What is involved?
- Commit to volunteering, a skill and a sport for between 6 and 18 months.
- Complete a 4-day expedition.
- Take part in a 5-day residential experience.
Sections
To get an idea of what you could do for each section, see this section of the website. Brief summaries are as follows:
Expedition
You will train for, plan and complete two Expeditions of four days and three nights. During the Expedition you will be completely self sufficient, carrying all that you need to survive for 4 days in the wild. See the main Expedition section of our website for full information on how we organise Expeditions.
Residential
Undertake a shared activity with people you have never met before in a residential setting away from home for five days and four nights, e.g. watersports, cookery lessons, environmental work, charity work abroad, leadership course with the cadets
Volunteering
Taking part in volunteering work that will help people in the local community, e.g. Oxfam, RAG, Warwick Volunteers, St. John Ambulance.
Skill
Pursue a hobby, develop a new skill or interest, e.g. singing, learning a language, playing an instrument, learning to drive.
Physical
Becoming involved in some form of sporting activity, e.g. football, badminton, tennis, yoga, archery, dancing.
How long will it take?
- You need to spend at least one hour a week on each activity.
- You don't have to do all sections at the same time.
- There is flexibility in how long you spend in each section.
- You can 'pause' a section over the holidays if you can't carry it on at home. Alternatively you can carry on the same activity at a different location.
- If you have completed the Silver award, then you can do slightly shorter timescales than direct entrants.
Why do my DofE?
There are plenty of reasons to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards, such as:
- To discover new skills, interests and talents.
- To meet new people and make new friends.
- To take part in an amazing experience.
- To gain an incredible sense of achievement (especially when you complete your expedition)!
Life Skills
Completing the DofE Award can also help you to develop lots of essential life skills, such as:
- Self-confidence
- Self-reliance
- Leadership
- Teamwork
- Problem-solving
- Decision-making
- Enhance self-esteem
- Communication
- Motivation
- Commitment
- Time-management
CV/Career
With the Award contributing towards all these very important skills, it isn’t surprising that employers love to see the Duke of Edinburgh's Award qualification on your CV! It gives you plenty to talk about in interviews, and you can put your achievements in your job applications. So this in fact is a really easy way to start preparing for life after Uni, in the big wide world!
Why With Us?
There are hundreds of reasons why it is a great idea to do your DofE Award at University, and more importantly, with us!
Support
The Exec are there to guide you through the Award system. We deal with all the administration leaving you to get on with doing your Award. If you ever have any problems or questions we are able to get back to you as soon as possible.
Expeditions
We aim to organise our own Practice and Qualifying Expeditions each summer. The Expeditions are made to be low-cost, usually less than half the price of doing them with an AAP (Approved Activity Provider). We are also able to loan out some camping equipment to reduce the financial burden (including tents, trangias, maps, compasses, sleeping bags & mats, etc.).
DofE Opportunities from Uni life
There are literally hundreds of Sports Clubs and Societies which you can use to completed all sections of the Award, there really isn't a better time to do DofE than at University!
Social Benefits
Our Society is very social, we can guarantee you'll have fun and meet new people as you complete your Award painlessly with us.
Who Can Get Involved?
Completely New or Almost There?
It doesn't matter if you have never heard of us before, or if you have already completed the Bronze and Silver Awards. We welcome total beginners as well we students with some experience - our training programme will get everyone up to the Gold Award standard.
International Students
Whether you are a UK student or an international student, as long as you have the enthusiasm and interest to complete the Award, we want to hear from you!
If you are an international student, you might already be doing this in your home country! The Duke of Edinburgh's Award comes under different names in countries all over the world. What's more, you can transfer your progress from your home country to here during your time in the UK, and transfer back when you return home! Click here to see if your country is participating in the International Award for Young People.
Equal Opportunities
The society also strives to provide an equal environment, and we love to hear from students of different backgrounds or with disabilities.
One of the main principles of the DofE Award is to commit to equal opportunities. The Award is available to all young people (aged 14-25) who choose to take up the challenge. The Award is a programme of personal and social development. Our society abides by all the principles of the Award and strives to achieve equal opportunities. We are proud to say that we have an intake of members with culturally diverse backgrounds, of different ages and from undergraduates to postgraduates.
If you feel that you have difficulties completing the expedition part of the award (e.g. Down’s syndrome, physical disabilities, etc.), please let us know because the Award is based on the minimum hours of planned activity per day, which can mean less journeying and more activity project work, thus this could be aimed specifically at your abilities. If you have back problems, you do not have to carry a rucksack during the expedition as well. All in all, the Award is designed to be available to all and flexible towards the needs of its participants. We also have connections with the Coventry Scouts branch of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, so if you want to participate in explorations, we will be able to help you with the arrangements. Should you have any personal circumstances that affect your ability or opportunity to undertake the Award, please do not hesitate to contact us so we can address these and aim to be as inclusive as possible.
Get Started!
Click here to find the steps to get started with your DofE Award.