The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a journey of self- discovery, teamwork and gaining confidence.
I did my Bronze Award in 2014. It was a challenging experience, but also rewarding and fulfilling. There are four sections you must complete in order to achieve the award, consisting of Skills, Physical, Volunteering and Expedition.
The Skill section was by far my favourite as I chose to do Art. I chose to draw a picture, which was fun as I learnt new skills which developed my creativity. By learning new techniques, I can now apply them in other situations when needed.
I enjoyed my Physical section as I chose to do cycling. I didn’t, however, plan ahead, and instead of doing it for six months (which was the earliest completion date) I took ten months as the weather in Scotland does not cooperate. Nevertheless, I have benefitted from cycling as I now have better balance, which is evident when doing other sports.
Volunteering took place in Oxfam for six months. It was exciting as I got vital experience working with other people. It helped me enhance my communication skills with customers and members of staff.
On the other hand, the expedition was horrendous (for me, anyway). I am not one for walking 2 days solid and camping out for at night as this is what the Bronze award requires you to do. Thanks to the presence of the rest of the team, we walked through the adversities of Nature. Despite being so negative, there were pleasant times, such as seeing the beautiful views from the top of hills and being with a bunch of great people. We all camped together and successfully managed to make edible food. After a week, we had to do the same activity again for the Qualifying Expedition, but because we knew what to expect it was easier this time.
During this process, I learnt and developed a variety of skills- from drawing from different perspectives to using cash machines to leading people in an Expedition. All in all, the Duke of Edinburgh is an amazing opportunity to forge friendships, strive for success and be a determined, confident person. The Award will have a massive influence when writing your CVs and in interviews as it shows that you are person who can face any challenge that comes in your way and endure through them without giving up thus revealing a strong individual. When you come to think about it, this is what The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is really about: creating an independent individual with a lot of knowledge in many different aspects of life.
