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.

Regarding the guitar classes - the ones done before DofE don't count. But if she continues them then the ones done in the future will count.

Other ideas are baking, Duolingo, art/crafts - as long as she has someone to sign off that she's done it (our neighbour signed off DC1's baking - and got weekly baked goods in return).

For volunteering, are there any local groups looking after local parks that she can help with? Or litter picking?

I'm here to echo everyone saying to volunteer at parkrun. My ds14 volunteered at our local one scanning finishers barcodes etc along with about 8 other DofE-ers.
I run it every week so it was an obvious choice for us but most of the kids were dropped off there to do it. There is a constant DofE churn in the volunteers there

Charity shops have said no because of her age.

As Ive said, she'd rather quit than do Brownies which is her choice but I agree is stupid.

Sunday school/church isnt possible. We're not religious so it would be hypercritical plus I cant imagine a priest etc who has no idea who she is, letting her.

A local scouting or girl guiding group will.snap her up.

Why does she want to do D of E? Does she actually WANT to do it? It seems like everything is an obstacle. Would suggest that with her long days, and other activities, she is doing enough.

If it is for a future hypothetical uni application, don't bother.

Local animal shelter, city farm, youth group,
Skills - either learn something new with guitar, pottery , crochet, art course, mosaic, basic sewing machine course

Rainbows are part of Guiding, not Brownies, and none of Guiding is sexist at all! Scouts covers Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers - surely one of the other groups would appreciate help?

I’d echo Parkrun as a great place to volunteer. Enquire at local sports clubs too.

My boys did an online money management course via OpenLearn that met DofE requirements. In fact there is lots of info on the DofE website about online courses for the skill element.

For her skill, DD did an online cookery course run by Leiths. There were 15 or whatever online recipes (with videos) to follow which you cooked whenever you liked and then you submitted a photo of it each week with a couple of comments. She enjoyed it and is doing the next level for silver. I do feel like a bit of a mug as lots of her friends just did some random cooking and got a friend’s parent to sign it off.
For bronze volunteering, she got to her sport an hour earlier and helped out with the younger age group for a few months. The coaches had done it umpteen times before and kicked her off after a while so that someone else could have a turn and meet their requirements. For silver volunteering, she did consider junior park run as it’s on a Sunday morning but that’s her one chance for a lie in so instead she & a friend litter pick around the village for an hour at some point on a Sunday. It is organised enough to count as the WI run litter picking in the village and they go & collect the stuff from one of the members and are told where to go (often the member leaves the litter pickers, the bags and a note for them).

Local sports clubs rugby etc will also snap her up.

Yes. She really does and was really excited by it. She has been actively trying to find things she can do.

My local park run takes DoE volunteers

Tbh if you choose a private school with very long hours this is the downside. Ime those sorts of schools usually facilitate dofe more?

I think my local parkrun takes d of e volunteers so maybe check them out and junior parkrun if you have one Saturdays or Sundays!

I work at a library and we have them as well if asked!

Mine volunteered at our local parkrun

Her school finishes at 530.

Reading with younger children in school on a lunch time?

What about a free online creative writing course?
Open uni has lots of free mini courses online too.

Loads of church volunteers aren’t “religious”, my old NDN was the beadle and she was agnostic. The scouts and guides associations are based in Christianity and mostly use church premises.

Every one of your posts seems to be an obstacle, both my dc and tons of their friends did bronze and silver DofE with none of the hassle you seem to be experiencing.

Every skill session has to signed off. They've said she cant take screen shots etc, she has to be physically there with the person signing off.

Rainbows are part of Guiding, not Brownies, and none of Guiding is sexist at all!

Rainbows and brownies are both junior branches of guiding. Its very variable depending on where you live, in many areas its still got a bias towards christians who volunteer to run it (or in more diverse areas other religious groups who value it being single sex) and can even now still be rather old fashioned with a focus on stereotypically "girly" activities.

My DD done DoE volunteering at a local Park Run on Saturdays. Email local Park Runs (all of them) and one of them will have a place for her.
None of the charity shops (my DDs preference) had place for her because of her age- mosts accept 16+ because of insurance.

Charity shops have said no.

The skills cant be for family or signed off by family. I understand that tbh. We dont know anyone she could cook for.

There are loads of options. The whole idea of the program is surely to encourage the person doing it to take initiative. Not to get their mum to drive and organise? Leave her to it. If it doesn't happen- it its on her.

Volunteering:
Walk a neighbour’s dog
Weekly litter pick in local area
Volunteer with dept at school (one lunchtime a week: empty recycling boxes, tidy displays, etc)

Skill:
Duolingo
’Moocs’ (on unifrog if her school has it, or google)
photography (online tutorials)

All of those would be free and could be signed off by friend or neighbour

Maybe we missed something, but all the things you've listed and discounted were eligible for my dd's DoE.
She counted football training as her skill, dedpite playing since she was 6, and helped out a prikary school after school club. I think it was a bit of a cop out, and was sorry she didn't use the opportunity to learn something new, but it counted and she got the award.
One thing tgat popped into my head was learning to crochet and donating hats to the neonates ward. She could also collect donated snacks and take them to thecward for new parents, i reckon that might constitute the volunteering element.