Is your kid starting the D of E award?

[trevorandsimon]

I feel like i might be THAT PARENT, but my dd has come home and said they have to do the D of E and school have also sent us an online presentation about it, but I am completely clueless at to what she actually as to do. I have emailed the guy who runs it at the school, to ask for specifics but i am getting nowhere! I am keen for her to do it, but how!

I know she has to choose three things, and 2 are for 12 weeks and one is for 6 months. and i can see the list of topics. But what does she actually have to do?

I am tempted to send this email, but does it sound too rude? I am just so frustrated already with the whole thing!

"Thanks for your email. We are still however, quite in the dark. You say that my daughter can just get started. But she says she has no direction as to what to get started with. Does she pick a topic and then need to get it approved by you or someone else? Does she need to find a course or a tutor to have lessons? Does someone need to design a course with her? If she, for example, picks fashion, what does she do for the 12 weeks? Does she make and write a project like an essay with pictures? Does she need to go out and about and talk to someone in that field? Is it like work experience? Can she just do something in her bedroom or does she have to go and find an expert in that field to guide her? She says there has been no specific direction at school and we are none the wiser. Do we as parents design a 12 week program with her? Is she meant to do it herself? Do you do it with her? She just hasn't a clue as to what to do and nor do we.Are the children going to be given some direction as to exactly what she is meant to do and talked through it?"

School have said nothing specific at all, just , you can start now. But start what!!!

Why don’t you take the time and effort to watch the presentation, then google d of e if that doesn’t make sense.

YaBvu . Why should busy teachers have to pander to you, just because you can’t be bothered to engage your brain.

They really have enough to do trying to negotiate d of e regulations during the Covid pandemic. A colleague of mine is despairing as insurance companies turn him down yet again and the rules on numbers keep changing.

Better still op why don’t you volunteer to help with the overnight camping trip, they always need helpers. Make an effort, and don’t be THAT parent.

www.dofe.org has lots of info. Also recommend the YouTube channel and a 10 min ish film on starting the award. Assume she’s doing Bronze.

Physical, Skill and Volunteering sections - 2 for 3 months and 1 for 6 months

She can count things she might already be doing outside school. Use it as opportunity for her to set herself some personal challenges or explore something she’s interested in

I know how the d of e is meant to work . I have been on the school website and the d of e one. But what exactly is she meant to do? Say she picks Interior design. What does she do for 1 hour a week for 12 weeks? Does she design a room each week? Does she draw it and colour it is? Does she has to write an essay on it? Is she meant to contact an interior designer and shadow them? How does this 1 hour of work in her bedroom meant to benefit her?
So what exactly does she do?
Can anyone advise what their kid actually did ? Are there minimum criteria? They do have do be assessed but doing what?

@capercaillie

She can count things she might already be doing outside school. Use it as opportunity for her to set herself some personal challenges or explore something she’s interested in

I know the generalities, not the specifics.

If your presentation was the same we got then it is more than useless, sorry to @Quarks69 but I spent the time and was nowhere near more informed.

We luckily have a dedicated coordinator at school who was happy to answer DH's catalouge of questioned and spent around 20 minutes on the phone with him sorting the problems out.

to @trevorandsimon
The Website is better for general information but the best information was when DD got her log in to the participant section and there is lots more.
But for the basics: You need an activity, can be an exisiting sport. You need to do 1hour per week volunteering and one new skill or you need to show that you improved an existing skill, for example got into a more adcvanced squad for swimming, a higher grade for your instrument etc.

Your three topics have to be signed off by someone not related to you or your family.

For example, DD will do riding as her activity, she volunteers with her Scout group (helping with Beavers) and chose to learn photography as a new skill.

They also will do a hike but how that will work is currenlty unsure and will depends on the Covid restrictions nearer the time.

@capercaillie

www.dofe.org has lots of info. Also recommend the YouTube channel and a 10 min ish film on starting the award. Assume she’s doing Bronze.

Physical, Skill and Volunteering sections - 2 for 3 months and 1 for 6 months

I have looked and there seems to be no information on the specifics. The dedicated teacher at school is no help either. I asked previously and he said she could start. But no help as to start what?! My dd has absolutely no clue what to do.

My dd has just completed her Bronze. For the physical section she attended netball club at school, for skill she did singing lessons and for the volunteering section she helped out at Cubs. She completed the expedition last weekend.

