DofE Gold residential - where did your kids go?

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My DD is trying to decide whether to sign up for Gold DofE, having done Bronze and Silver. She's worried about the residential element. Most of her friends are stopping at Silver. One is continuing to Gold, but is talking about going on church camp. That's not relevant to DD, so she is likely to be alone.

Where did your kids go, did any go on their own and did they have fun?

DS did an electronics residential at Southampton University, bonus was we didn't have to pay as neither of his parents had been to uni.

DD did a week of drama. We considered a cookery course too.

Were any of your kids 16 when they did these residentials?
DS will have chance to do Gold DoE at age 16.

The residential at Gold level is supposed to take you out of your comfort zone.
You shouldn't be doing it with a group you are already familiar with.

One of mine used the NCS residential @lljkk , yes, (after GCSEs) as they did them without anyone they knew.
One went to be service team on a huge Scout camp (as in for thousands of people). Although he'd been a Scout all his life, he didn't know people on the Team / that site / that volunteering role).
I can't remember what the 3rd one did.

There are loads of things you can do though, once 18
PHAB camps
Volunteering on a SENSE residential
Conservation weeks
It doesn't actually have to be volunteering - as someone said upthread, you can be following an interest / hobby / passion. The key point is, it should be challenging for them. SOmething they look back at and feel proud of. Something where they did something they wouldn't otherwise have done.

I did a week at an activity centre organised by the WRVS looking after disadvantaged children from Liverpool.

It was awful. I couldn’t wait for it to end.

Mine was 17 when he did the residential. Gold signed off at 18 after Dartmoor expedition

DD is doing expedition in Brecon Beacons. For the residential she's sailing to Channel Islands with Tall Ships Youth Trust and doing the RYA competent crew course. She's doesn't know anyone else in the voyage, but I think that's the idea?

www.tallships.org/

DD was 16 when she did the residential part of gold, but will be at least 17 by the time she completes it (if she does complete it)

30 years ago I did a national trust conservation course. One of the best weeks of my life ever. Still have a good friend from it.

Some of the ‘residentials’ people are mentioning are actually their DofE expeditions.

Expeditions (practice and real thing) are usually done in a group they know - often organised by the school or Scouts of whichever group they do DofE through. Many schools use outside providers for expeditions now as they struggle with insurance and having qualified people, especially for the higher levels.

Residentials are 4 nights minimum self-organised and can only be with max one other person you know - the whole idea is to be with people you don’t know.

Expeditions are most often hiking and camping, but can involve horse rising, sailing, cainoeung or other modes of transport.

Residentials can cost a lot - tall ships, expensive cookery courses or activity courses, or can be fairly cheap such as volunteering residentials or going as a young leader on something like a Brownie camp etc.

Mine was 17. She did a Field Studies council conservation residential . Really enjoyed it .

I did a sea kayaking tour with Outward Bound in Scotland. Loch Eil.

https://www.outwardbound.org.uk

I'm hoping my DC do theirs through Scouts and Guides.

It wasn't cheap, but DD(16) did a cookery course with The Avenue Cookery School in Wandsworth:

theavenuecookeryschool.com/product-category/extended-courses/

Unbeknown to me, apparently it wasn't essential for the "Residential" element to involve staying away from home last year (something to do with covid), but she and couple of other girls were billeted in a house a few minutes' walk away.

She does cook for us, every so often, but she mainly bakes for school bake sales!

Decades ago I spent my DofE residential pulling vegetation out of a pond in Frampton on Severn. It was hard work, very messy, but good fun (and I kept in touch with some of the other participants for a couple of years).

For cheaper options also look at national trust, concordia volunteering and RSPB. I did those as a youngster. When a bit older I was the leader so costs covered.

The cookery residential in the French Alps is www.seasonitcookery.co.uk and it is fabulous !

https://revitalise.org.uk/support-us/volunteer/ has closed down respite holiday centres

A good idea, esp with minimal or no cost is to go on a uni outreach experience - could be department based or general.

If they’ve done silver before GcseS, they can actually do the residential before Good is started and the start date will be backdated ….so doing in summer after GCSEs can be a way to get ahead of the game and get it out of way.

If a Scout/Giide etc, can go as a helper with another group instead of own.

Sub £300 (depends on length of trip), but DD had a fab time sailing across to Alderney and around Hampshire/Isle of Wight with the Rona Sailing project last October 1/2 term. (Most kit was supplied):
https://www.ronasailingproject.org.uk/

Many were doing it for DofE

DS flew to Geneva and went on a Chalet Staff cookery course for a week. He was 17. For his expedition he cycled from the Lake District to Newcastle.

Do they still have to be 16 for it to count though?

Possibly. Look on the DofE website for rules for gold.
July or Aug born might not be 16 before end of exams….but everyone else will be.

Everything has to be done AFTER your 16th birthday for it to count (just looked online as DD just needs to get one more thing signed off -yay!).