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The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
The Duke of Edinburgh’s award is a life-changing experience, a fun time with friends, an opportunity to discover new interests and talents, a tool to develop essential skills for life and work, a recognised mark of achievement which is respected by employers. It has been a busy year with the return of overnight stays, the canoe expedition for the Silver Award and the Silver and Gold Celebration Evening. Here are some insights into students’ experiences...
SILVER AWARD Iman Javaid, Y11 Although I was initially apprehensive to undertake my Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award, it has provided me with the invaluable opportunity to discover myself as a person. I started volunteering with a local youth led group. This involvement led to me having an interview with the BBC and I was given the opportunity to experience a ‘take over day’ at the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. One of the most poignant moments of volunteering was volunteering for Salford’s Holocaust Remembrance Day. Meeting the family of survivors taught me countless life lessons. Hearing their testimonies affected me more deeply than any lecture, book or film. It was an unforgettable experience as I was able to engage in authentic interactions. Inspired by this day, a group of volunteers and I went into a primary school to teach the children about sensitive issues such as hate crimes and sexism. At first if you told me that I would enjoy the expedition I would have laughed. As a team our experience of hill climbing was very close to nil. Despite this, I found myself thoroughly enjoying the expedition. We all brought lots of different skills to the team ranging from master chef to the human incarnation of Google maps. I now feel gratitude for the memories and the skills I am equipped with because of DofE. More importantly I’ve been able to reflect on a year full of challenges and learn the importance of giving time to others.
SILVER CANOE EXPEDITION Ammarah Patel, Y10
For my Duke of Edinburgh Silver, I chose to do canoeing for my expedition, and it was truly worth it. When it came time for my expedition I was dreading every second of it, but it was even better than I hoped. I didn’t know many people in my group and I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy myself, but being on a canoe on a river really helped me make friends. Even though I found some parts difficult and I had to eat most of my dinners in the dark, my silver expedition was a lot of fun, and a very good opportunity to take.
DUKE OF EDINBURGH EXPEDITIONS
After two years of restrictions we were finally able to get back to overnight expeditions. Bronze, Silver and Gold students have already completed their walking practice expeditions. Highlights so far have included: wild camping in the Lake District, boil in the bag meals and walking over 25,000 steps in one day! In addition, two teams of Year 10 silver students completed their expedition in canoes, venturing along the LLangollan and Shropshire canal for their practice and then on the River Ouse for their qualifier.
GOLD AWARD
Celia Logan, Y13
For my gold Duke of Edinburgh, I volunteered at my local Beavers pack. It was good fun listening to their earnest stories about how they had definitely seen a dolphin swimming in the reservoir. Despite having only a team of four, we worked well together on the expedition and managed to get through the four days of walking through the Lakes efficiently without getting lost, which is an achievement in itself. I also would recommend bringing a variety of food as I personally couldn’t look at pasta and pesto for a long time afterwards. Another tip is that if a footpath is not marked in green, don’t follow it. One highlight was waking at five in the morning to hike up Helvellyn, although at least we were back with plenty of time to sunbathe. I did my residential at Patterdale, helping at a multisport summer camp with children from all over the country. I was given a group of about twenty 8- to 11-year-olds for whom I was responsible. It was a lot harder than it seems! Overall, I really enjoyed my DofE and would recommend it to others.
Millie Ashton, Hannah Berisford, Isabel Brennard, Katie Burgess, Victoria Cook, Audrisha De, Sophie Edwards, Lilian Featham, Suzi Howell, Amerleen Hundle, Madihah Jiva, Summer Kay, Maia Latchford, Celia Logan, Manahil Masood, Feryal Mirza, Aliza Nirodi, Isha Nunkoo, Kaitlyn Paton, Louise Perry, Dhanishta Puveenthirarajan, Ani Sastry, Katie Schaffel, Fabeha Shafaat, Holly Stevenson, Fizaa Valli, Victoria Wong.
