Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme

About the Silver Award

This a brief guide about what you have to achieve for the Silver Award. It is possible to complete the Award in 6-12 months.

You can start to work for your Silver Award any time after your fifteenth birthday. You may be allowed to take part in some activities just before you are 15 if you are part of a youth group or if you have completed your Bronze Award and are waiting to start the Silver. Your Adult leader will need to get special permission to allow you to do this.

For the Silver Award you must complete an activity for each of the four sections. The four sections are

Service
Expedition
Skills
Recreation

The activities that are offered in each section are so varied, there is something to suit everyone. An adult leader or helper can advise you about the different options available but at this level you are expected to make more contribution at the planning stage than you did at the Bronze Award level.

All the activities involve planning, regular assessment, a lot of enjoyment and hard work. The times given are the least that you can do to achieve the Silver Award. They are really for guidance as there is no time limit to the activities. You can work on each activity for as long as it takes and you should aim to do more than the minimum to get the best from yourself and learn as much as you can. The upper age limit for starting the Silver Award is 23 as all Awards must be completed by your 25th birthday.

When you are planning your options for the Silver Award, you may find that you want to extend some of the choices you made at the Bronze Award level. If you are still learning something new then perhaps you have good reasons to continue with similar choices but you should also be ready to take on new challenges and interests.

Service

You must choose a type of service, carry out some training and give practical help to others for over six months. Some forms of service may lead towards a qualification or a certificate.

Some examples of Service are given in Activities.

Expedition

For this activity you need some basic training, two practice expeditions and plenty of planning. If you have completed the Bronze Award you only need to carry out one practice expedition.

To achieve the standard for the Silver Award, you must carry out a three day venture in unfamiliar countryside that includes two nights camping. During the expedition you must cover at least 30 miles on foot or carry out a detailed study in the area.

Examples of Expeditions are covered in Activities. Personal accounts of what it's like are found in Case Studies.

Skills

You must choose a hobby or skill to work at regularly for at least twelve months, (or six months if you have completed the Bronze Award). During that time you must show how you have improved your skill or knowledge.

There is a huge number of different skills that you can choose, from playing an instrument to line dancing or a type of craft. Some examples are covered in Case Studies given by young people themselves. You can also get ideas from the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Handbook. See Info. Some examples of Skills are given in Activities.

Physical Recreation

This is an opportunity to take up a physical activity for six weeks or longer. Within the activity you are awarded points for skills, achievements and effort. You must reach 30 points for the Silver Award.

Some examples of Physical Recreation can be found in Activities.