Hey!

I know that there are loads of people that are under the age of 25 and from the UK here so I thought I'd raise this question.

Have you done, or will you complete the Duke of Edinburgh Award, and if you have - what level did you achieve?

I've just come back from my Silver expedition (48KM in 4 nights, 3 days) and it was absolutely fantastic! It's so much fun, because we literally just had a laugh whilst we were walking and at the campsite etc etc. It's a great thing to do the D of E is .... it's a load of fun whilst helping you achieve something which is recognised as something almost as important as qualifications by most if not all employers. The expedition consists of walking the distance set, on your own planned route whilst in a rucksack you carry all that you need for the three days walking and 4 nights camping (tent, food, clothes etc.) over various terrains and can be VERY challenging in some places. I'd definitely recommend that people at least consider it ..... it's a great thing to do and of course it comes in three levels - Bronze, Silver and Gold. I've already completed Bronze which was a 15 mile expedition - and then there's the other aspects of the award:

Service - something in which you provide a service free of charge to the community
Physical Recreation - basically do something physical at least once a week
Skill - demonstrate your skills.

At bronze you do them for 3 months whereas at Silver that increases to 6, and finally Gold is done for longer. The D of E is definitely worth it in my opinion and I regret not opting to do Gold, but I'm more interested in concentrating on A level work.

Any further information on the award can be found here: The Award

Any opinions/comments welcome!

Dan.

is it to do with the Scouts?



if so i used to be a cub i tried scouts and coudnt get the hang of it and my dad said the leaders looked like peedos so.... i didn't go..





It sounds good though,im quite an outdoorsy person so camping,sailing,surfing is pritty cool.





Does it go on your long term record like would it help you get a job or anything

As far as I know some scout groups do take kids on D of E expeditions and help them to complete their award yes.





If you put it on your Curriculum Vitae (CV) then yes. Employers will always look for someone who has good teamwork skills (of course dependant on the job you apply for). The higher level award you take the better it looks on your CV!

Dan.

We did something along the lines of that in cadets at school.It's only compulsory for 1 year but we did do a few treks and stuff.

I'm never going back to the cadets. I was in the pathfinder platoon, I got a whole signals platoon lost in a forest!

Some of my friends do it, but I dont.

I wouldnt mind planning my route, and then flying it rather than walking it. Heck, then I could even get back in time to avoid camping out.

Dont get me wrong, I dont mind walking, but if I was put with someone I didnt get along with very well the whole thing would be a nightmare!

But then to go walking for hours on end with someone I can do it in my own time, rather than having to do it for the D of E.

I am doing it next year within the Air Training Corps (Air Cadets), we do that sort of stuff all the time anyway.

(See bold excerpt) Welcome to my world! I had to spend ... 4 days ... with the most idiotic/annoying/stupid person I've ever met in my life - and to top it all off, sleep in the same tent as him

But after all that I didn't really mind because I spent a whole weekend doing something which will help me greatly in my career and pratting around with mates

Dan.

Well done Dan.. It shows great commitment on your behalf to achieve this award.. no mean feat!!. My bother was awarded the Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award, but he did not go for his Gold one ..!! i seem to recall he was in the Army Cadets..but he was very proud of it ..and I hope that maybe one day you may reconsider and go for your Gold. but again your exams are vital!!

Thanks Blue!

Yep exams are vital, I'm just worried about what I'd do for the service section of Gold - I could probably just about managae the 50 miles they ask for on Gold expedition! At the moment I'm in two minds - but I guess I'll wait until I have got my Silver and then see what I want to do ...

Dan.

While we're here, I found my old cadet badge! Technically, it's the army badge and it does have the Australian Army on it and it does have the crown but we still had to wear them...




http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/DaRk05/DSCN0322.jpg

Oooohhhhhh Shiny things..

Dan

Heh.

It's just shined up brass!