In more than seven decades of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) we’ve learnt one thing: never doubt what young people can do. Time and again we’ve seen that when you give young people the chance to prove to themselves what they are capable of, there is no limit to what they can achieve.
We’re here to celebrate and champion every young person, enabling a safe and supportive environment as they take on their own challenges, follow their passions and discover talents they never knew they had.
DofE is run right across the UK – in schools, colleges, hospitals, prisons and young offender institutions – as well as youth and sports clubs, and more. In 2022/23 more than 323,000 young people started their DofE Award – the highest number in our 67-year history.
Whatever a young person’s ability, interest or background, a DofE Award can be adapted for them. It’s a prestigious and trusted way to turn the things they love into lifelong skills that can help them get a job, make a difference in their community and take on anything life throws their way. Because when you prove to yourself that you’re ready for anything, nothing can hold you back.
Thank you for supporting your young person on their DofE adventure.
Benefits to young people
When your young person does their DofE programme they’ll develop the skills and attitudes they need to become more rounded, confident adults. Qualities that colleges, universities and employers are attracted to. So, when you support your child’s pursuit of their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, you’re investing in their future.
As they work through their DofE programme, you can expect to see your young person develop in these areas:
- Self-belief and self-confidence
- A sense of identity
- Initiative and a sense of responsibility
- A real awareness of their strengths
- New talents and abilities
- The ability to plan and use time effectively
- Learning from and giving to others in the community
- Forming new friendships
- Problem solving, presentation and communication skills
- Leadership and teamworking skills
Measuring impact
Measuring the impact of the DofE is the starting point for improving what we do and ensuring that the Award has a positive benefit for the widest possible number of young people.
As your young person works through their DofE programme we ask them questions, through our eDofE system about their confidence, abilities and future, and about their wellbeing more generally. The questions are optional so if your young person doesn’t want to answer they can skip over them by selecting “Prefer not to say”. The DofE is for 14- to 24-year-olds and young people of this age are generally considered to be sufficiently mature to choose to answer these questions themselves, but you may wish to discuss it with them.
The data is used for statistical purposes and responses will not be used or shared in a way that identifies anyone individually (please see our Privacy Statement for more information about how we use data). The only exception is if the wellbeing responses indicate a cause for concern. In this situation, the DofE centre will be notified so they can follow up with the individual, in line with their own safeguarding procedure. Where the individual is 18 or over, we will follow up to confirm their consent before we notify the DofE centre.
For more information about these questions and how we use the data, have a look at our latest impact report and its corresponding technical report on Our impact.
How you can help
Like you support and guide your young person in other areas of their life, they’ll appreciate the same for their DofE. You can encourage them to keep their eDofE up to date, give them lifts to activities and provide financial support for kit. DofE programmes can be challenging, so your encouragement can help them stay motivated.
Top tips
- Help make sure the activities they pick are exciting, but realistic for your budget, transport and local facilities.
- Remind them to keep gathering their evidence, like photos and certificates, and upload it to eDofE.
- Help them find an Assessor. The Assessor signs off each DofE section and can be anyone who knows about or organises the activity. It can be the gym or sports instructor, art teacher, club or volunteering event organiser, and so on. It cannot be a family member.
- Make sure you use the DofE Card. Your young person will receive a personalised DofE Card when they start their DofE. Saving them at least 10% off at our recommended retailers, helping you to save on kit and other essential items.
- Remind them to make sure their Assessors write their reports as their programme comes to an end. Without it, they cannot complete the section and their DofE.
- Make sure they include their DofE achievements on their CV or personal statement.
Volunteer yourself
You might even want to get involved by volunteering with your local DofE group or raising money for the DofE. You don’t need special qualifications to be a DofE helper. There’s a role for everyone, like giving guidance, training, driving a minibus or helping with administration.
If you volunteer, we’ll make sure you complete safeguarding checks and get support with your training.
Safeguarding
Keeping young people safe is our first priority. Find out more about how we safeguard and supervise DofE participants:
