The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award aims to provide an enjoyable,
challenging and rewarding programme of personal
development for young people, which is of the highest quality and
widest reach.
The Aim of the Award
Vision
To be universally recognised and widely adopted as the best programme for the
personal development of young people
• Non-competitive• Available to all• Voluntary• Flexible• Balanced
• Progressive• Achievement
Focused• Marathon not a
Sprint• Personal
Development• Enjoyable!
10 Key Principles
What’s in it for Young People
What’s in it for young people?
• Self Belief• Self Confidence• A sense of identity• Independence of thought and action• A sense of responsibility• An awareness of their potential• New talents and abilities
What’s in it for young people?
• An understanding of strengths and weaknesses
• The ability to plan and use time effectively• The ability to learn from and give to others in
the community• New relationships• Skills, including problem solving,
presentation and communication• The ability to lead and work as part of a team
The Award At a Glance
The Award and its Operational Structures
Participants
Award Groups
Operating Authorities
10 RegionalAward Offices
The Patronand Trustees
UK AwardHead Office
Local award committees
National and Regional Advisory Committees
General CouncilLinkInternational
AwardAccess and Assisting
Organisations
Operating Authorities (OA)
• OA’s obtain a licence to run the Award. Units and groups deliver the Award.
• An Award Officer runs the OA usually supported by an administrator (s), fundraiser (s), development worker (s).
• OA’s include LEA’s, Voluntary and Uniformed organisations.
OA’s have Roles and Responsibilities:
• Child Protection Policies• Health and Safety Requirements• Risk Assessment• Approval of Trainers,
Supervisors, Assessors• Issuing Record Books• Approval of Completed Awards• Checking on quality • Safeguard Aims and standards
of the Award
Roles and Responsibilities
Benefits to Organisations
Award Resource Materials
Handbook
Navigation
Three Levels of AwardBronze Silver Gold
Entry at 14 with some discretion
allowedEarliest age for
completion 14yrs 6 months
Age of entry 15 years, some
discretion for Bronze Award
holdersEarliest age for
completion 15yrs 6 months
(16yrs for a direct entrant)
Earliest age to start 16 years
and no discretion
Earliest age for completion 17yrs (17yrs 6 months for a
direct entrant)
All Awards must be completed by the Participants 25th birthday
Bronze Award
Service Skills Physical Recreation
3 Months 3 Months 3 Months
An additional 3 months must be undertaken in any of these Sections
Expedition 2 Days / 1 Night
6 Hours of planned activity
Silver AwardService Skills Physical
Recreation
6 Months One Section for 3 months and the other for 6 Months
Direct Entrants – an additional 6 months in either the Service or the longer
(skills or Physical Recreation) Section
Expedition 3 Days / 2 Night
7 Hours of planned activity
Gold AwardService Skills Physical
Recreation
12 Months One Section for 12 months and the other for 6 Months
Direct Entrants – an additional 6 months in either the Service or the longer
(Skills or Physical Recreation) Section
Expedition - 4 Days / 3Night
8 Hours of planned activity
How it WorksTo gain an Award young people have to do four activities, five at Gold
• Service
• Skills
• Physical Recreation
• Expedition
• Residential Project
Activity ChoicesActivities have been designated to Sections and can only be counted towards that Section of the Award.
Activities not obvious or listed, check the Programmes File, Website, Operating Authority or Regional Office.
New Activities not listed that a participant wants to do the Award will look at accrediting it. Check it out!
General Conditions 1
• The choice of activities is that of the participant’s
• Activities should offer a realistic challenge with attainable targets
• Each activity at each level may be changed once• Sectional Certificates are available at each level• Activities undertaken in the 3 months prior to
entry or with an Access organisation can count.
The purchase on an entrance pack signifies
the commencement of an Award
General Conditions 2
• The Award must be undertaken in personal or ‘non-directed time’
• Activities may be vocational but must not be a requirement of education or work – cannot get paid!
• Qualifications gained during directed or work time may count but….. the minimum time involvement must be completed in personal time
Movin’ On!• Participants may start on a Section of the
next Award prior to completing their existing Award provided….
The have a record book pack for the next Award They have completed that Section in the
previous Award They are above the minimum age of entry for
the next Award They are not working on all three Awards at the
same time!
One to Remember!
Where necessary, participants may choose to change the activity undertaken once in each Section at any time during participation
Both should be recorded in the Record Book
The two periods of participation should add up to at least the minimum time requirement for the particular section
Assessment
EffortPerseveranceProgress
25
The Award
Programme
Questions?