Ok. So they've to plan a walk, sleep overnight in a tent and cook some camp meals.
Then, they've to do three things (1 for 6 months, 2 for 3 months) for one hour a week.
A sport or physical activity. Get the leader to sign off. Or you can say use an app to do a walk or cycle once a week, then show your results to the d of e person at school.
A skill type thing. Could be anything. My dd used a club she's belonged to after school. Eg computing, a language, art.
A voluntary activity. The library used to take people, but with lockdown there are online options or food banks or dog walking type things.
You get several years to complete it.
It costs a bit of money.

Thank you @reluctantbrit. How is your dd going to demonstrate her skill in photography? Is she just going to take a load of pictures? Then put them on her form?

It's not hard. They have to evidence that they have developed a skill, done physical activity and volunteered for the required time frame. There's lots of stuff in the d of e website to guide her.

I, for my bronze many years ago volunteered as a young leader with a scout group, joined the local ramblers and learned to knit.

They aren't going to spoon feed it to you. The point of d of e is critical thinking self sufficiency.

For her skill, she can spend her hour a week however she likes, as long as it develops her skill. So to use your interior design example, she could start by designing a room in week one, then spend a few weeks doing research, making mood boards etc, then design another room that shows how she’s used the stuff she’s learnt. Then at the end, show it to someone with relevant experience, and ask them to sign her off.

Interior design - could work on a portfolio. Different rooms, styles etc. Learn how to use design packages on computer. Keep evidence of what she’s done and job done.

Your daughter needs to choose an area which interests her for each section. Then, she thinks about what she would like to do to develop her skill in this area.

It's deliberately left quite open so that one child might learn about the basics of theatre lighting, while another could design and do the lighting for a school production: the scheme is designed to be flexible and adapt to the individual's knowledge, skill, situation and resources.

Your daughter will need an adult Assessor for each section, who is not related to her. The DofE says that parents or caterers are responsible for checking this person is suitable and trustworthy, if they are not a part of the organisation running the DofE. Your daughter should discuss her interest and what she would like to learn and do with her Assessor, and then they should set goals together.

The Assessor then writes a brief report at the end, confirming that she has completed the required time and outlining what she has done. She can also include additional evidence, but this is not compulsory.

Everything is recorded and uploaded via an online record keeping system, and your daughter will be able to track her progress through this.

What kids get out of this:

Developing skills and interests in an informal, self-directed but supported way. Making a choice as to what they do. Learning to communicate effectively with a range of adults. Commit to doing something regularly for three or six months. Increasing independence, self-reliance, and working out how to do things. Spreading their wings, getting a bit fitter, enjoying the out of doors and helping their community.

Many people try something out and find they keep doing it

(Sorry, I keep thinking of more things!)

Regarding activities, you can find a list for each section on the DofE website - it's worth checking the choices fit the right section.

Some activities will be very structured, some will be less so. Either is fine as long as some sort of progress is being made.

It is your daughter's responsibility to ask her Assessor for a report at the right time, and let the Assesor know what it needs to include (details in the welcome pack which your daughter will get once her online account has been created), and also to make sure her online programme planners are fully completed and up to date.

There is also a weekly log that you can download from the website. Each week she writes down what she has done -

Week 1 Teenage girl bedroom- searched on houzz and Pinterest for ideas (15 mins). Collated ideas on mood board (15 min) drew floor plan (15 min) costed materials (15 min).

Week 2 5yr old boy's bedroom etc.

Then you can also submit to the assessor a screenshot of the mood board, floor plan and materials list.

The next week she does a different room. The assessor (when it is not a club) will look at the log and any pictures and sign it off. During covid and Bronze it seems slightly more relaxed than normal. You could do the first hour and then email the organiser and check that she is on the right track.

If it is an organised activity then she just needs to jot down each session what she has done and ask an adult (not one of her parents to sign to confirm). During covid this has all been online but there were forms floating around before covid too.

It is easiest if they already do a couple of activities so one of mine already does volunteering, piano and a sport so it just involved logging it and getting someone to sign.

I totally disagree with Quarks69's post.

The way the school have 'delivered; it is completely outside the spirit of the DofE award.
OP said
"My dd has come home and said the have to do the DofE award"

What the actual ...??

This is NOT what the award is all about.

Plus, the OP is right, the young people need to know what they are committing to (before deciding if they want to do it), but also, they need to know what targets they are setting themselves and what evidence they will need to collect and what form any presentation or evidence gathering is to be presented in, before they start.

