What is the Young Leaders Programme?

A DofE Young Leader is a DofE participant who takes on additional responsibility to support the DofE at their centre alongside adult Leaders, and who are trained by the DofE to fulfil their role. They provide peer to peer support and help other young people to access and achieve their DofE programme from a relatable standpoint.

The Young Leaders Programme aims to put young people at the heart of what Licensed Organisations do, in line with our Youth Without Limits strategy, developing participants’ leadership skills and contributing to their personal development. It’s an asset to a young person’s CV and can count towards their Volunteering section – though it doesn’t have to.

The DofE provides training to help Young Leaders make the most of their role and individual centres work with young leaders to decide on suitable responsibilities and commitment. There is no cost to you or the Young Leaders.

Your young people will need to complete the Young Leader Introduction Pathway and attend an online group Action Planning Session with DofE staff and other Young Leaders They will agree with you what activities they’re going to help with and complete a minimum of two additional modules of their choice to support their role. At the end of their six to twelve months as a Young Leader, your young people will attend an Exit session to achieve their Young Leader Certificate.

How to get involved

We have further information, including what Young Leaders can do, plus all the tools you need to nominate and support young people on their journey below.

Young Leaders Resources

Click the image below to download the Overview and Booking document.

A document titled "Young Leaders Programme Process" outlines the six steps of the programme. The document has a yellow and white color scheme with bold black text. The six steps are structured in a table format with numbered stages from 1 to 6, each described in a yellow-highlighted box. Stage 1: DofE centres select two Young Leaders, and the DofE Leader provides them with a registration link and password. Stage 2: Young Leaders complete online registration. Parental permission is automatically requested for under-18s, and confirmation is sent upon receipt. Stage 3: After receiving parental permission, Young Leaders receive eDofE account details and log in to activate their account. Their Learning Platform account is created the next day. They use their email to access the platform and begin the Introduction to the Young Leader Pathway. Stage 4: Young Leaders attend an online action planning session and receive a pin badge. They meet with their DofE Leader to decide on their activities and select additional training modules. Stage 5: Young Leaders complete selected training modules via the Learning Platform and carry out activities under their DofE Leader’s guidance. Stage 6: After six months and completing at least one additional module, Young Leaders can exit the programme. They book an Exit session via the Learning Platform and receive a certificate upon completion. At the bottom of the document, there is a link to more Young Leaders resources and the date "April 2025." The DofE "Youth Without Limits" logo appears in the bottom left corner.

Speak to your Operations Officer or contact [email protected] if you have any further questions.

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