How to Choose Activities for Your Duke of Edinburgh's Award

Volunteering

1. Find a person or organization in need of help. This shouldn't be about badgering people to take you on, but more about providing help where it is needed.

2. Apply to a local charity shop. The ubiquitous D of E Volunteering choice, these are a good option. They could usually use some help, and you can arrange your work timings and days with them more or less when you'd like them. However, these are pretty popular, and so you should probably move fast! Many Local Council's also have a team responsible for coordinating volunteers as well as Youth Workers that should be able to work with you to find an opportunity. Don't be put off by the myriad of departments on a Council website, ring the main switchboard number and the operator should be able to connect you to the right person.

3. Talk to Scout or Guide groups. They are often in need of help, especially with their younger members. However, some groups require you to be a member of the Scouting/Guiding movement, and their meetings may last quite a bit longer than an hour. Remember that there are many different branches of these organizations, which could be a better choice if you have a particular skill, e.g. Sea Scouts or Air Scouts.

4. Look for people in need of help. Search around in your area for people who are currently looking for some assistance. Some good places to offer your aid would be at a school for the disabled, or an old people's home, for example.

Skills

1. Learn a musical instrument. This is always a good skill to have, and opens the doorways to things like orchestras and ensembles. You don't have to have formal music lessons, things like playing in a band can also count towards this.

2. Learn a new language. This is becoming increasingly desirable in the modern world, will open doors to fantastic travel opportunities and be a lot of fun.

3. Learn more about a subject. There are myriad groups and This is especially important if you desire to study a mostly non-curricular or obscure subject.

4. Take the opportunity to do some of the odder examples allowed by the D of E Authority. These will likely have added cost, but will be extremely interesting and amusing. Examples include:

Residential (Gold Only)

This should be undertaken over at least 5 days and 4 nights (consecutively). This should also be done away from home, and without any teachers that you know, or only your friends - so that you meet new people in an unfamiliar environment.

1. Go on a course. There are many summer schools or courses which are at least 5 nights long, and you can learn things at the same time too. This can also be an asset to your personal statement if you do something related to your intended course of study, e.g. Medlink for Medicine, JACT summer schools for Classics, etc.

2. Ask your teachers for ideas. They will probably have some information on some courses that could be useful for you, and some teachers even teach also at these events!

3. Do some volunteering. There are loads of great volunteering opportunities wherein you can fulfill your requirements for the Residential section and do some good at the same time. You could go abroad and help with a project, like building a school, or look for some smaller projects, again like with the elderly or the disabled. You could also see if there's a school/scout/guide group that wants to do something like a summer camp who would appreciate your assistance.

4. Research online. If you don't find anything related to your academic interests, or you don't have any especial academic interests, search online for fun things you could do. There are many many places that offer week-long activity residentials, e.g. The National Trust, so search around until you find something that catches your eye.