Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme

About this Site

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is a programme of activities for young people. The activities are varied and take place outside school hours. You can participate in the activities alone or with a group of friends. There are local leaders and trained instructors who will help you to plan your activities.
(See Sources of Information )

The scheme was launched, for boys only at first, by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1956. From 1958, girls were allowed to take part. Nowadays it is designed for all young people between the ages of 14 and 25, but you must register with the scheme by your 23rd birthday. This allows you time to complete an award before you are 25. A Bronze Award can take as little as 6 months.
(See Case Studies).

There are three awards - Bronze, Silver and Gold. Bronze is the first level, Silver, the second and Gold, the third. By the time you get to the Gold level, you will have spent many hours learning new skills and having a lot of fun.
(See Awards: Bronze, Silver and Gold )

To get an award you must spend time on four different types of activity. These are:

	- work in the community
	- sport or activity
	- an outdoor venture
	- a hobby or interest

You may already take part in some of these activities, for example sport, but others will be new to you. By taking part in these projects, you can learn new skills and develop your talents and interests.

In each type of activity you have a target to aim for. This is called a standard of achievement. Your target for an activity might be a fixed number of hours of community work or a points total for physical sports. All the standards are shown in a Record Book.

Everyone who registers for the scheme is given their own Record Book. For every activity, there is a minimum standard that you are expected to achieve and these achievements are listed in your book. The leaders of the scheme will encourage you to do better than the minimum standard if you can.
(See Activities)

The award is not a competition and there is no time limit for any of the levels. How much you do and how far you get is up to you. The most important part of the scheme is the enjoyment and challenge of taking part. If you are interested in finding out more about this scheme then this site is for you.

With special thanks to:
Jackie Woolley, Coordinator
Rotherham Operating Authority Award Centre, Blenheim House
Rotherham MBC

[ Awards | Activities | Case Studies | Info ]