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.

Can she help put for one term at brownies? Or if she does a sport, can she be a youth helper with the younger age group on a Saturday morning session (my DS did this for cricket - helped with the under 8s one season). Guides and scouts take a lot of youth/DofE volunteers. Re the skill - an online course will often be sufficient - one in coding where you can download the completion certificate or I think you can do an online cooking course and evidence it with photos etc. (My DS did this for his Bronze DofE).

Are you aware of what DofE is for; the qualities it is supposed to develop?

Because while you keep posting with a problem for every solution, you're kind of missing the point.

It's not compulsory but it is an achievement for those young people who undertake it. It requires and develops resourcefulness, resilience, self discipline, adaptability, commitment, confidence, problem solving and general life skills. It enclurages young people to challenge themselves. It's not supposed to be 'easy'.

It definitely sounds like the provider is making up rules. Is she doing it through the school?

Just leave it to her to organise, and if she doesn't, she doesn't do it.

She can do guitar, loads of people I know used a current activity as a skill - she just needs to (with her teacher) decide on what she will achieve during the time - accomplishing a particular piece of music, getting a grade or whatever.
I know people who went through gold not taking on any new activities just continuing with what they already do - but progressing.

During Covid my DS did an online mapping thing for volunteering, where you are mapping sections of the world that are not already mapped (far flung areas of the Himalayas for example). I can't remember the link but it was listed in the booklet that came with his enrolment, there were loads of ideas in there. He got a scout leader to sign it off but a teacher could do that either.

i’d have thought guitar would count. Half an hour a week lesson plus practice is enough? Certainly been enough for both my DC

Volunteering - suck it up and help with brownies.

If she’s doing official DofE, they get an account on an app and have to evidence what they have been doing themselves through their own written testimony and some photos. The assessor then signs them off at the end.

My son has been doing Rookie Lifeguarding through the local council pool for his skill. He is also struggling for volunteering as the charity shops have said no and Park run clashes with his lifeguarding and his sport (which he has done for years, not sure where the info has come from that it has to be new).

Rookie lifeguard www.everyoneactive.com/courses-lessons/additional-swimming-disciplines/

it depends on how lenient the person assessing compliance is.

for Bronze volunteering, my DS helped out with a local conservation group. I had to go as well and we did 3 lots of 5 hr sessions. The assessor was fine with this. My work gives times off for volunteering so I used that and we just went to sessions in the holidays. We both really enjoyed these sessions

for skill, he learned wood carving and the tutor signed him off

the sport, he joined a local running club and went weekly after school, the man running the club signed off something we had written for him saying he had attended and in terms of showing progress he did 3 park runs and recorded these on strava

for silver, he just recorded himself running on strava for his sport, for skill he cooked using boxes from gusto and took photos of his efforts and for volunteering he helped out in the school library for an hour a week

No one will give her data like that. Plus it has to be in person. She does loads of stuff bit because its at home or online, there is no one to sign it off.

Basically she has to volunteer/do her skill for 1hr a week each with someone who can sign it off there and then.

British sign language run a course that is designed for the Bronze DoE. https://help.british-sign.co.uk/en/article/can-i-use-this-course-for-my-dofe-award-1b2o4mm/

Do you have a community council or similar?

Yes the meetings are only monthly but there are things need doing every week which could easily be evidenced and signed off.

At this time of year there are Christmas lights, Christmas fairs etc.

If she can bake we always need tray bakes, cupcakes etc for them.

My daughter helps at those and she's only eight. We'll take anyone prepared to lend a hand.

The D of E website suggests many of the things you’re saying aren’t acceptable OP

If she’s finding it difficult she needs to talk to the school co-ordinator. Ours is very happy to help, and has set up a litter picking session every week after school for an hour, to count as the volunteering section.

He was also very clear on not having to take on new things if you’re already doing things that can fit the sections. So if a kid is already part of a football team, just put that down for physical, don’t start a new physical club (unless you really want to). You can run, use a sports watch to track, download the data that shows you ran for an hour across a week, and the aim would be to improve distance or time etc.

