The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is an award given for completing a program of activities that can be undertaken by anyone ages 14 to 24. A pilot award scheme "for Boys" started in 1956, by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh as its first chairman. The program borrowed from the Moray Badge, instituted at Gordonstoun School by its headmaster, Kurt Hahn, in 1934, and the County Badge adopted in Moray in 1
941. In February 1956 The Duke of Edinburgh's Award was first announced. It was first administrated, and largely first designed, by Brigadier (later Sir) John Hunt, Baron Hunt, who had led the first successful climb of Everest in 1953. He had retired from the Army to run The Duke of Edinburgh's Award. It was designed to attract boys who had not been interested in joining one of the main British youth movements, such as the The Scout Association. It was not necessary to 'join' any organisation, or wear a uniform in order to participate. In the first 12 months, 7,000 boys had enrolled for the scheme. In November 1957 it was announced that girls may be invited to participate. On Thursday 19 June 1958 The Duke of Edinburgh's Award was extended to girls, with the first girls allowed to join from 1 September 1958. The program for girls was not the same as that for boys, and was for ages 14 to 20. The first girls received their Gold Awards on 3 November 1959 at Buckingham Palace. From January 1965, the Gold Award for boys and girls was made more similar, but still with minor distinct differences for different genders. The first Gold Awards were achieved in 1958, and the charity was established in 1959. A single program for young people aged 14 to 21 was launched in 1969, and extended to those up to 25 years of age in 1980. On 1 September 2008 the DofE was given a new look and feel and a new logo introduced. Anyone aged between 14 and 24 can do a DofE program at one of three progressive levels which, when successfully completed, lead to a Bronze, Silver or Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. There are four sections at Bronze and Silver level and five at Gold. With assistance from adult Leaders, participants select and set objectives in each of the following areas:
Volunteering: undertaking service to individuals or the community. Physical: improving in an area of sport, dance or fitness activities. Skills: developing practical and social skills and personal interests. Expedition: planning, training for and completion of an adventurous journey in the UK or abroad. At Gold level, participants must do an additional fifth Residential section, which involves staying and working away from home doing a shared activity. Each section must be done for a minimum period of time. It must be monitored and then assessed by someone with knowledge of the chosen activities to achieve an Award. Each progressive level demands more time and commitment from participants: Bronze 3–6 months; Silver: 6–9 months; Gold: 12 months. Participation in DofE programs and the number of Awards achieved has grown every year since 1956. As at 31 March 2012 over 275,000 young people were taking part in DofE programmes in groups which are run in over 11,000 DofE centres throughout the UK. Centres range from youth clubs and schools to voluntary organisation meeting places, businesses and Young Offenders Institutions. Every DofE centre is authorised by a DofE Licensed Organisation which can be a local authority, school, voluntary organisation, etc. By virtue of its work towards the personal and social development of young people in their local communities, the DofE is a member of The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS). It will take a participant a minimum of 6 months to complete their Bronze DofE program. Young people can start their Bronze program when they are 14 (or slightly earlier if most of their peers are already 14). They will have to complete a 2-day, 1-night expedition. They must also undertake their chosen activities for 3 months from the other 3 sections (physical, skills and volunteering) - plus an extra 3 months from one of these sections. It will take a participant at least 6 months to complete their Silver DofE programme if they have already achieved a Bronze Award. It will take a participant at least 12 months to complete their Silver DofE programme without a Bronze Award. It will take a participant at least 12 months to complete their Gold DofE programme if they have already achieved a Silver Award. It will take a participant at least 18 months to complete their Gold DofE programme without a Silver Award, even if they have already achieved a Bronze Award. Participants are required to show regular activity and commitment to the Award for the duration of their DofE programme, which is usually a minimum of at least one hour per week. All activities for any DofE program MUST be completed by the participant's 25th birthday. See also: International Award Association
Kenya
Mauritius
Nigeria
South Africa
Seychelles
Malawi
Togo
Ghana
Asia-Pacific
The National Award Authorities in the Asia-Pacific region are:
Australia - from July 1962
Bangladesh
Brunei
Fiji
Hong Kong
India
Macau
Malaysia
New Zealand
Pakistan
Singapore
Sri Lanka
Independent operators:
Afghanistan
Bahrain
Cambodia
People's Republic of China
Israel
Indonesia
Japan
Malta
Mongolia
Niue
Nepal
Republic of China (Taiwan)
Thailand
Vietnam
United Arab Emirates
Kuwait
The Americas
The National Award Authorities in the Americas region are:
Antigua and Barbuda
Canada
Cayman Islands
The Bahamas
Barbados
Bermuda
Dominica
Falkland Islands
Grenada
Guyana
Jamaica
Montserrat
Saint Lucia
St Vincent
Trinidad and Tobago
The independent operators in the Americas operate in:
Argentina
Brazil
British Virgin Islands
Costa Rica
Turks and Caicos Islands
Ecuador
Peru
United States of America
EMAS (Europe, Mediterranean and Arab States Region)
The National Award Authorities in the European region are:
Belgium
Czech Republic
Cyprus
Finland
Germany
Gibraltar
Ireland
Israel
Jordan
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands, The
Portugal
Russia
Slovenia
Turkey
United Kingdom
Qatar
50th anniversary
During 2006 the DofE reached 50 years of existence, and this anniversary was celebrated by a number of events worldwide. The DofE was awarded with the Royal Scottish Geographical Society's Livingstone Medal in 2006. eDofE is an online system that allows participants to record their progress online. eDofE pilots started in November 2008 and was made available to everyone from September 2009.eDofE underwent a facelift and major upgrade in May, 2011. A comprehensive page of downloads with guidance on using eDofE, plus 'help' documents, can be found at http://www.dofe.org/en/content/cms/doing-your-dofe/edofe/
