DofE Volunteering Ideas

[GinJeanie]

Hiya, my DS has just signed up for DofE at school. He's mentioned that he's going to need to volunteer as part of the programme. I was just wondering if anyone has any good ideas where he could look for opportunities (obviously Covid-permitting). If your DC did this, what sort of volunteering did they do? Many thanks 🙂

Mine helped out with the younger age group at his hockey club.

Bell ringing is an option if you have a church near you that is allowing open practices (I.e unrestricted numbers) , although a lot aren’t (mine included). It’s also an option for the skills section too.

Libraries have been mentioned on here. It may differ between areas but the one I work in can’t have volunteers under 16 years old.

Ds just finished helping in a charity shop on a Saturday morning. He is 16. An hour a week for 10 weeks.

Litter picking has been done by some younger ones. You just need to buy those sticks and go out with them I think.

My DD helped at an animal rescue centre. Back in the day, I helped out at a disabled children's home.
Friends' DC have helped with Brownies, and at a food bank.

Ds did parkrun for bronze, charity shop for silver

Dd helped out at Brownies and Ds worked in a charity shop.

Our local outdoor pursuits centre use volunteers.

Parkrun is a nice easy one to sort.
5k Saturdays 9am
2k Juniors Sundays 9am
They usually have a fb page or email address on their website.

U18s can volunteer within sight of an adult, so finish line or some marshal positions. Tail walker would need to be accompanied. They're rotated through the different roles.

The Run Directors will love you forever

DS helped with football coaching the younger kids at his club.

DD1 helped at Rainbows

Mine did Oxfam, looked after animals at a garden centre (but they never wrote her reference) and her friends did same also helped at Parkrun.

Very spec, but the Language leaders course through Anglia Ruskin university ticks off the volunteer bit of DofE. One (split) hour of teaching over the year, any language, he doesn’t have to be doing gcse mfl.

@givemebooks

My son did his DofE bronze last year and will be doing Solver this year

Due to covid restriction we had to find alternatives for one they were able to volunteer to count penguins!

Check out www.zooniverse.org/projects/penguintom79/penguin-watch

You can screenshot the page they count and log the time it takes :)

My son did an hour a week spread out and will be doing this again! Great as he has ASD and would find new places and social situations difficult, yet this way he still helps a good cause.

Love this! Been wanting to do some volunteering myself but at home, just signed up and started on the penguin one and Kenyan wildlife watch!

DD13 has joined volunteer police cadets they do two hours every week, lots of community activities.

Jumping on a slightly stale thread but how are some of these volunteer activities going to get assessed by adults (who aren't a family member)? I'm trying to get some ideas for DS and as he's not sporty, nor a member of anything like Scouts, this is tricky. I know he'd enjoy helping in a library, and he actively likes litter picking, but who would assess/sign him off if he litter picked? Or did some online citizen science, for that matter?

A lot of churches, including my own, have recently installed additional AV equipment, and are live-streaming and/or recording services. Volunteers to help operate those systems would be most welcome!

I help run a Riding for yhe Disabled centre. We have a lot of volunteers via DofE.