To be frustrated by DofE requirements

[Frenchcremefraiche]

My daughter has just turned 15 and is trying to complete (well, START tbh!) her Bronze DofE.

On paper it's fine: learn something and do some volunteering.

In reality it's really, really hard! All suggestions appreciated!

There are so many exclusions to the skill requirement. She doesnt get home from school until 6 which limits evenings. Not that there are many lessons/groups after school anyway. Then there are so few activities that count as a skill on the weekend. Anything vaguely "sporty" doesnt count as a skill even if it's something she's never done before and is going to classes to learn it (eg ice skating). She's been doing online guitar lessons but because she started those before DofE, they dont count. There is a minimum hours requirement and Ive found a few in person classes but they arent long enough. It needs to be something in person because it needs to be signed off so teaching herself or doing something at home wont count.

Then volunteering, because of her age, very few places can help. Any informal groups that are willing to take her want a parent present because they cant take responsibility for her / arent DBS checked etc which I get but obviously she doesnt want me hanging about. It has to be a regular thing so she cant organise eg an afternoon litter pick. Plus she needs someone to sign it off anyway. She looked at helping at a local beaver/scout group but one said no and the other has her ex boyfriend helping so she said no. In her naive 15year old way she wont help at brownies because they are "sexist".

Any suggestions on what she can do? She's on the verge of having to quit because she cant meet the requirements.

It was originally designed for far simpler and more naive times, when 'free' time would've been ample for the nice middle class kids who did it, and Mr Jones would sign for you helping pick apples in his orchard, or Mrs Miggins would vouch that you'd helped do the tea and cakes at the WI of a weekend.
It wasn't intended for parents to be frantically searching for something which might just be crammed in and hopefully get the OK for that box to be ticked.
It's a complete anachronism, and 'updates' to include things like coding are vain attempts to make it look like it caters for modern life and needs 😀

oh and I'm seeing the guitar lessons mentioned- yes definitely, DS did his musical instrument. It's still a skill, he's still learning it and getting better at it (presumably!!) so it does count. We did ask and it was confirmed.

Volunteering - contact Parkrun. Mine volunteered there, it was over and done with in 1.5h and the rest of the weekend was theirs. I did the run a few times too. The people running it were lovely and just happy for help

My son volunteered at the heart foundation, they also helped him learn new skills as part of his D of E, no fuss and minimal input required from me.

My son volunteered at the heart foundation, they also helped him learn new skills as part of his D of E, no fuss and minimal input required from me.

Volunteering - have you tried any animal rescue organizations? The smaller, independent ones are more likely to accept younger volunteers. Cleaning pens, feeding, socializing animals, helping at events.
What about Riding for the Disabled? They are certainly crying out for helpers.

It sounds as though she doesn’t actually want to do it-which is fine. It’s not compulsory. My daughter did the bronze, silver and gold and sorted it all out herself.

https://www.dofe.org/opportunity-finder/article/surfers-against-sewage-million-mile-clean-2/

Not true. This is listed on the official site. It's something you sign up for online.

But she isn’t is she if she is prepared to say no to Brownies. she clearly has a naive view of the world and needs to learn that not everything is as she first sees it and perhaps do some proper research. Unfortunately in life we need to learn that not everything is perfect through our own lens of the world. Maybe she reframes is as going to help at Brownies will mean that she can properly understand what it is about and whether it is really sexist or perhaps a safe space for girls.

Unfortunately a lot of insurance companies have put restrictions on the age of volunteers, the charity shops near us who previously took DofE volunteers no longer will take anyone under 16 due to insurance and the animal shelter also needs under 16s to be supervised by a parent or carer for insurance reasons.

If she’s not a girl guide/explorer, she’s unlikely to get a place at Brownies anyway, the scouting and girl guide movement is pretty much the main option for DofE volunteering, and prioritise those they know already through their organisation.

One thought, does her school have a library that is open after school? Could she volunteer after school one night a week for an hour (or twice for half an hour). Reshelving books, replacing stickers that have come off etc.

Do any local primary schools run any after school clubs she could volunteer at- not childcare but things like netball or science club. She’s more likely to get them to say yes if it’s her old primary school.

Park run is a really good idea as well.

Well, aside from not understanding the origins of the DofE awards, you're pretty much wrong in nearly everything you say.

