DofE, should we bother?

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loobylou
Posts: 2032
Joined: Thu Nov 27, 2014 5:04 pm

Re: DofE, should we bother?

Post by loobylou »

Bazelle wrote:Hmmm, it does look like a tick box exercise indeed, I'd rather have him doing a paid job than volunteering...at what age can they do summer jobs in this country?
13 year olds can do up to 12 hours a week. It increases year on year.
Mine have both been working in school holidays since they were 13.
Stroller
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Joined: Thu May 17, 2012 9:39 am

Re: DofE, should we bother?

Post by Stroller »

A lot of what was said above is familiar, but I still view DofE as a useful experience in its own right. Most of DD’s year group signed up for bronze and did the expedition. Although DD has camped previously, she would not have needed to carry a fairly heavy rucksack for miles. Having to plan and agree meals with the group in advance and divvy up the responsibility was also new. Some of their food choices were more convenient than filling, but that’s a learning experience too. Then there was the need for skills as varied as map reading, negotiation and resilience. Are there other/cheaper ways to get that experience? Yes, of course, but not everyone gets around to accessing those other ways either, and sharing “hardship” with friends isn’t the worst thing ever.

My second observation is about organisation. There are plenty of online tales of teenagers who complete(d) everything except the paperwork. Being responsible enough to sign-up, show up, record what you’ve done and liaise with multiple adults outside school as well as inside (depending on the activities) until the evidence has been documented to an acceptable level, reviewed and approved isn’t a bad thing. There can and should be more to it than just going to <usual activity of choice, organised by parent> and when that is the case, the scorn and opprobrium is unnecessary.

It is (or at least, ours was) expensive, but many of the cheaper alternatives merely rely on volunteer adults being willing to forego payment. As a volunteer myself, I think the days of expecting others to give up their time instead of your money, often without acknowledgement, are over.

Finally, once teenagers have reached the point where they’re no longer growing out of every stitch of clothing instantly, having decent kit for the outdoors is a good thing. Since she was a toddler, DD has always had waterproofs, but that wasn’t always true of her friends and their lack of appropriate clothing sometimes put a stop to her gallop.
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Bazelle
Posts: 199
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Location: London

Re: DofE, should we bother?

Post by Bazelle »

solimum wrote:There will be lots of vacancies in the fields picking fruit....
:lol: :lol: :lol:
Bazelle
Posts: 199
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Re: DofE, should we bother?

Post by Bazelle »

loobylou wrote:
Bazelle wrote:Hmmm, it does look like a tick box exercise indeed, I'd rather have him doing a paid job than volunteering...at what age can they do summer jobs in this country?
13 year olds can do up to 12 hours a week. It increases year on year.
Mine have both been working in school holidays since they were 13.
excellent, we have relatives in Yorkshire desperate for fruits pickers, not even a joke...
KB
Posts: 3030
Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:28 pm

Re: DofE, should we bother?

Post by KB »

If you can find an organisation outside school that run it eg explorer scouts then it ( generalisation coming up ;) tends to be less regimented because they are dealing with smaller numbers and youngsters who are generally more motivated.

There is a danger with schools that it becomes a tick box exercise with large proportions especially at Bronze who don't really want to be there.

There are of course examples pf schools who manage to stick more to the original ethos.

The main problem is that the scheme was set up to encourage young people who didn't have access to a wide range of life experiences. Sadly the majority of young people undertaking it these days are not from the section of society it was originally aimed at.

At one DC's trip to St James' Palace most of the groups were from fee paying schools. The DofE himself paid a visit but sadly he wanted to talk to people who'd gone 'somewhere exciting' for their expedition....

A point about the drinking water - leaders are allowed to provide fresh drinking water where necessary. A participant should never be put in danger. There is risk, that's part of the point of it but it should always be managed and minimised and certainly mitigated wherever possible.
If it doesn't involve discomfort and hardship then they won't be pushed to discover what they are capable of but that's not the same as being put in danger.
ToadMum
Posts: 11946
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:41 pm
Location: Essex

Re: DofE, should we bother?

Post by ToadMum »

KB wrote: If it doesn't involve discomfort and hardship then they won't be pushed to discover what they are capable of but that's not the same as being put in danger.
Reminds me of one of the Night Hikes ours have variously been on with Scouts. One particularly memorable one saw their group getting more and more off the beaten track, including quite a long way up the lower leg in standing water in a field down by the railway line. I can't remember whether the 'trailing' adult actually intervened in the end or they did eventually get their act together and head in the right direction, but at pickup time back at the church hall, they had definitely had rather less sleep than most of the other groups :roll: .
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Amber
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Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2009 11:59 am

Re: DofE, should we bother?

Post by Amber »

Ours have all done this, which takes place in February rather than the summer and is always, always beset with the most awful weather. The gold level is 30 miles, it takes place overnight and there is a time limit placed on each level. It finishes up in a housing estate and I do wonder what the residents think about groups of exhausted, wet, cold kids limping and staggering through their streets at the crack of dawn. Very character-building though.

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Reading Mum
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Re: DofE, should we bother?

Post by Reading Mum »

DD was very keen to do DofE and we had to find an outside provider as school didn't offer it. She really enjoyed Bronze and Silver but was quite shocked by the lack of 'life skills' of some of those sent along on Bronze. The ones that struggled didn't come back for Silver! The school it looks like she is going to for 6th Form offers Gold so that will make life easier as the external group has now shut down (the council didn't have the resources to renew their license).
Finding volunteering for a 13 yr old was a challenge but now she is 16 everyone will have her and she has found somewhere she is very happy to be involved in.
She likes the expedition side and I like the fact that she will have to do something physical
KB
Posts: 3030
Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:28 pm

Re: DofE, should we bother?

Post by KB »

A note on the 'physical' -
It does need to involve some physical exercise! but like everything else can be tailored to the individual.
The idea is to move on from one's starting point so for those who are unfit or have some kind of physical impairment it can still be achieved.
I know of people who completed it with golf, bowls, archery and various kinds of dance as well as more traditional sports.
It can be done with individual activities like swimming and running but you need to have someone sign off the log of hours spent.
exam2019
Posts: 227
Joined: Fri Sep 29, 2017 3:14 pm

Re: DofE, should we bother?

Post by exam2019 »

I did Bronze, Silver & Gold. My friendships which remain from school were my camp mates.
But it is hard; I'd say childbirth was easier! So you really need to want it.
Don't bother trying to force it if your child is not interested.
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