Gold DofE Award
The sun is shining in the sky… Or at least it was a couple of days ago.
The Great British weather is known for being unpredictable (and I think that’s why we stereo-typically talk about the weather all the time – it’s always different) so we’ve gotten good at carrying on anyway. If we planned to do something we’re really looking forwards to, a little (or a lot) of rain won’t stop us. A good example of this is those of us who take part in DofE expeditions, as many will be preparing to do across the country for all levels of the award. During school I completed Bronze, Silver and Gold which meant doing 6 expeditions of increasing length. There were times when it was lovely and sunny, and times when it chucked it down. One expedition even had the full spectrum from heatwave to pouring rain.
But aside from reminiscing about the weather, why am I posting about this?
Well, for one very simple reason: it’s not too late for you to experience the highs and lows of doing the Gold DofE award for yourselves.
One of the many clubs that are part of the SU is the Warwick DofE society. They help you through the award from registering in the first place, to supporting you to complete each section and right through to organising a practice and a qualifying expedition.
But why should you do you Gold DofE?
- Make friends – it may seem a bit crazy, but trying to cook in the rain and keep cool whilst walking in the sun with a group of peers can create deep bonds that just don’t occur if you only meet these people to go out to the pub.
- Make a difference – the volunteering and residential sections are opportunities to make a difference in people’s lives, and get recognised as you do it.
- Learn or develop a new skill – the skills section can give you the motivation to really work on that skill or hobby you wanted to improve but never got round to. Whether it’s learning to cook (you might already be doing this in your first year of University) or improving a skill not many people have heard of, you can learn a lot in 6+ months.
- Motivation to take part in physical activity – if you need that extra push to go out and do exercise, the DofE has a physical section where you need to do just that for at least 6 months.
- It’s fun – doing your Gold DofE award can open up a whole host of opportunities for you to try, that you never would have encountered otherwise.
So, that’s my piece on the DofE award. There’s lots of information on the official DofE website and the Warwick DofE society website (https://warwick.ac.uk/sunion/dofesoc for you to look at if you’re interested in finding out more. Or feel free to ask me any questions you have, I’d be happy to try and help.
Oh, and one last thing before I go… Not only is the DofE great fun to be a part of, it looks great on your CV too!
