Duke of Edingburgh,how has it been useful for your child?

[maddiemostmerry]

Hi ds has done his Duke of Edingburgh bronze.

The cost of the expeditions for silver is going to be just over £300. This is a lot of money for us.

Has the award been of use to your child other than the skills learned?
Does it carry any real weight on personal statement for uni?

Thanks

well dd did silver , then never collected her award

had it on her personal statement but then I guess loads and loads of them do so not sure if it made any difference

she still uses the backpack if that's any consolation

so my gut feeling is nah it doesn't mke much difference

he's got bronze and if he's not desperate to do silver then don't sweat it

Ok, thanks ggirl, I get the feeling he won't be doing it.

DD1 did bronze, silver and has just completed gold. It's been great for her. She's had a lot of experiences and gained skills that she wouldn't otherwise have had.
She still goes to the voluntary job because she loves it and I think she'll keep going as long as she is living at home.
I don't know how much use it is on a CV. I think gold probably does look good as most don't complete all three. I think the individual experiences are invaluable though.

Thanks chop. Well done to your dd.

He will continue with his voluntary work anyway as he enjoys it.

My DS did his Bronze last year and has no desire to do his Silver either, if that makes you feel better. Its a real shame because i was under the impression it makes you stand out from the crowd, on your cv etc. He made some great friends tho....

ds did silver & gold. He would have done everything except the expeditions anyway even if not doing the awards. The expeditions were good fun, but not as costly as yours, £300 for a couple of short camping trips is rather steep imo. In terms of UCAS he didn't mention it, but probably would have done if he didn't have other extra curriculars to write about - ie: it's only useful if you don't have anything else to say.

Dd did bronze, decided she doesn't like walking and isn't doing any more.

Gold is massively useful. I'm amazed your DS didn't think it worth including on his UCAS form, gelatinous - many universities unofficially regard it as equivalent to an extra A Level.

Most of our students bypass Bronze and Silver, which don't have as much merit on their own, and do Gold in the sixth form as direct entrants. Universities and employers recognise the range of skills it encompasses, the sustained commitment it requires, and the personal qualities it promotes.

My Gold award has been invaluable on my CV - I've been asked about it at every interview I've attended.

Thanks porkypoo and gelatinous.

Yes he does have other extra curriculars, his voluntary work, sport, music and a news paper round to keep him busy.

Where are they going that costs that much? There's no reason for it.
I would query the cost. Dd1's expeditions cost about £90 each. I know some schools take them abroad and if you can't afford £700 then your child can't do it. Dd1 found doing the bronze and silver invaluable because by the time she came to do the gold she had a close supportive team and lots of experience which made the whole thing more enjoyable.

I think the reason it is costing so much is because the school is buying in staff to do it.
They certainly aren't going very far!

That's interesting Team Damon, I noticed on the UCAS tariff that it has no official recognition there.

Ds tells me it was mentioned in his school reference but not on his PS, so sorry for the misinformation . I really, really doubt that it's as valued as an extra A-level though - I've heard that some years ago when it was more unusual it was better regarded than it is now when so many children seem to have it. I fail to see why it should be so highly valued when if a child already does volunteering, sport & music (which is mentioned) all it is adding is a couple of camping trips - even teamwork may well be expressed in other ways.

Really TeamDamon? You do know that they don't even do the wild camping night any more - it is all in campsites.

really?

that's bizarre. elf and safety gorn mad again?

Gelatinous, DD did do wild camping. It was the bit she was looking forward to most on the gold. That was only last summer.

Too many people doing it these days and not enough wild places to camp in as I understand it.

Really gelatinous? I'm amazed, I only did bronze and we camped in the wild.

Had a look a the official website and couldn't see any mention of the 20 miles that I think we had to walk back in the dark ages 30 years ago.

Ds did his practice last April and his full one in Oct last year and was quite miffed not to do the wild camp as he'd been looking forward to it too. It meant the expedition was really not much different to silver - just one extra day walking. Not sure when the rule changed but it sounds as though not all groups have rolled it out at the same time.

My dd did Gold last year and the camping was very wild indeed. It was a real trial and it's probably lucky I didn't know how hard it was going to be (the practice was a bit easier with drier weather) or I'd have collected her and tucked her up in her own bed!

It really was quite a tough commitment and the trek is a real challenge, especially in inclement weather. I admire those who complete it very much and believe it to be a real test of character, fortitude and team-work. It's shame it is sometimes dismissed in terms of "lots of youngsters have it"

it doesn't say anything on the website - just talks about wild areas and remoteness being the key. doesn't mention where to camp at all, other than talking about the choice of campsite (as in hazards etc, still seems to be focus on wild camping lol).

hmm. maybe it's just the one group who can't be bothered? or the leaders aren't confident enough to let a bunch of teens disappear into the wilderness for four days? seems a bit crap if it's actual policy. degrades the whole thing. anyone can pitch up at a campsite and go and fill a water bottle and use the shower. to be self-sufficient for four days and carry everything you need, and spend the night miles from anywhere, just the 7 of you, is a bit different. a whole other level of responsibility.

i'm miffed now, never mind ds.

I think it maybe it depends on the school. Dd's group had an external examiner. They were taken to a remote areas chosen for its complette lack of signs or waymarks and full of bogs. My nephew did it with the cadets a coupel of years ago. That was no walkover either.

Can't you remember Prince Edward getting in trouble a few years ago while promoting Gold Duke of Edinburgh as when attempting to explain how tough the qualification was he said that it was dangerous and participants "might actually die you know". (I seem to recall he apparently sounded too happy about that)

I think if you are spending nights at campsites for Gold , you are doing it wrong!

My two DCs have both completed Gold and had experiences similar to chopchop and Teamdamon.
People have varying views on whether it is worth doing. I definitely think it is. I was speaking to a professional mentor and a person from an HR department last weekend and we were discussing this very question. They both said that if they see D of E gold on a job application form it says 'commitment' to them.
The OP's expedition sounds very high. It might be worth seeing if there is a local group outside school that her DC could join.

Sorry OP's expedition COSTS sound very high....