

Viridian have also been instrumental in providing sponsorship to their residents on an individual basis, such as Ezekiel Ewulo who is training for the opportunity of a lifetime, to compete in long jump at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Ezekiel has been a resident with Viridian at Robbins Hall student accommodation since 2008 and has since been selected to represent Britain at five internationals events and most recently winning the UK Indoor Championships, all whist completing a degree in Sports and events management.

“Viridian Housing has been a big helping hand in allowing me to have the time and resources to becoming one of the top long jumpers in the world” Ezekiel said.

Story courtesy of www.architectsdatafile.co.uk

Fashion show fundraising

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Fashioning funds isn't easy for charity groups these days. But a fashion show and a grant from an Edinburgh-based funding body look set to ease a 'difficult' financial situation for charity group Sikh Sanjog from Leith in Edinburgh.

A group of 12 Sikh girls, aged from 12 to 18, are to stage a fashion show as part of their Duke of Edinburgh's Awards. The show will be called The Punjabi Pataka and is taking place at South Leith Parish Church on Saturday. They are hoping to raise funds for the charity group.

The organisation, which supports women and their families from the Sikh and black and ethnic communities, has also been awarded £6000 by the Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland.

The money will go towards the salary of an administrator whose job will be to help manage the group's finances.

Story courtesy of www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com

DofE participant sets sail for race

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A young DofE participant who fought cancer is joining sailor Dame Ellen MacArthur on a spectacular race around the Isle of Wight.

David Poskitt, 15, is one of many cancer survivors to be taking part in the JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race.

The young sailor, who lives in Great Shelford, will be racing 50 miles alongside Olympic and round-the- world sailors, including Dame MacArthur and Shirley Robertson, the first British woman to win two Olympic Gold Medals at consecutive games.

The race, which celebrates its 80th anniversary this year and is expected to attract more than 1,500 sailors, is raising money for the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust – a charity dedicated to helping young people regain their confidence when they have battled cancer, leukaemia and other serious illnesses.

David, who attends The Leys in Cambridge, said: “I’m really looking forward to it. The race is quite tiring but it’s an amazing experience. I took part last year and got to meet Ellen – she’s a great person.”

David was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in 2008 and endured around 40 weeks of chemotherapy, during which he was told his right leg had to be amputated above the knee.

Despite this, within weeks of his chemotherapy ending, he was walking unaided, and began to start cycling and completing fundraising missions to support other young people also battling the illness.

Over the years, he has raised thousands of pounds for cancer charities and he recently completed his Bronze Duke of Edinburgh's Award.

His mum, Jacky, said: “We’re so, so proud of him. Nothing stops him – he just wants to help others as much as possible and the Round the Island Race is something he can’t wait to do.”

Story courtesy ofwww.cambridge-news.co.uk

Success at Civic Pride Awards

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The Provost's Civic Pride Awards in North Ayrshire was held last Friday to celebrate the vast number of individuals and groups who work tirelessly to improve their local communities.

There were five different awards in total, each with five finalists and over 18,300 votes were cast by the public to decide the winners.

The North Aryshire Community Group Award was for a voluntary group which has made a positive contribution and promoted or demonstrated civic pride in its community. The winners of this award were the fantastic Oasis New Start Duke of Edinburgh's Award group who meet every week and work to brighten up their community. Together they have created a wildlife garden, done litter picks on the beaches and painted community hubs, such as local churches and scout huts.

There was more DofE success in another category with the Young Citizen of the Year Award going to Lisa Heenan, a DofE volunteer and DofE Young Ambassador who works to help other young people complete their DofE programmes and represents the DofE nationally and internationally.

There was further success on the night for the Oasis New Start DofE group when they won the 'Winner of winners' award for their group enthusiasm and desire to 'make a difference' to their community.

The group DofE Leader Ross Muir said "We were delighted just to be at the event, so to have actually won, particularly when you look at the competition we were up against, is just pehnomenal. We have young people from all over the district and we are always out and about doing jobs. We're are very pleased for all of the groups members, with young people from all walks of life getting involved - including those judged to be at risk of offending or who have been excluded from school. The group are very proud of all they have achieved - and we're proud of every one of them."

Story courtesy of the Irvine Times and image courtesy of www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk

Course gives food for thought

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Staff from a local supermarket joined forces with Bexhill High school, East Sussex, to assist students with their culinary and hygiene skills as part of the Skills section of their Duke of Edinburgh's Awards.

