{"id":30461,"date":"2022-10-31T13:55:11","date_gmt":"2022-10-31T12:55:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/blog\/?p=30461"},"modified":"2022-11-01T12:32:53","modified_gmt":"2022-11-01T11:32:53","slug":"duke-of-edinburgh-award-experienced-parent-perspective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/blog\/2022\/10\/31\/duke-of-edinburgh-award-experienced-parent-perspective\/","title":{"rendered":"Duke of Edinburgh Award &#8211; Experienced Parent Perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>All four of our boys have or will be taking part in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dofe.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Duke of Edinburgh Award<\/a>. The first never quite completed his Bronze, he\u2019s over 25 now so it\u2019s too late. Second skipped his Silver and just did Bronze and an extended Gold. Third is currently doing his Silver. Finally the fourth is just starting his Bronze. Therefore, it made sense for me to write a post about our experiences of the Duke of Edinburgh Award and what we have learned.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/dofe-expedition-768x1024.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Duke of Edinburgh Award Expedition\" class=\"wp-image-30477\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/dofe-expedition.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/dofe-expedition.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/dofe-expedition.jpg?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Duke of Edinburgh Award<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As mentioned above the Duke of Edinburgh Award comes in three levels &#8211; Bronze, Silver and Gold. You can start your Bronze Award any time between the ages of 14-24. Right up until the 25th birthday to complete it.<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-table-of-contents uagb-toc__align-left uagb-toc__columns-1  uagb-block-0d2becf9      \"\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-scroll= \"1\"\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-offset= \"30\"\n\t\t\t\t\tstyle=\"\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"uagb-toc__wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"uagb-toc__title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTable Of Contents\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"uagb-toc__list-wrap \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<ol class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><a href=\"#about-the-duke-of-edinburgh-award\" class=\"uagb-toc-link__trigger\">About the Duke of Edinburgh Award<\/a><ul class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><a href=\"#the-duke-of-edinburgh-award-sections\" class=\"uagb-toc-link__trigger\">The Duke of Edinburgh Award Sections<\/a><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><a href=\"#commitment\" class=\"uagb-toc-link__trigger\">Commitment<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><a href=\"#why-do-a-duke-of-edinburgh-award\" class=\"uagb-toc-link__trigger\">Why Do a Duke of Edinburgh Award<\/a><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><a href=\"#the-experience-with-duke-of-edinburgh-award-with-our-children-so-far\" class=\"uagb-toc-link__trigger\">The Experience with Duke of Edinburgh Award with Our Children so Far<\/a><ul class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><a href=\"#the-first-son\" class=\"uagb-toc-link__trigger\">The First Son<\/a><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><a href=\"#the-second-son\" class=\"uagb-toc-link__trigger\">The Second Son<\/a><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><a href=\"#third-and-fourth-sons\" class=\"uagb-toc-link__trigger\">Third and Fourth Sons<\/a><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><a href=\"#things-to-keep-in-mind\" class=\"uagb-toc-link__trigger\">Things to Keep In Mind<\/a><ul class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><a href=\"#who-to-do-the-duke-of-edinburgh-award-with\" class=\"uagb-toc-link__trigger\">Who to Do the Duke of Edinburgh Award With<\/a><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><a href=\"#the-costs\" class=\"uagb-toc-link__trigger\">The Costs<\/a><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><a href=\"#understanding\" class=\"uagb-toc-link__trigger\">Understanding<\/a><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><a href=\"#expeditions\" class=\"uagb-toc-link__trigger\">Expeditions<\/a><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><a href=\"#inclusivity\" class=\"uagb-toc-link__trigger\">Inclusivity<\/a><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><a href=\"#starting-award-level\" class=\"uagb-toc-link__trigger\">Starting Award Level<\/a><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><a href=\"#volunteering\" class=\"uagb-toc-link__trigger\">Volunteering<\/a><\/li><\/ul><li class=\"uagb-toc__list\"><a href=\"#more-information\" class=\"uagb-toc-link__trigger\">More Information<\/a><\/ul><\/ul><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Duke of Edinburgh Award Sections<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Each Duke of Edinburgh Award has four sections: Volunteering, Physical, Skills and Expedition. How long each one takes will depend on the level of Award that the individual is taking. Obviously Bronze starts with the lowest level of commitment and then it builds up. Gold also has a residential. This involves going away with people you don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Commitment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Every one of the activities should take around an hour a week over a set course of time. But not only are the Duke of Edinburgh Awards easy to fit around studies and social life, but also it will help develop their interests. This is also because each programme is unique and personalised to the individual. Well with the exception of the expedition as these are done in groups.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/duke-of-edinburgh-award-expedition.jpg?resize=800%2C533\" alt=\"Duke of Edinburgh Award\" class=\"wp-image-30473\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/duke-of-edinburgh-award-expedition.jpg?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/duke-of-edinburgh-award-expedition.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/duke-of-edinburgh-award-expedition.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Do a Duke of Edinburgh Award<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It is just a great way for young people to develop. You can convince them that it\u2019s great for CVs and UCAS applications &#8211; but the reason that it is because of this. They get to try new things, become more confident, fitter, improve social and survival skills; plus they play an active role in helping their community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Experience with Duke of Edinburgh Award with Our Children so Far<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The First Son<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Our eldest son has Asperger\u2019s Syndrome and did his DofE Bronze with the school. Communication was poor and we didn\u2019t really know much about it back then. He completed it all apart from the volunteering.