No, they shouldn't "just start" to do something. It is really imporatant they agree with their assessor that what they think might fit the criteria actually does fit the criteria. This is important in normal times, let alone in these strange times when a lot will have to be adapted one way or another, and activities will be more difficult to sign up to (sports, volunteering etc).

I asked previously and he said she could start. But no help as to start what?! My dd has absolutely no clue what to do.

She does need to choose what she wants to do, herself. A HUGE amount of the DofE award scheme is about challenging yourself and taking you outside your comfort zone - it is not supposed to be drip fed. However No-one should "just start" doing something without agreeing it with the assessor or Leader first. It would be a terrible waste of time and energy if they spent 6 months (or 3) doing something that was then deemed not appropriate.

The DofE organisers will also need to arrange to teach the pupils the skills regarding the expedition. It isn't "just a walk" - they need to learn to put up tents / navigate / route plan / what to carry and what not to carry / first aid / emergency procedures / etc - what to wear in some cases. There was new guidance coming out from the NYA today in terms of as and when expeditions might be able to go ahead BUT, the training all needs to happen before they can think about the expedition, and the LEaders / Organisers need to know that has been delivered well, not left to the young people to guess.

@trevorandsimon

Thank you *@reluctantbrit*. How is your dd going to demonstrate her skill in photography? Is she just going to take a load of pictures? Then put them on her form?

She plans to demonstrate her knowledge of technical bits, so learning shutter speed and the use of various functions of our SLR.

She puts them into a digital folder and then will make a presentation. Our neighbour is a photography teacher for 6th form and he will sign the assessment for her.

Thanks for the specific tips. That is helpful. The school seem to be very thorough on the expedition but more than vague on everything else.
I wont send the email as i have some more info from you guys, so thank you!

When are they aiming to do the expedition? Our school have had their introductory talk and can sign up now but the expedition isn't until July 2022, so plenty of time. Although they can start early I think that is more aimed at those who already are doing an activity, as soon as they register they can start clocking up the hours. So say if a child already does football on a Saturday they can start to count those hours towards the six month requirement. If a child doesn't yet do any volunteering it gives them a few months to find somewhere to volunteer then they can still fit in three months volunteering in plenty of time before the expedition. They will be going over stuff I imagine in form time so there will probably be plenty of time to come up with a plan.

I would concentrate for now on finding a physical activity she wants to do and volunteering (ideally if she can approach organisations herself), Facebook can be useful to find groups such as litter pickers, if you search for old posts there are lots of ideas of things they might be able to do. Then maybe get her to make a plan of what she might do for interior design, take it in to show the teacher before she launches in. Although I have emailed the DofE teacher it has only really been over medical issues, generally this is a good opportunity to get her to take responsibility for organising something herself unless there are SEN issues.

OP. This may or not help you, but this is how it worked for DD1.

1. Physical. She chose ice -skating. We signed her up for weekly lessons. After the first lesson she asked the instructor would they kindly act as the assessor, they agreed and provided contact info. DD set herself a target & kept a log of her hours spent (weekly lesson plus up to 2 hours after free skating). After 12 weeks assessor signed off the activity log and wrote something to say progress.
2. Activity. DD was already doing musical theatre and was signed up to do a local pantomime. She asked the producer to act as assessor. Target was to perform the pantomime. She also included a show from the summer so was able to make this her 6 month task.
3. Volunteering. DD was considering childcare as a career, so she contacted a local primary school and asked to volunteer at their ASC. She needed a reference from school for this. The manager of the club acted as assessor and signed off on her hours.
4. Expedition. This was organised by the school. The training, groups, everything.

It was really beneficial for DD as it developed her in different ways.

The school shouldn't be forcing everyone to do it though.

She/You need to think what she would like to do, and what is achievable in terms of time and money. e.g. The ice skating was 50mins away for us and so it used up most of each Saturday. But is was OK as DD2 went along and had lessons too, and I could attempt to skate with them in the free sessions afterwards.

Top tip - make the target something that is within the bounds of her ability to control - so, in the panto example above, I'd make the target along the lines of 'learning how to deliver lines' etc rather than 'perform the panto', as, if she has done 6 months of rehearsals and all the effort and time that took and then we get another wave of the pandemic, or the theatre gets burnt down or something out of her control and the panto doesn't go ahead, she has still achieved her target
(Hope you don't mind me borrowing your example Teen )

So, for sports, don't put "...and win the league" ... make it about "improving my skills / contributing to the squad" type targets.