Bexhill Tesco's Community Champion, Hazel Lingham, said they were "delighted" to help students achieve and complete a project as part of their DofE programmes, with a 12 week course entitled 'food on a budget'.

Hazel said: "The course is for 14 year olds and up and involved 12 weeks of basic cooking on a budget, along with food safety and hygiene."

The course included a training day at the Tesco store where students worked with members of staff from the deli counter.

On completing the course, students were presented with Tesco food safety award certificates.

Story courtesy of Bexhill on Sea Observer.

Scottish sea kayak trail

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Eight young people and four adults from Sandgate School, a special school in Kendal, Cumbria, have set off to kayak across the Sound of Arisaig, part of the 'Scottish sea kayak trail' as part of their Duke of Edinburgh's Awards.

The expedition which, is being hosted by Sea-kayak Arisaig, is runnning from 20-26^th June and will take in 60 miles of open seas and sheltered waters along some of the most beautiful coastline of Britain.

“It is a great opportunity to experience some of the greatest natural wonders that Scotland has to offer surrounded by exotic wildlife such as dolphins, basking sharks, seals and otters,” said Steve Macfarlane of Sea-kayak Arisaig, based on the shores of Loch Ailort at Glenuig Inn.

“Sea-kayaking is an inclusive activity for the majority and allows them to take part in a very adventurous environment,” said Dan Hinton the group leader.

“If our special needs pupils are not able to walk, then sea-kayaking is perfect. With the support of Aquabacs, which are special seats which adapt normal boats for disabled use, all students have the opportunity to go out on the water.”

“This week is the culmination of a many years of training for these young people. All of these students have done adventurous training as part of their schooling but this is the grand finale for their academic year.”

The participants, all with severe learning difficulties and aged between 17 and 19 will go out in double sea-kayaks with the more experienced young people teamed up with the lesser. All eight are doing their DofE programmes with four being assessed for the Expedition section of their Bronze Awards on this trip.

Story courtesy of www.allmediascotland.com

Hounoured by Queen

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A Berwick man who has helped 1,500 students through the Duke of Edinburgh's Award has been awarded an MBE for his services.

Elliott Hill, who retired as a teacher at Berwick High School, Northumberland last summer, was thrilled to be recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to young people.

He said: “I’m over the moon about it. It’s a tremendous honour, not just for me and my family but the school and I’d like to thank all those people who have helped me over the years.”

He paid particular tribute to his wife, Pamela, who helped with the Duke of Edinburgh's Award workload, and his two children.

Elliott is back at school now as a part-time outdoor education leader and is still involved with the DofE through his work at Berwick Youth Project.

His work with the DofE first began in 1984 when he was youth leader at Norham Youth Club.

“It all started with a group of girls there who wanted to their Awards,” Elliott recalled. “More and more kids wanted to have a go at it and a couple of years later the deputy head at the high school asked if I’d like to take on the role of co-ordinating it there.

“I’ve been doing it for 27 years and have seen in the region of 1,500 students achieve their Awards, which has been a real privilege.”

Story and image courtesy of www.berwick-advertiser.co.uk/news

Towcaster DofE success

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

This week, with their parents to support them, young people who had completed a ten week Babysitting Course were awarded their certificates from the Mayor of Towcester, Cllr Martin Johns. The Mayor applauded their efforts and commitment.

Course tutors, Alison Barlow and Karen Bricknell from Youth and Community Development Services congratulated the young people on their achievements. Not only had the young people achieved their certificate from the Red Cross but they had also gained the St Johns Ambulance Emergency First Aid for Infants and Children Certificate. Two members of the group also completed the Skills section of their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh's Award.

The Babysitting Course provided guidance for young people aged 14 and over who may already be babysitting or are thinking that they might like to babysit. All of the sessions were interactive and fun, involving the group through information sharing, discussion and practical activities.

Young people have learnt about expectations and the law, regarding babysitting, accident prevention, fire safety, first aid and dealing with challenging situations.

Story and image courtesy of www.aboutmyarea.co.uk/Northamptonshire

Roger's charity trek

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A DofE participant will be undertaking a challenging trek for charity this weekend. Roger Mullholland from Tiverton will be walking 24 miles of costal footpath in Pembrokshire. This trek would be challenging for most but for Roger it is even more so, as he suffers from dual sensory loss and he is doing the walk in aid of national charity Sense which supports people who are deaf/blind.