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"765\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/seacadets.jpg?resize=765%2C1024\" alt=\"seacadet\" class=\"wp-image-30470\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/seacadets.jpg?resize=765%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 765w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/seacadets.jpg?resize=224%2C300&amp;ssl=1 224w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/seacadets.jpg?resize=768%2C1028&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/seacadets.jpg?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 765px) 100vw, 765px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>By the time we discovered that he had until he was 25 years old to complete it he had left school. Things have changed now as it\u2019s online\/on an app but back then we had no way of knowing how to access the fact that he had completed the rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite all this it really helped him in other areas. Plus it helped him to get his first job as a lifeguard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Second Son<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Honestly he just got on with it himself. Well maybe with a bit of nagging from his Captain. This time it was not with the school and personally I think that was much easier. He has technically completed his Gold but just needs to submit the last of his Physical evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cd08ETIqVbQ\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\"><div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cd08ETIqVbQ\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> <div style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\"><svg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"><g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><g transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\"><g><path d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\"><\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div><div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\"> <div style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\"><div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: auto;\"> <div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div><\/div><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/a><p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cd08ETIqVbQ\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\">A post shared by Joy Gloucestershire UK (@pinkoddy)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote><script async src=\"\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>DofE made such a difference to this son in my opinion. He started volunteering at the group he was doing it with (in another section) and then carried on. Going on to become a Young Leader. In fact after he has gone off to University he has asked me to step in a volunteer to help with the gap he has left behind!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/blog\/2018\/04\/13\/ncs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NCS<\/a> is an option for Gold but he was unable to do it as it clashed with things. Instead we found this great residential that included <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tallships.org\/challenger-3-solent-dofe-adventure\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">learning to sail<\/a>. He was meant to go at Christmas and make Christmas foods (gingerbread etc) but missed it because of covid and had to rebook. Either way he had a great time and has even thought about further training so that he can volunteer on the sailing trips!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Puqrm-tvpfQ?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Third and Fourth Sons<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The last two are doing it through the same group as their brother. This time as parents we are more knowledgeable. I am trying to get them to think more about their futures and tailoring what they do to that. Opposed to just taking the obvious routes of running, cooking and volunteering with the people they are doing it with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"744\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/alderton-5k-teen-finishing-pic.jpg?resize=1000%2C744\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-30225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/alderton-5k-teen-finishing-pic.jpg?w=1000&amp;ssl=1 1000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/alderton-5k-teen-finishing-pic.jpg?resize=300%2C223&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/alderton-5k-teen-finishing-pic.jpg?resize=768%2C571&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, is there skills they want to learn? Are there volunteering opportunities that could prove they\u2019ve had a long interest in something they may wish to do in the future?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although the third son does love to <a href=\"https:\/\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/blog\/2022\/09\/20\/home-made-chicken-and-leek-pie\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">cook<\/a> and the fourth one was already learning to play the guitar!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Things to Keep In Mind<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who to Do the Duke of Edinburgh Award With<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Think about who they want to do it with. Obviously you need to think about the safeguarding element here too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Personally I have heard what\u2019s happening with the school participants and it doesn\u2019t seem as great. Communication isn\u2019t as great, the volunteering isn\u2019t as easy to obtain and well some of the experiences sound a bit lame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We also found it was cheaper not to do it with the school. However, our youngest has been offered the costs of his through his EHCP from his school.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Eurohike-Rydal-600-6-Person-Tent.jpg?resize=800%2C533\" alt=\"Eurohike Rydal 600 6 Person Tent\" class=\"wp-image-23749\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Eurohike-Rydal-600-6-Person-Tent.jpg?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Eurohike-Rydal-600-6-Person-Tent.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Eurohike-Rydal-600-6-Person-Tent.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Costs<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Also not only is it the cost of doing DofE but any equipment. Every DofE participant does get a discount code. However, on top of this some may be lent from who they are doing it with. If you have multiple children they may be able to pass things down also.