The rise of the Duke of Edinburgh Award

‘The Duke of Edinburgh award provides a framework for personal discovery and growth through service, skills, physical activity, adventurous expeditions, developing perseverance and responsibility to self and to the community’ – Helen Fraser, Sports Administrator and Duke of Edinburgh facilitator.

There are four components within each level of the award: Physical Recreation, Skill, Voluntary Service and Adventurous Journey. At Gold Level, a Residential Journey must also be completed. As of March 2023, St Cuthbert’s College had an impressive total of 226 students participating in the Duke of Edinburgh. 141 students are working towards their Bronze award, 47 towards their Silver, and 38 girls are working towards their Gold award.

To discover more about the international award and its increased popularity amongst students, we caught up with Sports Administrator and Duke of Edinburgh facilitator, Helen Fraser, and twins Olivia and Charlotte Greenwood (Year 13), who have both successfully achieved their Gold Award.

Helen Fraser understands that the biggest drawcard when it comes to the Duke of Edinburgh is that anyone can get involved, as soon as they turn 14 years of age. Helen notes that ‘the beauty of Duke of Edinburgh is that no pre-existing skills are required, just plenty of motivation and energy. Participants set their own challenges within the individual Award involving their interests, their ambitions.’ Helen also credits the great support from the College community as a driver in the recent rise of popularity in Duke of Edinburgh; ‘We have a lot of our teaching staff, extra curricular club staff and coaches supporting students through their journey.’

Another key factor in the rise in popularity is the range of accessible activities that can be counted towards different components of the awards. ‘To gain my awards, I completed hockey coaching for service. For the skills component I learnt Spanish in school and learnt to drive, gaining my learner’s license explains Charlotte, demonstrating that every day occurrences can be counted towards the awards.

Garnering new skills comes hand in hand with taking on the Duke of Edinburgh. ‘The Duke of Edinburgh award equips students for promising futures by challenging young people to develop skills and tools to improve themselves and their communities’ says Helen. Charlotte adds ‘I would say it teaches you a fantastic number of life skills. From a practical perspective you will be able to set up a tent, read a map and use a compass. It teaches you leadership skills and how to interact with different people and personalities, which are invaluable for the future in school and beyond, in the workplace.’

Perhaps another reason behind the popularity of the award is the opportunity to embark on once in a lifetime experiences. As mentioned, all participants working towards their gold level award must complete a Residential Journey, and sisters Olivia and Charlotte certainly made the most of this opportunity. Olivia ‘did the Spirit of Adventure 10 day voyage’, a 10 day experience aboard the ‘Spirit of Adventure’ vessel with like-minded explorers, whilst Charlotte attended a Nike running Camp in Eugene, Oregon. Both were fantastic experiences that may never have been embarked upon, were it not for the Duke of Edinburgh award.

‘The best thing about Duke of Edinburgh is that you can complete all of the adventurous journeys with groups of friends, which makes the experiences a lot more fun during the hard times. You are also constantly meeting other like-minded people who love the outdoors and who are looking forward to a challenge’ declares Olivia, suggesting that another core reason behind the popularity of Duke of Edinburgh, is meeting amazing people along the way, who become friends for life. This notion is backed up entirely by sister Charlotte who says, ‘the best part is all of the different people you meet and connect with from multiple walks of life. It is so nice to make new friends and bond over the good and challenging experiences’.

Of course, nothing worth having comes easy, and the road to the gold award does not come without hurdles, including ‘committing your time to finishing each section of every achievement level, whilst juggling a busy schedule and getting used to using your gear on tramps and kayaks’ says Olivia. Charlotte looks back on tribulations including ‘tramping for hours in the rain, to getting lost in the bush’. But overcoming the challenges presented during the Duke of Edinburgh, are ever empowering, and something that participants look back on fondly. ‘It is not an easy award to obtain and does take years, however the sacrifice is rewarding’ surmises Charlotte. Helen understands the hard work and grit that go into every award and admits that she always loves ‘handing over the certificate and badge when the students have been completed a level. I know they have worked hard to achieve it.’

With all of the above factors considered, it’s little wonder that popularity in the Duke of Edinburgh award is increasing, and long may it continue. We wish all of the students working towards their bronze, silver or gold awards this year, the very best of luck!