The walk starts on Saturday, (June 18) from Trefin progressing to Whitesands Bay on day one before setting off on Sunday (June 19) for the charming village of Solva. Roger is set to be the only deaf/blind person in a group of walkers from across the country, so he will be walking with the aid of sighted companions.

On the first day Roger's regular enablement officer Phil Edmonds will be by his side while mother Jane will walk the second leg. Jane explained that the weather could make quite a difference for Roger, with moderate conditions best for him. "If it showery he can see absolutely nothing, if it is sunny, he can see absolutely nothing, so a plain day would be best for Roger. On a walk like this on high cliffs, he is totally reliant on other people to make sure he stays on the right path."

The challenge is one for early risers as there will be a 7am breakfast on the first day in order to make an early start the several hours of arduous walking that lie ahead.

Jane said: "All this year he has been working on getting his fitness back to tackle this, and it has been a real goal for him to work towards."

It is an exciting time for Roger at the moment; having just completed his Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award and he has also been rowing regularly with Tiverton Rowing Club.

Story courtesy of www.southwestbusiness.co.uk

Disability Games 2011

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Hundreds of students overcame their disabilities to go for gold at the annual Disability Games event in Sheffield on Tuesday.

More than 200 young people aged 14 to 19 competed at the English Institute of Sport in Attercliffe at the games, run by the Yorkshire and Humber DofE Region.

Disabled athletes took part in sports including archery, cycling, basketball and table tennis during the event, which was opened by Sheffield’s Lord Mayor Coun Sylvia Dunkley.

It was supported by more than 100 young volunteers, many from Sheffield, who were on hand to help out the young people as they competed in the various sports in teams of eight.

Pupils also got the chance to meet a number of Paralympians who visited to watch the proceedings, such as table tennis player Farrell Anthony, Andy Wharton, a wheelchair rugby gold medallist, skier Jo Willoughby and Stephen Miller, triple champion in the club event.

Coun Dunkley even got into the spirit of the day by gamely riding in a specially-adapted tricycle with Lord Graham Kirkham, chair of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award trustees.

Neil Forrest, director for DofE Yorkshire and Humber region, said he hoped the athletes would use the day as a ‘springboard into sport’.

“Those who took part last time gained a great sense of achievement,” he said.

“Most of the young people taking part are Duke of Edinburgh’s Award participants, and the games will offer them the chance to develop their physical section activities and gain experience of other elements. For others this will be a taster of their future involvement.”

The games finished with a march-past of the teams to commemorate the Duke’s 90th birthday, as well as a presentation of certificates from the Paralympians.

Story and image courtesy of www.thestar.co.uk/news/local

DofE project wins award

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Students and DofE participants at Savio Salesian College in Bootle, Merseyside came up with a unique design that aims to solve the problem associated with bat or bird habitats. For the past two years they have been making and selling nest boxes for bats or birds, as part of their mini-enterprise project.

The design, a Bat or Bird box (or the ‘BOB’ box), is believed to be the first of its kind that combines a dual purpose of a potential roost for bats that could be easily converted to a home for birds in two simple steps. The class of Year 8 pupils have been working alongside an older group of DofE participants to create the BOB boxes during their lunch break. The Year 10 students have been taking part in the BOB box construction as part of the Volunteering section of their DofE programmes.

The BOB box has been given a stamp of approval by the local bat community and national bat charity, the Bat Conservation Trust (BCT), who are also supporting the project through funds and giving advice on bats and their special requirements.

As well as regional success and praise for the project, the group have now received national recognition. Last Thursday representatives from the group travelled to London to the Victoria and Albert Museum to receive their prize for being selected as the winner of the Ecover Ethical Kids Award as part of the Observer Ethical Awards 2011.

The awards are now in their 6^th year and widely known as the ‘green Oscars’. There are nine separate categories and this year’s judges included Colin Firth, Ben Fogle, Deborah Meaden and Brian Cox, to name but a few.

Gifts of the BOB were also made to the Queen and Prince Charles, both of whom replied with glowing endorsements. Future plans for the team (and the generous bursary given by their sponsor Ecover) include a bat and bird conservation project for the wider region and working with nearby Altcourse Prison to increase production.

Reading buddies project

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

For many, reading is a favourite hobby. But for the blind and visually-impaired, libraries can seem daunting and inaccessible.

