Ten young people from Edinburgh, the Highlands and Falkirk met with the Duke of Edinburgh in his first engagement with participants of the DofE Award since having the title conferred.
Some current participants in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme met with the Duke at the Palace of Holyroodhouse on Monday. They discussed their views with the Duke on a variety of issues, from mental health to the importance of connecting with their communities and the great outdoors.
Young people from Edinburgh’s Broughton High School, Braes High School in Falkirk, Highland Council and Edinburgh-based social justice and race equality charity SCOREscotland joined the conversation chaired by The Duke, in his new role as DofE Trustee – sharing their personal experience of working for the award, and the impact taking part had had on them.
The Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Award is a long standing scheme for young people aged 14-24 where they develop skills and resilience through participating in a range of activities.The young people spoke about connecting with the Scottish countryside and their local communities through the Expedition and Volunteering sections, and how the DofE had helped them create lasting friendships and transferable skills for the future.
Lawson from Braes High School said: “I do DofE because it lets me connect with the countryside and gives me the chance to meet new people and learn new skills. Today was surreal, absolutely surreal – a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet the newly appointed Duke of Edinburgh.’
Over 29,000 young people in Scotland are currently doing their DofE, with a network of over 3,500 adult leaders and volunteers supporting them. The DofE is working to reach one million young people by 2026, and has launched projects to fund schools and community organisations in the UK’s most deprived areas to start running the DofE, support more young people with additional needs, and expand in prisons and young offender institutions.
To do their DofE, young people aged 14-24 choose activities in four sections: improving a Physical and Skills activity, Volunteering for a cause of their choice, and completing a demanding Expedition – as well as a five-day Residential at Gold level.
Along the way they have fun, grow in resilience and self-belief, discover new talents and passions, and learn practical skills to help them in future – while working towards a highly respected Award.