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Understanding<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Make sure that your young person knows what they are doing. Sometimes they may need reminding. Or help with getting their Awards signed off. For example, things need evidencing so it may be that you need to remind them to take photographs. Lower awards are easier to evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Expeditions<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Find out when the expeditions run &#8211; ours have never been during the winter. They also do canoeing for their Gold, whereas another setting I know do it for their Silver. Make sure they have broken in their walking boots, have good socks and blister plasters!<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/fidel-fernando-X-QHOFxz2cA-unsplash.jpg?resize=800%2C533&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"break in walking boots before the Duke of Edinburgh Award Expedition\" class=\"wp-image-30467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/fidel-fernando-X-QHOFxz2cA-unsplash.jpg?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/fidel-fernando-X-QHOFxz2cA-unsplash.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/fidel-fernando-X-QHOFxz2cA-unsplash.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>When thinking about what food to take also consider other practicalities such as whether they need extra equipment to cook it, and washing it all up. Admittedly we cheat and pay for the evening meals in a bag. These are just heated up in water! Likewise the pots of porridge that you make up with water and then act as a bowl. Do consider your environmental footprint too though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read Sarah&#8217;s blog on <a href=\"https:\/\/mumofthreeworld.com\/2018\/06\/what-to-eat-and-not-to-eat-on-a-d-of-e-bronze-expedition.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bronze DofE Expedition foods<\/a> to take (and not to)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also think about the individual and what they really need to take. Some young people will want a shower, some are unlikely to have a shower &#8211; especially on Bronze. Think about the fact that they have to carry everything. Same with clothes to sleep in &#8211; are they going to change or just fall down exhausted and sleep in what they are wearing at the end of the day?<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"721\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/dofe.jpg?resize=800%2C721&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"DofE Expedition\" class=\"wp-image-30481\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/dofe.jpg?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/dofe.jpg?resize=300%2C270&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/dofe.jpg?resize=768%2C692&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Inclusivity<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The Duke of Edinburgh Awards are inclusive, this means adaptations can be made to make things fair. We discovered this when our teen suffered a chest trauma and thought that he would be unable to take part in his expedition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Starting Award Level<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Each Award can be started without doing the previous one but you need to add extras to it. Therefore you can do Silver without Bronze with a further 6 months undertaken in either the Volunteering or the longer of the Physical or Skills sections. Gold without Silver a further 6 months undertaken in either the Volunteering or the longer of the Physical or Skills sections.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"381\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/swimming-pic.jpg?resize=800%2C381\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26392\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Volunteering<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The volunteering section is one of the most important. The length increases with every DofE Award. It is good to think of something\/somewhere you can easily stick at as more and more participants are wanting these spaces. Our third son started volunteering for his Bronze but stopped after his three months. This is making it trickier for him to volunteer again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"902\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/13-year-old-sensory-seeker.jpg?resize=1000%2C902&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Duke of Edinburgh Award volunteering\" class=\"wp-image-30464\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/13-year-old-sensory-seeker.jpg?w=1000&amp;ssl=1 1000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/13-year-old-sensory-seeker.jpg?resize=300%2C271&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/13-year-old-sensory-seeker.jpg?resize=768%2C693&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Likewise obvious places such as <a href=\"https:\/\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/blog\/parkrun-tourism-reviews-by-a-jeffer\/\">Parkrun<\/a> have filled up lately with lots of willing volunteers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More Information<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I am sure there\u2019s loads more I could say &#8211; or find out from my boys. The website itself is really good with plenty of inspiration and further details. Really though I would really recommend it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"\"><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DofE<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30477,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4699,13,4561],"tags":[4998,4999,4996,4997,5001,3499,5000,1693],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/dofe-expedition.jpg?fit=800%2C1067&ssl=1","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/dofe-expedition.jpg?fit=800%2C1067&ssl=1",800,1067,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/dofe-expedition.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/dofe-expedition.jpg?fit=225%2C300&ssl=1",225,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/dofe-expedition.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&ssl=1",768,1024,true],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/dofe-expedition.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&ssl=1",768,1024,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/dofe-expedition.jpg?fit=800%2C1067&ssl=1",800,1067,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/dofe-expedition.jpg?fit=800%2C1067&ssl=1",800,1067,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"pinkoddy","author_link":"https:\/\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/blog\/author\/pinkoddy\/"},"uagb_comment_info":2,"uagb_excerpt":"DofE","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pepM9j-7Vj","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30461"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30461"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30461\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30482,"href":"https:\/\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30461\/revisions\/30482"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pinkoddy.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}