Principles, Codes & Outcomes
The Guiding Principles
Individuals design their own programme, which can be tailored to suit their personal circumstances, choices, and local provision. They start at whichever level suits them best and they can take as long as they wish (within the age limit) to achieve their Award.
Doing their Award is a personal challenge and not a competition against others. Every participant’s programme is tailor-made to reflect their individual starting point, abilities and interests.
An Award is achievable by any individual who chooses to take up the challenge, inclusive of any ability, gender, background or location, with the right guidance and inspiration.
Whilst the Award may be offered within school, college, work time, custody or extra-curricular activity, individuals choose to do a programme and must commit a substantial amount of their free time to undertake their activities
Participating in their Award programme fosters personal and social development. Individuals gain valuable experiences and life skills, grow in confidence and become more aware of their environment and community, transforming them into responsible young adults.
The Award provides a balanced framework to develop the individual’s mind, body and community spirit by engaging them in four activities at Bronze and Silver levels, and five activities at Gold level.
At each level, the Award demands progressively more time, commitment and responsibility from the participant.
The Award inspires individuals to exceed their expectations. They are encouraged to set their own challenges and goals before starting an activity, aim for these goals and by showing improvement, will move towards achieving an Award.
The Award requires persistence and cannot be completed with a short burst of enthusiasm. Participants are encouraged to continue with activities and to maintain their interest beyond their programme requirements.
Participants and Leaders should find the Award enjoyable, fulfilling and rewarding.
Codes for Award Units
- Participants must be between 14 and 24 years of age.
- The basic structure of the Award consists of the four mandatory sections: Voluntary Service, Skills, Physical Recreation and Adventurous Journey.
- There are three levels of Award: Bronze (for those aged 14 or over), Silver (for those aged 15 or over) and Gold (for those aged 16 or over)*.
- The minimum period of participation for direct entrants to qualify for an Award is six months for Bronze, 12 months for Silver, and 18 months for a Gold Award.
- At Gold level, participants must undertake a Gold Residential Project away from home.
- All Award Units must maintain comparable standards of operating practice as advised by The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award.
- Manage the Award fairly and impartially in all respects.
- Ensure that the Award is open to all, subject to the age parameters.
- All Award Operators agree, wherever possible, to allow participants from any other licensed Operators to transfer their participation to them and to recognise the validity of achievements recorded by other Award Operators or Partners.
Award Outcomes
Self-reliance, self-esteem, self-efficacy, capacity to act in one’s own interest and need, self-belief and ability to shape your own life and the world around you.
Self-disciplined, self-management, self-motivated, focused, having a sense of purpose, persistent, self-controlled.
Motivating others, valuing and contributing to team working, negotiating, establishing positive relationships, interpreting others, managing conflict, empathising etc.
Imagining alternative ways of doing things, applying learning in new contexts, enterprising, innovating, remaining open to new ideas, reading situations correctly and adapting as required.
Navigating resources, organising, setting and achieving goals; decision- making, researching, analysing, critical thinking, questioning and challenging, evaluating risks, reliability.
Reviewing, self-awareness, self-control, reflecting, self-regulating, self-accepting.
Explaining, expressing, presenting, listening, questioning, using different ways of communicating.
A person’s state of mind, relationship with the world around them and the fulfilment they get from life: well-being, life satisfaction.
The ability and willingness to engage in active participation, based on an attitude of trust in other people, in all the contexts of social life: school, local community, working place, recreational activities.
Ability to operate in different cultural settings (of different ages, skills, religions, languages, etc.) and adaptability to changing circumstances and ability to sense and respond to new contexts.