It wasn't intended for nice middle class kids with too much time on their hands and it has never been the exclusive preserve of the middle classes either.

I'd actually argue that it's just as relevant nowadays, albeit it maybe for different reasons, maybe even more so.

Your comment about coding is nonsense. They haven't included that to try and make it relevant to modern life, it's included to reflect the changing world in the knowledge that some people might have an interest in it and have the opportunity to develop the skill.

The actual skills and volunteering that young people choose is widely irrelevant. It's not about developing those skills specifically. They're just the vehicle by which young people can develop character traits which are increasingly lacking for various reasons - self discipline, confidence, commitment, self discipline, team work, problem solving, resilience, resourcefulness, personal challenge, curiosity etc.

So, if anything, it's more valuable now.

Tbf, though, you are right that it isn't for parents to be frantically searching for things to do. The expectation is that the young people will organise it themselves. That's part of the whole point of it.

The volunteering bit is difficult. My DD volunteered at her school, doing reading and other support work with younger students during lunch and after school, she also volunteered at the local rugby club, making teas and coffees (it helped that her brother played for them and I was volunteering too). Her skill was decluttering! She organised kitchen spaces for a few people (I think this was a reach, but it was during Covid so opportunities were limited). Her sport was Archery which she just about managed to complete the hours before lockdown. Sadly the lockdowns meant she couldn’t continue with it as the centre had to be closed indefinitely (and of course it happened just after investing £300 in her own equipment).

Cooking can be a skill. Cook various things for neighbour or someone, and get them to sign off

I volunteered with my school to do 121 support in class for children with SEN. Worked with a lovely young autistic boy who liked to be quiet and separate from the rest of the class, but still liked to talk through the concepts with someone.

This is annoying me now. You need to point the DofE programme leader in the direction of the leader's handbook, specifically pages 64-71, which details the requirement of the Skills part of DofE.

https://www.dofe.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/DofE-Handbook-for-Leaders_2025-1.pdf

It states:

• Participants must choose an activity and, with your help, set an appropriate challenge. *They can choose to develop a new skill or

improve an existing one*. The key is to show progression and sustained interest over time.

• Activities can be undertaken on either an individual or group basis.

My daughter volunteered with Barnados (charity shop). I think they had quite a few DOE volunteers over the years, I’d imagine most of the big charities would be the same?

Lots of people volunteer at the local Parkrun for their D of E and that is accepted. Is there one local to you?

I came here to say this!

also your bound to have more than one cub/beaver group in your area.

Join Explorer Scouts - she will be able to complete her volunteering there and the other requirements too.

To be honest, it’s not supposed to be easy!

Park Run marshalling is popular here for DofE volunteering.

There's loads on these links including online volunteering

https://www.dofe.org/opportunity-finder/opportunity-for-dofe-participant/?&typeopp=volunteering

https://www.dofe.org/opportunity-finder/

https://www.dofe.org/thelatest/volunteering-ideas/

My son has just started his DofE Bronze this week and I am also finding it stressful, as we also have limited free time. For his Skills section, he spoke to his Computing Teacher and he is going to do coding at home. We purchased a book on coding games in Python, which she recommended, and yesterday he spent 1.5 hours coding independently and managed to code Tic Tac Toe. We are keeping log of what he does each week, which she will check, and I also took photos of what he was doing and the end results. He does go to ESports Club in school, which apparently could also have counted, but this doesn't feel like a new skill, as he's essentially just gaming there, so at least with coding I feel like he's learning a new skill.

For Volunteering, he's helping out at the Junior School after school club once a week, and for Physical he's going to cycle on our Peloton ( he hasn't used it much up until now).

I feel as though I've had to help him to get organised quite a lot. Many of his friends just seem to be doing things they were already doing and not doing anything "new", but at least I feel DS is trying new things.

https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/penguintom79/penguin-watch/talk/1697/1024355

Penguin Watch has been used for D of E.

https://edukid.org.uk/d-of-e/

EduKid runs remote volunteering and is approved for D of E.

RSPCA has a D of E programme that is free
https://education.rspca.org.uk/library?page=2&sort=asc&programmeOfLearning=Duke+of+Edinburgh

In fact, if you type 'online volunteering D of E' into Google, there is so much available.

Brownies would be perfect and also they aren’t sexist. They (illegally) admit boys who say they are girls