This is all about making a difference to other people's lives. Getting off your sofa and taking time out to change things for the better can be great fun.
You'll need to agree the type of volunteering you want to do, what you plan to achieve and do any training (if you need to) before you get started.
Ben Fogle, TV presenter and Silver Award holder reckons volunteering is a great thing to get involved in: “Employers and universities recognise the value of having people who have a life away from their job. This is where the DofE comes in, it's now become the leading Award for young people to demonstrate they have interests outside of everyday life. Volunteering gives you a chance to make a difference to others and to their community. I believe that you'll find your voluntary work will increase your confidence and self-esteem and give you new skills. I would advise you all to embrace volunteering opportunities; it's a great way to collect extra experience that could give you the edge at a college, university or job interview.”
In case you're still wondering what you'll get out of the Volunteering section, this is what Sarah has to say about it...
"For my volunteering I spent a year helping children with special needs. Doing my DofE gave me even more back than the hours and effort I put in." Sarah, DofE participant.
From conservation to youth work to fundraising for your favourite charity or caring for animals, there's an endless list of the types of projects you can get involved in, so have a chat with your Leader and other people in your community to find out what’s on offer, what needs doing and who needs help!
Once you've found an activity or project, you'll need to get someone who's running it to agree to help you through it and sign off your evidence once you've completed to prove you did it - we call them your Assessor. Your Assessor will also check on your progress whilst you're doing the activity.
If you can't find a project you want to do, why not set up a new one that will help your community? This can be on your own, with a couple of friends or even with your whole DofE group – your Leader can help you do this and may be able to act as your Assessor.
Remember - you need to get your Leader to agree your choice and make sure it fits our rules for the Volunteering section. They'll have a quick meeting with you to make sure you’ve set yourself enough of a challenge, arrange when they'll catch up with you over the time you're volunteering and when you’ll have your final assessment. Then you’re good to go!