That’s why Newcastle City Library has launched a new project called Reading Buddies.

The project has been designed in partnership with NEALIS – North East Accessible Library and Information Service, the RNIB, the Guide Dog Association and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

The volunteers, or Reading Buddies, have received training and a recognised qualification from the Guide Dog Association and they will now use their skills to help visitors with visual impairments. This includes offering support with using computer software or providing assistance in choosing materials such as MP3s, CDs and e-books.

The first Reading Buddies are students Aiden Woof, 22, Katharine Holden, 18, and Alex Davies, 16, who will be using their new skills and experiences to count towards the Volunteering section of their Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Awards.

Linda Oliver, from the North East branch of the Guide Dog Association, said: “If the Reading Buddies project takes off and is successful, the aim is for it to spread to other branches so even more people can benefit.”

Tony Durcan, Newcastle City Council’s director of culture, libraries and lifelong learning, said: “It is really important all people have equal access to reading opportunities. We are very excited about this new Reading Buddies scheme and think it will make a real difference to blind and partially-sighted readers."

Reading Buddies was also launched to coincide with the RNIB Make a Noise in Libraries Fortnight, a national campaign to encourage visually-impaired people to continue with reading.

Story and image courtesy of www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-east-news

For more details on the project call Newcastle City Library on 0191 277 4100.

Participants head to Africa

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Three thrill-seeking DofE participants are making final preparations for the experience of a lifetime.

Daring Rachel MacKay, Helen Boyd and Carly Woods will trek almost 20,000ft up to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro this month.

The ambitious trio are travelling to Tanzania in Africa today to start their adventure, and will return home almost two weeks later, having completed the feat.

Rachel, who has just completed her final exams at Dumbarton Academy, Scotland said: “I am getting really excited about it.”

The girls took part in a training weekend in Wales in April where they met their fellow climbers.

Rachel continued: “The weekend was about getting to know other people in the group. There are about 15 people altogether. For some of them, they just want to do the climb, others are doing it for charity and some of them are finishing university and thought it would be a good way to finish off their course. We were the only Scottish ones there.”

The girls are taking part in the exciting adventure as part of their Residential section of their Gold DofE Awards, which they have been involved in at Dumbarton Academy, under the guidance of teacher Alistair Henderson.

In preparation for the trek, they have been keeping fit and building up their stamina.

Rachel continued: “To get my fitness levels up, I’ve just carried on with my climbing. I do quite a lot of climbing, skiing and other sports, so I have just been upping them a little bit.”

But the girls have also been given strict instructions on what to take with them to make sure they are full prepared for the trip. They have been given a kit list which includes ensuring climbers have enough clothing which they can layer when needed and other essential items such as first aid kits.

Story courtesy of www.lennoxherald.co.uk/dunbartonshire-news

Happy birthday to our Patron!

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

We would like to congratulate our Patron, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh on his 90^th birthday today.

HRH The Duke of Edinburgh founded The Duke of Edinburgh's Award in 1956 and remains our Patron, continuing to devote much time presenting Gold Awards at St James’ Palace, attending fundraising events and meeting hundreds of participants and volunteers, in the UK and overseas every year.

Prince Philip’s keen interest in and support for the personal development of young people has been the driving force behind the success of the DofE. Since its inception in the UK (we now have over 275,000 participants at any one time), the DofE has expanded into 132 countries with over 875,000 participants worldwide.

We would like to thank our Patron for his continued passion, support and devotion to the DofE and wish him a very happy birthday!

Learn more about how The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award began, see our timeline and full history here.

View our gallery of images from the early days of the DofE to today here.

Click here to see how DofE participants of today are still benefitting from doing their DofE www.youtube.com/theDofEUK

Check out BBC iPlayer to watch their documentary commemorating Prince Phillip www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer

Documentary on the Duke

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Thu, 9 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Don't forget to tune into the documentary tonight on the Duke of Edinburgh on the eve of his 90th birthday!

Fiona Bruce narrates this hour long edition, exploring his life, work and of course his contribution to the Duke of Edinburgh's Award.

The programme includes contributions from other famous faces and begins at 9pm on BBC One.

Abseil off Forth Bridge

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Wed, 8 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

It’s the last chance to abseil off one of the nation's most iconic landmarks as registration for the Forth Bridge Abseil Challenge closes this Friday.

