Pontefract & Castleford District

Home Beaver Scouts Cub Scouts Scouts Projects Cost

PONTEFRACT & CASTLEFORD EXPLORERS Scouts

Based at 1PSC
Contacts: John Fisher (Skip) District Explorer Scout Commissionaire
Gareth Evans, DofE coordinator

Questions and Answers

Meeting Dates and times:

2nd August (We need a good turn out for this date to run)
6th September
20th September
3rd October

What is the DofE

A DofE programme is a real adventure from beginning to end. It doesn't matter who you are or where you're from. You just need to be aged between 14 and 24 and realise there's more to life than sitting on a sofa watching life pass you by.
You can do programmes at three levels, Bronze, Silver or Gold, which lead to a Duke of Edinburgh's Award.

You achieve an Award by completing a personal programme of activities in four sections (five if you're going for Gold).

You'll find yourself helping people or the community, getting fitter, developing skills, going on an expedition and taking part in a residential activity (Gold only).

But here's the best bit - you get to choose what you do!
Your programme can be full of activities and projects that get you buzzing. And along the way you'll pick up experiences, friends and talents that will stay with you for the rest of your life.

How old do you have to be:

You can do a Bronze DofE programme once you're 14 (or nearly 14, which sometimes happens when you and your friends decide to start your adventure together. However, your District Explorer Scout Commissionaire must agree this (DESC).

If you are 15, you can start on a Silver DofE programme. If you've achieved your Bronze Award, the DESC may allow you to start your Silver a month or two before your 15th birthday.
As for the Gold programme, no activities can be counted for this before your 16th birthday.
All activities that you do for any DofE programme MUST be completed before your 25th birthday.

How Long will it take

It will usually take you at least 6 months to complete your Bronze programme.
It will take you at least 6 months for Silver if you've already achieved your Bronze, or 12 months if you've jumped straight into Silver. We will not be doing direct Silver, each award must be gained as we believe it's important to enjoy each stage of the award

For Gold, you'll need to do your programme for at least 12 months if you've got your Silver Award, or18 months if you've started at Gold level without doing Silver- even if you've done Bronze.
We've put the length of time in months - you need to show regular activity and commitment during this time of at least an hour a week. You can't achieve an Award in a short burst of enthusiasm over one weekend!

Remember, all activities for a DofE programme MUST be completed by your 25th birthday.
Once you've done the minimum amount of time needed to complete your DofE programme, we're sure that you'll have had so much fun that you'll want to keep on doing your activities!

You achieve an Award by completing a personal programme of activities in four sections (five if you're going for Gold).
These sections are:

• Volunteering - helping someone, your community or the environment
• Physical - becoming fitter through sport, dance or fitness activities
• Skills - developing existing talents or trying something new
• Expedition - planning, training for and completing an adventurous journey
• Residential (Gold only) - staying and working away from home as part of a team
  The length of time you have to spend on each section depends on the level of programme you're doing.
  Over view of the sections

Volunteering
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. For the ESYL Module A.

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 DofE Leaderor DESC or 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.

Physical
Fancy yourself as the next Wayne Rooney, Kelly Holmes or Tony Hawk? Well now's your chance to prove it! This part of your DofE programme is all about getting active. Whether you're into sports, dance or general fitness it doesn't matter - you can choose to do something you're interested in.

You don't need to be star athlete or the fittest person in the world to complete your Physical section. As long as you have fun, get better and fitter, then you'll have done it! From playing for a local sports club to weekly dance classes, from free running to yoga, from ultimate flying disc to wheelchair football, almost any dance, sport or fitness activity can count. Have a chat with your Leader, your friends and family to see what's around locally.

Once you've decided what you want to do, you need to find an adult who needs to know what you're aiming to achieve, can help you through your section and sign your Record Book at the end of it to prove you did it. This is your Assessor and, for your Physical section, this is likely to be the person who's running the activity you do, for example your sports coach, dance teacher or gym instructor. If you choose to do an activity on your own, why not ask your Leader to be your Assessor?

With the help of your Assessor, agree a time frame and set yourself some goals to aim for - just make sure they're going to challenge you. You could choose to aim for a standard or award set by the sport or activity's governing body. Then check your choice and goals with your Leader, get their approval and agree when to catch up with them whilst you're doing your activity. As soon as this is done, it's time to get active!

Skills
Ever wanted to have a go at something completely different? Or get recognised for the time and effort you put into your favourite hobby? This is what the Skills section is all about.