As others said, I know a girl who cooked at home, sent the dishes round to a parent’s friend to try and they completed the sign-off.

Guitar should definitely count, as long as you have a target to aim for and have someone to sign off that you actually practised for an hour a week.

Parkrun, or Junior Parkrun (on Sundays) for volunteering. The school co-ordinator should be able to come up with lots of ideas. Our school has after-school clubs that use volunteers.

She asked that but apparently no because it isnt in person so there is no proof. She asked if screen shots or progress reports etc would be evidence but they said no.

Skill - baking? Learning to bake. Can do it in her own time get a neighbour/family friend to sign off. Take photos of everything for evidence.

plus side - lots of cake.

One of ours marshalled at the local parkrun, the other helped our village recreation committee.

They both used guitar lessons for their skill - and they were already doing it beforehand.

I didn't do d of e but I signed off someone's volunteering once - they delivered the village newsletter monthly, on foot, so did the whole month's '1 hour a week on average' in one go. Anything like that she could do?

I assume the guitar lessons are self guided from videos not live with a teacher? If there is a live teacher, they can be the assessor. If not, she just needs an assessor. Do you have a friend who plays and instrument? They just listen to her play now, then again in 3 months and sign it off to say she’s got better. She can record her playing something short after each lesson as evidence.

is she actually a member of the scout or guide association? They should be able to help her be a young leader with them if she is. Do school not have volunteering opportunities in school? We have peer mentoring and a few clubs that tick the box.

She needs to get over her "ex boyfriend" . What kind of relationship was it at 15? Surely at this age they both move on ?
If that group is an option take it

Who is saying no?

dd puts everything in the D of E portal.

I think your Dd might be having you on!

Whoever is running it clearly doesn’t understand the criteria because all the things op is saying “don’t count” is inaccurate.

She can cook/bake at home and get a home ec teacher at school to sign it off - produce a recipe book and take samples in.

Photography - get teacher to sign it off.

Art - get teacher to sign it off.

Creative writing - get teacher to sign it off.

Sensing a pattern here....

There are lots of things she can do.

Join a sports team at school for her physical.

Walk/run to improve fitness. Use strava as evidence.

Nothing stopping her continuing with guitar online.

Volunteering - help in school library, garden at school, litter pick at school, mentor younger pupils.

My son did cooking and baking as his skill and got our neighbour to sign it off. For volunteering he coaching at his hockey club and also listens to younger kids at school read.

My daughter already did tennis and had gone through the tennis junior coaching programme. She used her weekly tennis as hee activity and had already been helping to coach the children at 9am class for a year when she started her bronze DofE. She kept a record and the adult coach signed off online at the end of the period. They dont have to sign off every week and they sign off online.
(My daughter got her bronze this summer.)
I agree that perhaps a simple thing is to assst in achool. Is there something she’s already good at? (Reading, crochet etc?) She could support others by having them read? My daughter chose crochet as her skill and her friend ran a crochet club where they were all taught to crochet. I think that was her friend’s volunteer activity.
Her school doesnt do silver - they go straight to gold. She may do cookery as her skill next time. (Next ywar.)
i agree with posters that this is a problem your daughter needs to come up with a solution for.

There are lots and lots of different options, and lots of people who can sign off. My youngest spent his skill time practicing drawing.he wasn't particularly good at art or drawing but he was inspired by a friend who was and wanted to get better. He had an art teacher at school sign off and he kept a portfolio of his work each week. My eldest developed at chess, he went to a weekly chess club and signed up to an online app with matches, daily challenges etc. The chess club leader signed off. For volunteering my youngest went back to his old primary school and helped at the after school club. Eldest ran a table top game club in the library at school, librarian signed off (hes still running it 2 1/2 years later) you mentioned litterpixk. A lad at my sons school holiday this, same hour each week, he sent a picture of his collection in each week as evidence.