The fundraising event, organised by the DofE Scotland and the south Queensferry Rotary Club, offers the opportunity to abseil down the rail bridge on Sunday 19th June.

Linda Thompson, Development Executive at DofE Scotland, said: "We do the event jointly with the South Queensferry Rotary Club. This is the second year. Last year’s was successful - we raised over £10,000. We are hoping to raise more this year. 300 odd people are going to be abseiling on the day, which is almost double the numbers of last year’s event. We are going to have six ropes instead of the four we had last year. The abseil is a freefall SAS-style, so you just come down on the rope without bouncing against anything. You are coming down under your own steam."

“Our aim is to raise money for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Scotland as we are a charity, but we are also helping some of Duke of Edinburgh's Awards groups with their fundraising as well.”

No previous abseiling experience is necessary to take part in the challenge, and people of all abilities are encouraged to take part.

Linda said: “Last year, the minimum age was set at 16, but this year is set at 14. This is the age that you can start your Bronze Award so we can have some younger people involved to give them a taste of adventure. We also had people last year that came along to conquer their fear of heights and no one backed out. We encourage people of all abilities to have a go. We are really looking forward to it before our Gold Award presentations on July 4^th.”

Story and image courtesy of local.stv.tv/edinburgh/news

DofE Awards Redbridge

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Tue, 7 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Young people celebrated receiving their Duke of Edinburgh's Awards at a ceremony with the mayor in Redbridge, London on Saturday.

The Mayor of Redbridge Chris Cummins awarded 150 young people with their Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards at the Frenford Club, in The Drive, Ilford.

The participants volunteered in charity shops, learnt new skills, got fit and completed an arduous expedition to achieve their Awards.

More than 800 young people have signed up to start their DofE programmes in Redbridge this year. If you wish to join them email dofe@redbridge.gov.uk

Story courtesy of www.guardian-series.co.uk/news

Cadet litter pick on the canal

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Mon, 6 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Tiverton Army Cadets from Devon ACF, completing their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards helped to clean up their local canal by completing a litter pick. The Army Cadets teamed up with Mid Devon District Council’s ‘Big Litter Pick’ scheme to clean up the local beauty spot, the Grand Western Canal.

As part of their Volunteering section the Army Cadets wanted to get involved with a litter pick after Mid Devon District Council visited their detachment in March, and talked to them about the problems litter causes. The Army Cadets were keen to get stuck in and show their support.

They managed to collect 6 bags of rubbish at the litter pick in just 3 hours. The sacks of litter were collected by Mid Devon District Council and disposed of, and they also provided the cadets with the litter picking sticks, fluorescent jackets and refuse sacks. On route the cadets got lots of pictures to upload to their eDofE accounts, and eventually to place in their achievement packs.

Anyone interested in joining Devon Army Cadet Force, either as a cadet or Adult Instructor, should visit the website at www.acompanyacf.co.uk.

Retracing expedition

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 3 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Fifty years after their original Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expedition, Mike Simpson and Graham Sheppard have done it all again! They will be appearing tonight on The One Show on BBC1 to celebrate their great achievement.

Their walk covered 80 miles over steep and isolated Exmoor terrain in 72 hours, with their rucksacks. Mike and Graham are now in their late sixties and remember how tough it was in 1961 and felt it was even tougher second time round!

Mike still had his original log so they were able to follow the same route as before. They started from Minehead Station on Sat 28 May, having arrived by steam train, just as they did on 26 May 1961. Their main purpose was to raise money for charity including Help for Heroes and to say thank you and to give something back after their 25 year careers in the Army.

Don't forget to tune into The One Show tonight, BBC1 at 7pm to see the men recount their challenge!

First Gold for BB company

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Thu, 2 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A West Bridgford young person is the first member of his Boys' Brigade company in 22 years to receive their Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award.

Yusuf Paterson-Mosafeer, 19, who is at university in Manchester, has been part of the 42nd Nottingham Edwalton Company since he was five.

He attended a Gold Award Presentation ceremony at St. James's Palace in London where he received his Award.

His mum, Rehan Mosafeer, 58, of West Bridgford, said: "I'm really proud of him. This is such a great achievement."

Company captain Alex Whitaker said: "We are all incredibly proud of him. We've never had any problems getting through to Silver, but Gold is such a big commitment. Hopefully, this is going to start a bit of enthusiasm with the others."

