Duke of Edinburgh

Cambridge Academic Partnership is proud to be the only school in Cambridge which offers Bronze, Silver and Gold DofE to any student wishing to do it. We have no numbers limits on any of our expeditions. Anyone who wants to can take part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s award at the Federation.

The DofE programme is an adventure from beginning to end. Over 1.5 million young people aged between 14 and 25 have completed the Award since it was first started in 1956. More information can be found at www.dofe.org

Mission Statement

To inspire, guide and support young people in their self-development and to recognise their achievement.

Our Guiding Principles

The mission of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is achieved through personal development programmes and the assessment and presentation of Awards. All the programmes are driven by the following ten guiding principles, which are at the heart of the Award.

• Non-competitive
• Achievable by all
• Voluntary
• Personal development
• Personalised
• Balanced
• Progressive
• Achievement focused
• Commitment
• Enjoyable

The Benefits

Participants undertaking the DofE programme develop the skills and attitudes they need to become fully rounded and confident adults – qualities that colleges, universities and employers are very interested in. They are investing in valuable skills and helping set the tone for a lifetime of achievement.

The Award enables the development of new talents and characteristics including:

• Initiative
• Self-belief
• Self-confidence
• New friendships
• A sense of identity
• A sense of responsibility
• New talents and abilities
• The ability to plan and use time
• A real awareness of your strengths
• Leadership and team working skills
• Problem solving, presentation and communication skills
• The ability to learn from and give to others in the community

The Award is a personal challenge – not a competition. When you decide to take part in the Award it is on a voluntary basis, so you must allocate the time to complete each section in your own time. Nothing in curriculum time will count.

There are 3 Duke of Edinburgh Award levels:

Bronze: started in year 9

Silver: started in year 10

Gold: started after age 16

Sections of activity

There are four sections:

1. Volunteering
2. Physical
3. Skills
4. Expedition
5. Residential ( Gold only)

Each participant creates his/her own personal programme. One activity for each section is chosen. It is up to the individual whether they choose to do something that they are already keen on, or choose to do something different, perhaps setting themselves the challenge of doing something completely new. Many people choose to do something which they might be thinking about as a future career or to find out if it is something that they might wish to pursue.

What We Offer

At CAP this year we are offering Bronze DofE to any students in years 9 and 10. Expedition training takes place in the winter months and expeditions at the end of the Spring term and in the summer term. Dates for the training and expeditions can be found below.

We offer Silver DofE to any students in year 10 and 11. We work with Joy Martin from JoyofAdventure to offer expeditions by canoe, Students have the opportunity to learn to canoe and complete their self supported expedition by canoeing on the River Ouse from Bedford

Any students over the age of 16 can enrol for the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award. We work with JoyofAdventure to offer expeditions by canoe or walking. Walking expeditions take place in North Wales and North Yorkshire while canoeing expeditions take place on various rivers including the River Ouse, River Wye and River Severn.

Contact Details

Jen Worth is the DofE co-ordinator for Cambridge Academic Partnership, and has been involved in the delivery of the DofE in the federation for the last 10 years; 6 years as co-ordinator. You can contact her for information on jworth@cap.education The Federation works with Joy Martin of www.joyofadventure.co.uk and she can be contacted on dofe@joyofadventure.co.uk

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award web page is very informative. The information is designed to give participants and parents a basic overview of what is involved and further information can be found at www.dofe.org