The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme is a voluntary, non-competitive programme of practical, cultural and adventurous activities for young people aged 14-25.
The Award programme consists of three levels, Bronze, Silve
r and Gold.
At each level you are required to complete and show improvement in a number of areas , each have specific criteria for the level of achievement necessary to complete each award.
Cadets must be at least 14 years old to start the Bronze award and can expect it to take a minimum of six months to complete. To complete the Bronze award, cadets must complete a service, skill, physical recreation and plan & prepare for a 2 day venture.
Based on an average of 1 hour per week, a cadet must actively take part in a service, skill and physical recreation for 3 months. These can of course run alongside each other and do not have to run concurrently.
The minimum age for completing the Bronze award is 14½ years. On completion, cadets will be presented with their award by their Commanding Officer as well as a badge to wear on the uniforms.
Cadets must be at least 15 years old to start the Silver award and can expect it to take a minimum of six months to complete. This timeframe is extended for cadets starting the award scheme at this level (Direct Entrant), to 1 year. To complete the Silver award, cadets must complete a service over 6 months, a skill and physical recreation for a total of nine months (cadets can choose to do either for 6 months and the other for 3 months) and plan & prepare for a 3 day venture, while Direct Entrants must undertake an additional 6 months in either the service or the longer of the skills or physical recreation.
The minimum age for completing the Silver award is 15½ years or 16 years for Direct Entrants. On completion, cadets will be presented with their award by their Commanding Officer as well as a badge to wear on their uniforms.
The Gold award is the highest level in the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme. Cadets must be at least 16 years old to start the award and can expect it to take a minimum of one year to complete. This timeframe is extended for cadets starting the award scheme at this level (Direct Entrant), to one and a half years.
To complete the Gold award, cadets must complete a service over 12 months, a skill and physical recreation for a total of eighteen months (cadets can choose to do either for 12 months and the other for 6 months) and plan & prepare for a 4 day venture, while Direct Entrants must undertake an additional 6 months in either the service or the longer of the skills or physical recreation.
In addition, Gold participants must also complete the residential element of the award. This involves undertaking a shared activity in a residential setting away from home for 5 days and 4 nights, with people who are not already known to them.
To help cadets complete this section, the annual summer camps are the ideal opportunity, as many camps take two or more squadrons. This means that the participant will be working with people they have never come across before.
There are other avenues available if the cadet or his award leader can arrange it. Other possibilities include youth hostels or sailing ships.
The minimum age for completing the Gold award is 17 years or 17½ years for Direct Entrants. On completion, cadets will be invited to either London or Edinburgh to be presented with their award by a key figure, quite possibly HRH Prince Phillip. The cadet will also be presented with a Gold Award badge to wear on their uniforms, usually by their Commanding Officer.
Right: Cadets viewing photos taken during their Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme Experiences.
Award Areas
At each level the award is broken down into 4 areas (5 for gold) which participants must complete successfully to receive their award. These are:-
Aim - To encourage Service to Individuals and to the Community.
Helping others in the local community. The service section of the award aims to encourage a service to others, from helping people in the local community to taking part in a specialised training course and others that require a national qualification.
The service section aims to help participants to appreciate the needs of others, to accept responsibility, to understand their strengths and weaknesses and to overcome prejudice. All of these are just some of the qualities that Commanding Officers look for in their NCO's. Participants can choose form a wide range of services which have been categorised into three groups.
- Group 1 - Activities with lots of practical involvement in the community.
- Group 2 - Activities requiring a specialised training course.
- Group 3 - Activities requiring a national qualification.
Participation in the local community is also required for groups 2 and 3.
Service Requirements
| |
Group 1 |
Group 2 & 3 |
| Bronze |
15hrs over 3 months. |
15hrs (inc 8hrs training) over min 8 weeks. |
| Silver |
30hrs over 6 months. |
30hrs (inc 12 hrs training) over min 16 weeks. |
| Gold |
60hrs over 12 months. |
60 hrs (inc 20hrs training) over min 12 months. |
|
NOTE: All values shown are MINIMUM requirements |
Additionally, cadets completing a group 1 service must also:
- Take part in a briefing
- Give a practical service
- Keep a diary
- Review progress
- Record achievements
- Complete a study (Gold Award only)
Cadets completing a group 2 or 3 service must also:
- Complete a course of specialised training and attain the required standard
- Undertake related practical service
- Record achievements
Aim - To encourage a spirit of adventure ad discovery by preparing for and carrying out an adventurous journey as part of a team.
Training for, and planning of a journey. The aim of this section is to encourage a spirit of adventure and discovery. Cadets are expected to plan, prepare undertake an adventurous journey in an unfamiliar, remote environment. Differing levels of adventure or exploration are required for the different levels of the award and cadets are expected - as part of the award programme - to undertake practice journeys before going on any expedition and also to complete a report of their journey.
The Training syllabus for expeditions include:
- Safety and Emergency Procedures
- Basic First Aid
- Navigation
- Route Finding
- Map Reading and Compass Skills
- Care of equipment
- Camp Craft
- Country Code
Aim - To encourage the discovery and development of practical and social skills and personal interests.
Demonstrate ability in almost any hobby, skill or interest
Aim - To encourage participation and improvement in physical activity.
Participate and show improvement in one of many Sports, dance and fitness.
(Gold Award only) A purposeful enterprise with young people not previously known to the participant.
The Award is widely recognised by employers as it helps demonstrate that award holders are keen to take on new challenges, have a higher level of self confidence than their counterparts, have leadership qualities with the added experience of teamwork.