Story courtesy of www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/education

The Earl visits new campus

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Wed, 1 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Prince Edward on Wednesday became the first official guest at the new Liverpool King David High School campus.

Visiting the existing premises, the prince asked to see the £26 million campus, which will become the centre of Jewish schooling and community life in Liverpool.

Earlier in his visit, he was entertained by the school choir and met current Duke of Edinburgh's Award participants.

Head girl and boy Rachel Friend and Adam Fineberg, both 18, discussed their plans for university with Prince Edward.

"I told him I was studying history, which he said was a good choice," Rachel said. "I didn't curtsey but he shook my hand and was very friendly."

Mark Globe and Jordan Brookes talked to him about their Bronze DofE activities.

Year 10 pupil Sophie Simon spent three months volunteering for Merseyside Jewish Community Care as part of her DofE programme. Victoria Miller had helped KD's kindergarten run after-school classes for children of working parents.

Story and image courtesy of www.thejc.com/community

Volunteering work rewarded

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 27 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Missy Gibson, a Gold participant, from Scotland came in the top three for the Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards Volunteer Award.

Missy is a volunteer with the Young carers DofE groups, she helps out with the Bronze and Silver groups and is also working towards her Gold. She also produces a a quarterly newsletter for the young carers’ project which she developed herself from scratch. As well as all this Missy is also a young carer for her mum and sister and volunteers for a range of other charities. All of these activities lead to her being nominated for this award, in which she made it to the top three on the night. There were 100s of nominations in her category from all over Scotland and the awards ceremony was held in the Glasgow Hilton to celebrate the fantastic achievement of Missy and the other young achievers.

Missy was nominated for the award by her group leader Gillian. Gillian explains: “I nominated Missy under the Volunteer category for two reasons. Firstly she has almost single handily produced a fantastic quarterly newsletter for the young carers group over the past two years. And secondly she has been a volunteer for the Young carers DofE group since its inception and continues to show up and help every week. As well as all this Missy also holds down a job, volunteers at other youth organisations, is working towards her Gold Award and has a caring role at home for her mum and younger sister.”

Missy has used her activities at the young carer group to count towards the Skills and Volunteering section of her Gold Award and she hopes to complete her practise expedition later in the year. Missy is supported in her work by her DofE leader Raymond Jamieson, New Start Development Worker Gillian Creedican and The New Start Project.

Building partnerships

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 27 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The DofE is proud to announce that it has licenced two Housing Associations to deliver the leading youth development programme to young people in London. The innovative partnerships with One Housing Group and Viridian Housing will enable broader access to the positive outcomes of the DofE for young people in the Capital.

Working alongside One Support (One Housing Group’s care and support arm) and Viridian Housing, we have developed a pioneering sustainable programme that includes young leader training and work placements. Together, by investing in the young people of today, we are investing in the community leaders of tomorrow – this fosters community cohesion at the most fundamental level.

During a time when young people face increasing social and economic challenges, we are proud to be working alongside Housing Associations, with whom we so closely share vision and principles.

DofE enlists help of SAS for eDofE

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 27 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The DofE has enlisted the services of business analytics software and services provider SAS to provide enhanced reporting capabilities for eDofE, the online record book.

SAS will allow the DofE to deliver new levels of management information to more people more quickly and the ability to generate nationwide reports.

"Until now, all the statistical information we used was gathered manually," said Janet Dutton, DofE project manager. "Every year, we would ask local authorities to fill out information on the young people taking their DofE programmes into an Excel spreadsheet, and then we'd consolidate it. This meant there was a lot of number-crunching and quality-checking, so if the financial year ran until 31 March, it could be June or July before we were able to produce statistics for the previous year."

She added that now the DofE will have better visibility of participation numbers and flow of young people's progression through their DofE programmes, and detail on their backgrounds. "We spent time in the selection process looking at other organisations and their product offerings. SAS offered good support, which is important to us. Locality was critical as well. We wanted a business that was close to our offices for better support, and SAS satisfied that criteria too," said Dutton.

Pilots are currently being trialled with Midland and East regions, and the system will soon be rolled out nationally.

To read more on this story visit www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news

DofE group save family on river

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Fri, 27 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A heroic group of DofE participants from Dewsbury and Mirfield rescued a family who got into trouble on a fast-flowing river.

The group of 12 swung into action when all of the canoeing family ended up in the River Wye near Hereford and managed to haul them all to the bank.

