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.

DD did piano for skill (she was already taking lessons) and helping with sports games at the weekend at her school for volunteering.

I did an evening makaton course (back in the day were talking now!) - you could probably find BSL or makaton classes online or in person. Also - do charity shops not count? 4 hours on a Sat morning or afternoon?

My daughter and son both did their instruments they were already playing for their skill. They just worked towards the next grade.

It's starting to look like OP dosen't actually want solutions. We have page after page of people giving ideas and saying what the actual requirements are but OP has dismissed pretty much all of them. She hasn't replied to the numerous people that have asked if she has even been on tbe DofE website. It sounds as if the child perhaps doesn't actually want to do it and is coming up with a reason why every suggestion wont work.

Sporty things need to under the Physical category, not Skill.

re volunteering have you tried local Beavers, Rainbows, Cubs? We had quite a few do DofE with them, some of whom had no previous association with the pack/troop.

when you started the activity is not really relevant. The only issue is when your centre starts the DofE registration. My son’s school started them all from September, so any activity attendance could be included from then, even if at the time you’re adding it to your DofE account it’s in the past.

My daughter did litter picking with me once a week (not an organised thing) and I took photos. She did cooking for her skill - again I took photos. Then we sent these to two different friends who signed it off. It sounds like your school is being difficult, rather than it being a DofE issue.

What about archery as the skill? If you look online and find local archery clubs pretty much all of them run beginners courses where they provide all the kit and they are usually every week, once a week for about 6 weeks. They are run by qualified coaches and completely safe

My DS did her bronse dofe through her karate club for all three elements and will be using mix of karate and guideing young leader for the silver

Sorry if this has already been said but I’m in a rush. Parkrun and junior parkrun take D of E volunteers (Saturdays and Sundays at 9am).

Is it a private school ? Is she 9-5.30 mon-fri?

The skill does not have to be formally taught by a professional. I have just done this for a friend’s child.
Do you have a local riding for disabled group?
The school should really have a coordinator who can advise you.
Does your daughter really want to do this? Might it be better to wait till she is over 16 which might make the volunteering a bit easier to find.

Mine volunteered shelving books at the local library. Has she asked about that?

If you’re near a hospital, helping in the café or shop is another possibility.

Bit puzzled why Brownies are sexist.

As a form tutor, I've signed off baking for a couple of students- they just sent me photos.
Both of my dd have used their singing lessons and as everybody has said, they were already doing these.
DD1 did online data input ( shipping data!) for her volunteering during Covid - D of E had a list of ideas on their website as in-person volunteering was largely impossible in 2020. DD2 sewed sanitary products for bronze - a scheme she found online. She volunteered at her drama group for Silver and Gold
DD2 is no sports player so logged herself walking on Strava on her phone - a friend of ours signed it off. This was actually really good for her and set her up nicely for the expeditions!

Yes, 100% this.

I did my DofE many many years ago and had no problem getting all the things signed off as I genuinely was volunteering anyway and the award was validating things that I did.

Nowadays working for a charity I often have mums contact me asking about volunteering opportunities for their child. I outline what we do and have very little time for the mum then telling me why it doesn't work for them.
However if a child/young person without a sense of entitlement contacts me wanting to volunteer I will move heaven and earth to make it happen for them.

However I am doing that from a charitable point of view as for insurance reasons they will be a participant developing skills, not a volunteer contributing meaningful benefit to the charity. There is little net gain from staff costs of training and supervising 12 hrs of a 14yr old. BUT that 14yr old might continue volunteering and be awesome. They might even end up working in the field, or just discover a new passion for life. They will definitely become a more informed and rounded member of society - we just need to somehow get the money to support them to volunteer.

But litterpicking is always always always needed. (But maybe a bit smelly ;-) )

School library? Volunteer to help a teacher at a school lunch time club eg if there’s a board games club to help children socialise, or some kind of mentoring of a Year 7?

Park run, as many have said on here, will definitely take DofE volunteers.

You should not look into it. Your daughter should. And she should work out how she gets there, even if means she has to get up early and the journey is not straightforward. (I'm remembering now my DS cycling miles in torrential rain to volunteer at park run the day the course was partially flooded. The DofE is not meant to be about parents smoothing your path ...)

