Duke of Edinburgh award - bronze

[Linneasweet]

DD want to do this, I been on the info meeting in school but think DD wants to do it for the wrong reasons, she says it will help with uni applications while I like the fact she would do it for the community side and be more responsible. Can someone please explain it for me? Does it help with uni applications?

I think it's a good experience if you don't do scouts but it's not very stretching to walk 10km in 6 hours Try telling that to the kids that I work with! All of them had never been out of their town when they took on the challenge. None had done a walk for pleasure or had parents who encouraged anything like this. The day the did their practice expedition the rain and wind raged all day so they could barely stand up. Not much of a stretch? I thought it was a bloody amazing achievement and proud if my group. There's always someone that likes to put others down.

It wouldn't be a challenge for most kids though tbh. My dds hated it but they didn't physically struggle.

The bronze is so easy and fun there are no wrong reasons for doing it.

The Gold was a serious challenge.

It wouldn't be a challenge for most kids though tbh. My dds hated it but they didn't physically struggle. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. I don't think that's true. A lot of children aren't all that fit, or (my DD) aren't all that strong. Then there is the mental/emotional challenge of getting on with people when tired and wet, and lost. Then the volunteering puts some kids out of their comfort zone. there is a lot of challenge to DofE, just not necessarily for your MC kids who have already done loads of extra curricular stuff and guides/scouts and have the cultural capital of confidence.

“When I got my A-level results, I didn’t have what Swansea asked for. But they contacted me and said they wanted me to do the course as I had shown so much passion for the subject through my DofE activities.” From the article linked above. Just saying....

Carrying 20kg+ of stuff for 10km on rough ground is not a trivial task.

They shouldn't be carrying quite that much - more like 12-15kg. But DDs gold rucksack was literally the same volume as her! and at that stage obviously it's further for 3-4 days. Definitely not trivial for a small female. DH used to do quite a bit of recruiting and has commented that he might not be particularly impressed by a big strong bloke having done DofE but it could say something about a physically smaller person having managed it.

I genuinely would have thought anyone could cope with bronze. Isn't it one night? Often local?

The only thing "middle class" about it is that it's quite expensive. I can't believe you need "cultural capital" to be able to walk for two days with a night's camping. If I'm.wrong that is depressing.

It wouldn't be a challenge for most kids though tbh there is a lot of challenge to DofE, just not necessarily for your MC kids who have already done loads of extra curricular stuff and guides/scouts and have the cultural capital of confidence. where I live there isn't that many MC kids that have had extra curricular stuff, parental support or have access to guides and scouts. Most have never had a holiday. After being a D of E leader and assessor for the last 13 years I can say every year I have had loads of kids that struggle but have also achieved. To say that most don't struggle may be true in your world but that is not been my expierence. I'm not saying every child finds it difficult but for many it's mot the jolly park some are making out. I have seen people struggle on the camp with personality clashes, struggling with the exercise. Many girls struggle like mad to pee outside which makes things uncomfortable for them. Adverse weather conditions can ruin a trip. It's not all about the 'bantz' as my group say!!

My eldest is just about to start his silver - he is bypassing bronze as he has the gold scout award which is pretty much the same thing.

Bronze D of E is very minimal in terms of commitment, the volunteering is an hour a week for 12 weeks. We have lots of D of E kids through the charity shop where I volunteer and the contribution they make is minimal - by the time they've arrived, got their coat off, had a chat, been shown what to do and started work it's time to pack up and go again. And 99% do the bare minimum to tick the box and have no interest in actually helping the charity or gaining skills. Purely to tick the D of E box.

Yes it's a great scheme and the expedition bit is fun, but I think there are other options. Agreeing to do 4 hours every Saturday in your local charity shop at the age of 15 and working there every week until you leave school arguably gives you a lot more to discuss than a D of E at bronze level.

There is literally no point in getting into the “right” university if you haven’t developed resilience and your ability to step outside your comfort zone. DofE is great for both.

Going to a “good” uni without having developed as a person and young adult is a complete waste of money imo.

I was a bit disappointed that ds1 said he didn't want to do bronze, after I went to the meeting. But hey, I can't force him!

I agree Piper - my ds does precisely that at a charity shop! 1 hour per week; pretty minimal. Nevertheless, he is a typical indolent 14 year old and even giving up an hour of his time is a start of sorts.

If you don't have the scouting background it is advisable to start at bronze rather than leap straight to silver, I hope that my ds will subsequently go beyond bronze and do something a bit more meaningful with his community involvement

I have seen people struggle on the camp with personality clashes, struggling with the exercise. Many girls struggle like mad to pee outside which makes things uncomfortable for them.

yes, yes impatient I am not saying its easy - believe it or not even MC girls have personality clashes (although nature wees didnt seem a problem) and someone always ends up crying, but that's resilience isn't it?