The students were on the last of a four-day paddle expedition for their Gold

DofE expedition when the drama unfolded.

Afterwards Kirklees DofE manager Denise Bedford MBE said: “It is simply what I would expect from these courageous young people.”

A family of six was travelling along the Wye in a boat and a kayak. The mother and father were in one boat with the two youngest children, and two other children were in the kayak.

The daughter in the kayak got tangled in a tree and was dragged from the craft. Her parents stood up in their boat, panicked and upturned into the water. The other teenager in the kayak also tipped over trying to reach the girl.

“So they were all in the river,” said Mrs Bedford, 46, who has lived in Mirfield for 30 years. “It was chaos. We couldn’t believe how our students went into action and did their bit. They used their lines to haul everyone on to the bank and made sure they were all okay. It was a real team effort. Potentially, they averted a tragedy as the river is really tricky at this point.”

The DofE participants, all students at Greenhead College in Huddersfield, had been training for the 130-kilometre canoe for six months, meeting weekly at the DofE centre in Mirfield.

Team leader Beth Sutcliffe, 16, said: “It all happened so quickly. The girl trapped in the tree was really tiny and only about six or seven. She was tangled up for several minutes. We just knew we had to do something to help. It was quite an experience and the little girl came to us and said thank you.”

Hayley Brien, also 16, helped Beth pull one of the girls from the water. She said: “It was all really weird, but in a good way.”

Mrs Bedford, who is based at the DofE activity centre at Shepley Bridge Marina, said: “Young people come in for a lot of negative comments and it is good when something like this redresses the balance a bit. Their training is to look after others first and preserve lives. I am so proud of the way they worked together to show the level of competence they have achieved. The mother came to thank us and say how grateful the family was.”

Story and image courtesy of www.dewsburyreporter.co.uk/news

New look DofE website

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Thu, 26 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Our newly restyled website is here and ready for you to explore. Complete with a different layout and a stylish new look. The previous two separate areas for young people have been combined and the whole site has been given a fresh new feel. Going live today, we hope that, after you've got used to where things are, it'll continue to help you in your DofE work. It’s also been nicely timed to coincide with the fantastic new relaunch of eDofE.

Don’t forget to 'like' our Facebook page and follow us on twitter so you receive daily updates from us as well.

Jennifer goes for Gold

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Thu, 26 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

DofE participant Jennifer from Perthshire has successfully climbed the highest mountain range in the world for her Gold Award.

Jennifer performed this amazing feet in October last year whilst also raising money for the local blind society. This may seem like a reasonable challenge for some, but Jennifer is visually impaired and is registered blind she also has ADHD. However she does not see this as a deterrent and decided to take her Duke of Edinburgh’s Award up a gear.

The trek to the Himalayas was organised by the Blind Society and counted for Jennifer’s Expedition section. To carry out this challenging adventurous project Jennifer and her fellow partially sighted and blind walkers had to undertake months of training climbing Ben Vrackie, Schiehallion, Ben Lawers and Ben Nevis to name a few. As the youngest member Jennifer was able to develop friendships with people who also experience a similar disability. It was on the training walks that she developed her skills as a leader and Jennifer was able to support another blind walker. Whilst in Nepal Jennifer gained confidence, raised money for charity and celebrated her 20^th Birthday.

They trekked a total of 150km over 16 days, more than initially intended due to bad weather forcing a change of route. All this could not have been achieved without the support of her DofE leader Agnes Walls, New Start Development Worker Gillian Creedican, The New Start Project and The Perth and Kinross Association.

For her Residential section she spent a week working at the Royal Blind School in Edinburgh and found it an incredibly rewarding experience.

Jennifer is already planning a return trip to Nepal to the Everest base camp for November this year. She will also be attending Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh in July to collect her Gold Award.

5000th DofE Award for school

webmaster@DofE.org (Editor) — Thu, 26 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Oakham School in Rutland has celebrated awarding its 5000^th Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

The 5000^th DofE achiever is student Will Crossley who will be presented his Gold Award by The Lord Lieutenant of Rutland Dr Lawrence Howard at a celebratory lunch.

“I feel very honoured to receive the 5000^th Award but all the other students who’ve achieved so much with their DofE programmes also deserve recognition” said Will.

This milestone coincides with the 50^th year of the running the DofE at the school.

Text and image courtesy of www.oakham.rutland.sch.uk