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.

When my son did his it didn’t seem to be so strict - his skill was drama - he’d been doing it for years but it counted and he did the same for silver and bronze. For volunteering he helped out at his drama with the younger class, again for bronze and silver and for gold he once a week tutored our friends little girl who has additional needs for volunteering. My other son is doing his bronze next year and school seem to be signing off the volunteering by getting them to help out the younger classes although I don’t know what his skill is going to be but he seems to think he can count cooking class at school. However I have looked at parkrun which he’s interested in doing for volunteering. I’ve known others doing litter picking, some have helped out at our local YMCA and others done charity shop work, collected for charity, handed out leaflets. Have you spoken to the organisers because in my experience they do help them with finding things to do.

Just seen previous poster mentioned the same!

My son is going to do cookery for his skill - there are some online courses specifically for DofE. Eggandsoldiers is one. He’s helping with beavers for his volunteering.

I had someone babysit for me every friday night as their DofE volunteering.
As a music teacher, I've signed off loads of skill sections. Sometimes pupils help out at school rehearsals as their volunteering too. If her school day is so long, could she do something based at school?

DS went into school early once a week and listened to some younger children read for volunteering and took up chess online for his skill.

Picking up
litter is an opportunity to volunteer

she could look at the online opportunities for volunteering on the D of E website there are a few animal based ones or as other posters have suggested park run. Volunteering can be hard to come by for students especially if you are in an area that has lots of D of E students! We have a local volunteering hub (not actually D of E related just community based) there may be something similar in your area?

skill wise she could use her guitar lessons or she can log some time on Duolingo and have a family friend/ another friends parent do the assessor report at the end. It does not have to be anything organised.

My 13 year old DD is also doing DofE. Nightmare for volunteering for her age but looked at the DofE online resource and found the British Trust for Ornithology. 1 hour per week bird watching survey and recording species seen online. DD is doing it at home, watching the garden from the house. For her skill she’s doing German as she’s learning it at school anyway. Good luck

The dofe website offers ideas

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

I help at a charity shop- we had a couple of DofE kids helping.

Or go to an old people's home give them some company- you might even find someone to teach her knitting and it would cover both.

I volunteered at a care home. It was an awful one. I sucked it up and did it anyway. It was just to sit and chat to the residents - I really enjoyed it and put on a piano recital for them too, as well as talking a friend into doing a magic show. I got to talk to some amazing people, and often was the only person to speak to them all week. On the other side, I had to deal with a randy misogynistic resident called Ron who kept trying to pinch my butt and said all women should be kept in their place with cattle prods (yay), the staff were terrible - thought it was hilarious to send me to the room of a woman who was nil-by-mouth and try and get her to drink a cup of tea, the bastards - and there was a pervading odour of boiled cabbage, urine and despair, especially in the frail living room where you had to keep checking whether the residents were asleep or dead.

You said there was an awful one in the area - believe me, it won’t kill her to volunteer there for a few weeks.

Had you DD ever done any clubs? My kids both volunteered at clubs they used to go to when they were small. An acting club and a tennis club. My DD also volunteered at her cricket club.

Call up all the little clubs in your area. They always are grateful for an extra pair of hands. Also if you have a Parkrun near you, they’ll let teens volunteer for DofE.

Skill is easy. There are loads of quite cheap cooking classes online you can sign up for. You pay the fee and then have access to lots or recipes and videos. Once you’ve made something, you send a photo to the course provider and once you’ve completed so many recipes they certify you for DofE. There’s lots of links to these courses on the DofE website.

The dofe website offers helping younger children read / write via online lessons I think?

www.dofe.org/opportunity-finder/opportunity-for-dofe-participant/

I'm a DofE leader and have been for years - it does sound like the school are imposing additional rules outside the DofE requirements: it is absolutely fine for her to continue to develop a skill she already has!
Volunteering is often a sticking point, though. I often encourage students to help with the younger age groups in the clubs/sports/extracurricular activities that they already do, if that could work for her?

For her skill - First Aid. There are one-day courses that would get her to First Responder level & it shouldn't be hard to find one running at the weekend though you'll almost certainly have to do a spot of parental taxiing. St Johns Ambulance & https://www.minifirstaid.co.uk/classes/classes-for-children are good places to start.

She could then perhaps volunteer with St Johns or, if DofE allows self-started volunteering, she could campaign to get all your local schools teaching first aid to their pupils & encourage schools (esp secondary, the peak of sudden cardiac death in children is 13 to 17) that don't have them to install defibrillators, as well as encouraging local shops, community centres etc to install them. If she was careful about documenting all her efforts (who, when, how & where) & outcomes that could turn into an impressive project.

I suggest that you email the DoE program manager at her school to clarify these restrictions. A lot of what you've written here sounds inaccurate.

It's irrelevant that she's already started an activity before commencing DoE. You can have been playing an instrument for 10 years and still count it as a skill, you simply need to demonstrate new mastery eg progress towards the next grade, learn a new piece, a new skill etc

In terms of the time element, a weekly half hour lesson counts for the "1 hour for 3 months" if she does the 30min for 6 months

Online courses can certainly be used for the skill element. There are online cookery courses specifically designed and advertised for the DoE requirements for example.

For the volunteering element, I understand that her school finishes late, so what do they suggest? She won't be the only child looking for activities in the school. Our school offers the opportunity to complete 6 months of 30 min mentor sessions which the DoE students deliver to year 7s who struggle with English or Maths.
Or what about volunteering before school at a local nursery or breakfast club in a preschool/primary setting

How about offering to volunteer at an old people's home (making teas, chatting to and playing games with the residents), or volunteering in a school breakfast club or an animal rescue centre, as they are open around school hours? Or volunteering to support a younger pupil with reading etc. Skill can be a life skill such as knitting, crafting, art, cooking, decorating her bedroom, calligraphy, writing etc. Evidence can be an activity diary with photos of her engaged in them or examples of work demonstrating progress towards goals set. The assessor can be a professional or a neighbour - they just have to have experience and/or qualifications in the field being judged.

One of the kids on our street volunteered by tidying all the common parts and gardening, a neighbour signed it off. My DS volunteered at parkrun, they always need people. My other DS volunteered at school, helping reading in the primary.
One DS did cooking as his skill, v. Common in his peep group. Just cooked a family meal once a week, quite easy. The other did knitting and knit a couple of toys for his cousin. Again, super easy to do at weekends and in spare time.

She can volunteer at a charity shop. Oxfam staff are advanced DBS checked and take volunteers from 14

Seconded. Check and see if there is a junior parkrun near you. We always have DofE volunteers at ours. Each week, they do a different role, up to and including Run Director.

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

sure you have looked on DofE website but there was loads of ideas/resources and other useful printouts on there so might be worth another look? Also is there any fb/social media groups for DofE peeps in your area that might offer ideas/support. Where there’s a will there’s a way! Good luck to your daughter x

@Frenchcremefraiche have any of the posts here given you an idea that might work?

I’ve not rtft but really the whole point of DofE is to work hard to start a new skill and find a way of volunteering. She should be trying harder at that herself - it’s not on you to find something. Thousands of kids manage it.

hello

Is she doing it through Scouting or school? They should have a DoE champion that can help them. One of my Rangers worked in the community larder and community garden in her village.

next cohort, one is going to challenge herself go get to 1st violin position

Could you phrase to daughter that far from being sexist girlguiding lets girls be girls without the boy nonsense.

Mine did Parkrun marshalling. Very easy.