It's brilliant that you do it, I think watching a healthy child struggle to the poitn of exhaustion by walking for two days would irritate the hell out of me.

Just to add to people making out the Bronze exped is dead easy ( and for some kids it is) for many it is the first time they will have to rely on themselves. There' s no adult walking round with them. If they, a group, make a mistake with the map reading they have to correct it and then back track. It can be daunting being on fells or in the countryside with no adult back up especially if you don't kniw the area. Just because the place is local doesn't mean that the kids know the route. Sure they have planned it on a map but once they are out there for real it's different.

i've never said that it is dead easy

it is not so challenging that unis give a shit about it though

If the kids get somethign from it then its worth it IMO but deffo not the be all and end all

Don't these kids get the bus to school or go anywhere without an adult then? By year 9?

Quantumgroan
He is studying criminology at Lincoln, his 2 years as a volunteer police cadet( nominated for cadet of year) the leadership skills and reference from his DofE leader and that fact he played rugby for 10 years added to his overall picture. Especially as his A/S levels where CEE.
Plus Lincoln would allow his few UCAS points for DofE to count to his overall points tariff.
We aren't middle class. We paid weekly for bronze and monthly for silver. When he looked at alternatives to university, wasnt sure it was for him, 3 companies who where willing to offer him an apprenticeship all comment that having DofE skills made them interview him over others.
Its a way of allowing kids to prove themselves. I mean camping for 3 days in pouring rain in October and having to take down and reerect your tent and plan your 10k route daily and change at last minute proves you are committed to things.
I am sure for MC kids it just a addition to a long list, for WC kids its the start and possibly only thing you can add to your CV.
No internships here

DofE has absolutely no impact at all on University entrance UNLESS any of it is directly relevant to the subject you want to study. Admissions Officers are always coming on here to confirm this. It would be massively discriminatory if it did.

Reasons DD1 found DofE a challenge:

• undiagnosed (at that time) dyspraxia - meaning amongst other things she has a weak back, poor organisation and communication difficulties. this impacted the group working and the expedition most. The communication difficulties also meant she didn't have a group of friends doing DofE so was in a group of randoms which made it extra hard.

Reasons DD2 will find DofE a challenge

• weak core stability like her sister, so will have difficulty carrying the weight required. Though as at least we know about it, it may be possible to put measures in place
• lacking in confidence in new situations. this will make doing volunteering a challenge if she has to go to an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people. Similarly if she has to deal with members of the public. will also make the overnights a challenge.
• poor motor skills which tends to make any sport a challenge, and actually quite a lot of 'activities' too. particularly hard as a teen to go and do something and feel you are way worse than the others.

milady I agree that 'DofE bronze' won't make a difference for uni applications. But please mind your words when saying it isn't a challenge or implying should be easy for y9s/y10s. It appears very dismissive of those for whom completing it is a very considerable achievement.

With regard to the university I would say bronze and silver wouldn't have much impact on the majority of young people's uni offer. There maybe odd stories where it swayed a decision but generally speaking I wouldn't advice D if E for that some purpose.
In over a decade of running course for a local authority I can count on one hand the number of kids that have gone to uni that have done the Bronze.

*Don't these kids get the bus to school or go anywhere without an adult then? By year 9? I'm not sure what that has to do with anything. Sure, most of my young people get a bus or walk to school. Some have a family support worker that helps and takes them. Some surprise me from time to time and go to school for a full week at a time. Others get a taxi as the authority has to send them to a school that meets the child's needs out of the Borough. I'm not sure what your point about them not going anywhere without an adult was.

OK NT teens then! Sorry if that wasn't blindingly obvious!

That was to teens

dad it sounds challenging. My point was most 14 year olds are used to coping in situations without adult involvement.

Tbh the hardest thing for my dds year was not being allowed their phones!!

All the interviews my DS had for uni, he was asked about DofE. I think it can be a useful talking point - rather than something that actually contributes to securing an interview in the first place - IYSWIM.

Outside of that, both my DC have gained a huge amount by doing their DofE and have really great memories of it.

Then you have inner city kids who may have never been to the countryside, so the cow dung and the peeing outside and the long walks are new.
And those families who have never had the funds to do extra curricular stuff so they haven't got existing activities available to slot into sections easily.
Our primary had kids who at y4 had never been swimming or been on a train. Something MC families take for granted 'oh by 9 they should be able to swim100 lengths'

I doubt unis notice or care what kind of upbringing kids have had. Dds friend did gold which indo think is a real stretch. No idea if it made a difference for uni as she didn't get the grades and went through clearing where apparently it wasn't mentioned.