Duke of Edinburgh Award

Achieving accreditation

The Duke of Edinburgh’s (DofE) Award is an internationally recognised accreditation scheme designed to promote and reward personal and social development in young people between the ages of 14 and 25. It is for everyone who likes a challenge.

 

The DofE mission is simple: ‘to inspire, guide and support young people in their self-development, and recognise their achievements’. As the Award Scheme’s aims complement those of the VCC, many VCC activities will qualify individual cadets and junior adult staff for elements of the Awards.

 

The Award Scheme is voluntary and participants follow their chosen activities at their own pace with guidance from someone knowledgeable in each subject. Minimum standards of achievement are laid down and when these are met participants qualify for an Award.

Award Scheme and Levels​

The DofE Award Scheme consists of three Awards; Bronze, Silver and Gold. DofE is available to all eligible cadets and adult volunteers from across the organisation that meet the age requirements.

 

In order to qualify a participant must successfully complete activities in 5 sections;

 

Volunteering: Get involved providing services to individuals or the community and make a difference to other people’s lives.

 

Physical: Get active and improve your skills and fitness in sport, dance or other physical activities – it’s your choice.

 

Skills: Find new interests and get new talents (or perfect existing ones), with increased practical and social skills.

 

Expedition: Get outdoors and plan, train for and complete an adventurous journey in the UK or abroad – an unbeatable experience.

 

Residential: Residential is about challenging yourself, embracing new experiences and having fun with new people. Your residential is a key part of your Gold Award where you can volunteer at a summer camp, work on a conservation project, do a course, or something else entirely.

​Qualifying VCC Service

​Cadets will be required to have completed Phase 2 training and be up to date with the payment of monthly Subs prior to being able to take part in the DofE Award Scheme through the VCC.

 

Adult instructors must have completed their probationary time and have served for at least 12 months, which can include previous time spent as a Cadet.

 

DofE Award Scheme certificates and badges will be presented to individual cadets at the Termly Parade. Successful cadets will also be presented with DofE badges which can be worn on both No.1 and MTP uniform to recognise their individual achievement.

Why Complete a DofE award?​

It’s not a walk in the park. You’ll get your DofE Award through persistence and commitment – but as a VCC Cadet you’ll already know all about that. Over time you’ll develop personally and welcome each new challenge.

 

An individual who has successfully completed their Bronze, Silver or Gold DofE Award has had to demonstrate motivation, self-reliance, commitment and determination against an internationally recognised standard. At the end of it all you’ll have the world’s leading achievement award for young people under your belt, recognised by colleges, universities and employers alike.

 

But there’s one person who’ll truly appreciate that achievement the most – you!

You can start your DofE in the school year you turn 14, and you must achieve your Award before your 25th birthday.

 

This is when you can start each level:

 

  • Bronze: the school year you turn 14
  • Silver: the school year you turn 15
  • Gold: age 16

 

When you start a level, you need to be young enough to complete it. Each level can take between 6 and 18 months

There are 3 levels of the DofE programme you can do which lead to a Bronze, Silver or Gold Award.

 

The main differences between them are:

  • the length of time it takes to complete them
  • how challenging they are
  • at what age you can start

Depending on your age you can start at any level, but most people prefer to start at Bronze and work upwards. You have to finish all your sections before your 25th birthday.

 

You need to work on each section for an average of 1 hour a week, at minimum. At Bronze level, activities are usually weekly.

 

Condensed hours

For longer sections at Silver and Gold it can be useful to do an activity for longer but less often.

 

This can be good for Volunteering in particular, so you can take on more interesting and challenging activities. For example, in a Gold programme lasting 12 or 18 months, you could do one 4-6 hour session of volunteering per month.

 

You cannot condense an activity to less than 1 session per month and you cannot complete more than 6 hours in a month.

 

Goal

For each section, you should set a challenging but achievable goal. You must show development and regular progress towards this goal.

The Volunteer Cadet Corps is always looking for enthusiastic adult volunteers to help deliver the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and inspire young people to achieve their full potential.

 

Whether you have previous expedition experience or are completely new to the Award, there are a wide range of opportunities to become involved. Adult volunteers play an essential role in supporting training, supervising expeditions, mentoring participants and helping cadets achieve one of the UK’s most respected youth awards.

 

The VCC is committed to investing in its volunteers. Staff have the opportunity to gain nationally recognised expedition and outdoor leadership qualifications, including Lowland Leader, Hill and Moorland Leader, Mountain Leader and Camping Leader qualifications, enabling them to confidently lead and support expeditions across a variety of environments.

 

We pride ourselves on being an inclusive and supportive organisation. There are volunteer roles available both within local units and on Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expeditions, with responsibilities that can be adapted to meet individual skills, experience and any reasonable adjustments that may be required. Whatever your background, we will work with you to help you find a role where you can make a meaningful contribution.

 

Volunteering with the Volunteer Cadet Corps is a rewarding opportunity to develop your own skills, gain recognised qualifications, meet like-minded people and help young people build confidence, resilience and independence through adventure.

 

If you’d like to play a part in delivering life-changing experiences for the next generation, we’d love to hear from you. Join our team and help cadets discover what they’re capable of.

DofE Website: http://www.dofe.org/

eDofE Web-portal: http://www.edofe.org

Programme List: Programme Section Ideas – Complete

Latest DofE Magazine: DofE Magazine

DofE Skills for Work: Skills for Work