While undoubtedly tough and designed to challenge young people, the Duke of Edinburgh Award (DofE) expeditions are also an incredible opportunity to learn so many life skills – from core life skills such as effective planning, navigation and cooking, to character development skills that will last a lifetime such as resilience, confidence and ambition. We hear from two students who are progressing through the levels and picking up a host of valuable skills along the way. 

Revving up for Silver 

Our DofE Silver practice was a really fun experience, and although there were definitely points on the expedition where I would rather have been anywhere else, looking back I am really proud that I took part. Our expedition was in October which meant there was a lot of rain and wind, which proved really annoying for a lot of us. Everything got soaked, including our map, and we ended up with very cold feet, but we managed to get through it and managed to have a joke about it all at the end. Top tip - I would recommend anyone going on DofE in Autumn to pack extra dry clothes and socks, all wrapped in waterproof bags! 

Despite the weather conditions we all had a really fun time. In the evenings all the groups hung out together and we managed to keep the spirits up. The best part of DofE was most definitely stopping for lunch on the walks because we could have a break and relax for a few minutes, so as not to overwhelm ourselves. I think all the groups are really glad that they took part even though it was quite stressful, it was worth it in the end. We are looking forward to the full expedition in March next year! 

Written by Millie, Year 10 

Going for Gold  

From 28-30 October, Isabella, Annabelle and I completed our Gold DofE practice expedition. We decided to travel by bell boat, as we already completed Bronze and Silver on foot and decided it would be fun to try a new experience! 

We met at Pewsey Wharf with other students from Bromley High School and Beths Grammar School. The first day consisted of learning how to set up the boats and manoeuvre then down the river. On Day 2, we travelled 16 miles whilst learning how to operate locks before wild camping by the edge of a lock. On the final day, we woke up at 4.30am to leave to travel down the river back to the train station to travel home. 

We are going to complete our qualifying expedition in July next year and are all really looking forward to seeing each other again and finishing our award. 

Written by Eva, Year 12