Does she do any sport ? She could volunteer with the younger groups to run coaching warm ups or referee practise matches. There are loads of online cookery classes specifically for d of e / follow the recipe take a pic and submit it and they sign it off.
plus am sure she can supervise something at school??

Our local park “friends of…” have DofE volunteers. They do their own thing on weekends but checked by / guided by the main volunteer group who are older retirees and usually do their bit weekdays.

Your daughter just sounds a dream to deal with. More objections than any young person I have dealt with.

I would suggest that if you are on Facebook you sign up to the D of E support groups. You may get more support and better suggestions of things to do. And more of the correct response compared to your current D of E leaders. On line skills training DOES count. They do not need to physically turn up to a group.

A school that finishes at 5:30pm? I am guessing that she is in a private school?

At bronze, they just have to do three months (13 weeks) for an hour a week. She could buy some litter pick sticks and go out with friends once a week for an hour and collect litter. The Strava app could track her walk. To prove that the group did it. You could contact your local councillor to ask for bags and pickers.
I have recently taken on a young person to deal with my social media account for a charity hall I run. Can be done from home.

Girlguiding is not ‘sexist’ - they just provide a girl only space - the moto is ‘Girls can do anything’. Sexism is when I was refused a promotion due to being of ‘child bearing age’; told I could not join the RAF due to the ‘skirt would blow into my face’ when planes would take off. Being told by a teacher that my role in life was to get married and have children. Being told in chemistry to sit at the back of the class and be quiet because chemistry is for boys and girls should not be in the class. Despite all of these remarks I still ended up in a male dominated, high paying role, in IT back in the 1990’s.

This sounds a bit odd tbh, as there are many providers that do skills online and you get a sign-off that way too e.g.Leith's Cooker School have an online platform, and one of the courses is specifically for DofE. I have also seen lots of online typing skill courses that are tailored for DofE - they are links to them off the official DofE website.

Who is she doing DofE with? Either your daughter has got the wrong end of the stick, or the person is being really awkward, since the official website allows online courses.

Do you have a friend who would teach her a skill for 13 weeks for an hour and sign off? Cooking or something like that? You could then return the favour if their kid wants to do DofE. Or is there a craft group nearby that has Stitch n Bitch or sth so she could go along and practice crochet (make cute mini animals, I think it's Japanese and called arumigrumi), and get signed off.

She'll have to do Skills, Volunteering, Physical (2 for 3 months and 1 for 6 months I believe), and a short expedition I think.

The volunteering does seem to be hard, since so many places do not want under 16/18. Good luck!

I did swimming for my bronze and silver sports. (Trampolining for gold.) I did lifesaving as my volunteering- RLSS bronze medallion then further qualifications, and then teaching swimming, ASA preliminary teacher, at swimming club - they invested in me, and i did voluntary work for them. This meant I could then earn money once I was 16 in the holidays, as a lifeguard and swimming teaxher, which paid far better than waiting tables or shelf stacking.

Can't remember what my skills were, except driving for gold.

How about volunteering to read with kids in a primary school?

I volunteered at St John Ambulance.

We have a charity near us that does things to help the elderly. They have some older school children that volunteer on a regular basis.

I know it you have ruled out care homes for practical reasons, but what about any sheltered living complexes. Maybe she could do some practical things for someone. Depending on what they needed, picking up some shopping, sweeping leaves from the path, or even just sitting for a chat and cup of tea.

Something totally different- not sure on age but something like a hospital radio.

When I was in 6th form I had an afternoon without lessons. I volunteered at a club for partially sighted adults. I meg the bus at the first pick up and helped guide people on/off the bus if they needed it ( some didn't). When there i helped with refreshments etc.

I know you have said she finishes school at 5.30, but if the d of e is through school, would there be any flexibility for her to finish early to help somewhere.

How long does it need to be for - would there be anything she could do on the run up to Christmas - eg groups that organise Christmas presents for children and elderly. Maybe she do more hours each session to get the hours in over less weeks.