From podcasting to painting, from DJing to driving, from music to making kites, whatever skill you choose can allow you to develop new talents or perfect existing ones. Follow a passion or discover a new one, the choice is yours.
Once you've chosen your skill you'll need to decide how long you're going to do it for and set yourself some objectives - what you want to get out of doing it. You'll then need to find someone who will agree to be your Assessor - they need to have some knowledge of the skill you're doing so they can help you along the way and agree at the end that you've met your goals so it could be a skill outside Scouting.

As soon as you have all this in place just check with your Leader before you start - this enables us to establish whether you've 'ticked' all the boxes needed to progress towards achieving your Award and that you've set yourself enough of a challenge. They'll also make sure what you've chosen counts for the Skills section, for example, dance is physical but dance appreciation is a skill.
Expedition
Achieving your Award is an adventure from beginning to end and this section can give you some of your most memorable experiences!

From sailing along the Norfolk Broads to walking in Canada or horse riding in the Brecon Beacons, it can as far-flung or as close to home as you want it to be especially the Gold Award. You can also choose how you want to travel - it doesn't just have to be on foot! You could choose to do your expedition by bike, by canoe, by kayak, by wheelchair, by sailing boat or even on a horse or llama!

For your Bronze Award expedition is likely to be in either the Peak District or the Yorkshire Dales. You Silver is likely to be Lake District or Scotland. Your Gold is likely to be Morroco, Pyranees or the Picos in Spain. We will have a UK Gold for those who would prefer a UK destination.

There'll need to be between four and seven of you in an expedition team (eight if you've chosen to travel by tandem canoe or bike). With your team, you'll plan an aim for your expedition, decide on your location and do lots of fun training to make sure you're fully prepared and know what you're doing! Your DESC will arrange a Supervisor (Gareth) to work with your team to organise all of this and help you plan your expedition. Once you've done the preparation the fun starts when you go out and do a practice expedition then your qualifying expedition. Once you've completed your final expedition you'll give a presentation about your experiences and your achievements to your Supervisor, Assessor and parents if under 18 or another adult.

The whole experience will give you laughs, arguments, joy and frustration along the way. But, by the end, you'll have better team and leadership skills, not to mention bags more confidence and a rucksack full of great memories!

Residential for GOLD
To achieve your Gold Award, you need to complete an extra section - the Residential. This involves spending 5 days and 4 nights away from home.

It's a big, exciting and very fulfilling experience. It may be that you want to build on a talent you've developed in another section, learn something completely new on an intensive course or do something to help others. From learning to snowboard in Scotland to helping at a children's camp, from working with the National Trust to helping on an urban recycling project, or from learning French in Paris to sailing a tall ship, there are loads of exciting possibilities to find the activity that's just right for you.
Your DofE Programme

Your first question should be what do I want to do?
You create, plan and complete your own programme, making sure you've chosen an activity that counts for each section, as your leader for advice or the okay.

It's your chance to decide what you want to do, so you really go for stuff that you're interested in. Maybe you want to be a DJ or musician or perhaps you're big into skateboarding or football?
Whatever really gets you going, the odds are you can do it for your DofE.

And it doesn't matter if you've never done an activity before or if you've been doing it for years - you set your own challenges for each activity and just need to prove you've got better while you're doing it.

How do I start and Costs?

Enrolment: £15, this gets you your record Book Pack which contains a Record Book and lots of helpful info. The Record Book is where you log your progress through your DofE programme, and is what your Leader signs when you've completed your activity in each section - so don't lose it!

Now, you can start choosing what activities you want to do - although you don't have to wait until you get your Record Book before you start planning your programme.

Scout Fees: Normal capitation fees apply whether you pay direct to the Explorer Unit or if you already have a standing order set up with 1PSC. You will then pay £1 each time you attend your DofE meeting. All money raised will help buy equipment needed for the Award.

Kit List: This is the most expensive part of the DofE, buying good quality boots and a good ruc sack are the most expensive part. This equipment can be bought monthly ensuring you have it all for the first practice expedition. Most of this equipment will last for the whole award if taken care off.

Expedition Fees: You must take part in both Expeditions the costs will vary depending on location but will not cost anymore than what you would have paid for a Scout camp.

To get your Scouts ready for the expeditions they could try to get to some of 1PSC Family Hikes as the distance covered on most of these hikes are between 8 to 30 miles. Good training and is free, you just have to find your way there, check out the FHG on 1PSC web page for the next hike.

Last updated: June 2009