DofE Q&A
DofE participants are always thinking up new ways to do their programmes, creating challenging questions for DofE Leaders to answer. Here are some of our most frequently asked questions from the past few months; you can find more Q&As on
DofE.org/faq.
Volunteering Q
A Q
Can I volunteer at my local stables? You can only volunteer at stables if it is a charity or not for profit organisation. You can find this out from someone who works at or owns the stables. Many stables are part of a private riding school and therefore would not count for the Volunteering section. However, participants could use ‘horse handling and care’ for their Skills section or they could get involved with a charity such as Riding for the Disabled which can be used for the Volunteering section (
rda.org.uk).
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Can you volunteer to support elderly people in a commercially/privately run nursing or residential home? Yes. DofE participants must be there only to provide additional support to the residents and not to take on care responsibilities which should be provided by the
DofE Magazine Issue 27: SUMMER 2017 A
company/staff running the home (The Handbook for DofE Leaders states that ‘volunteering must not be done for a business’). Young people cannot take on a role, nor do work, that should be being done by paid staff; nor can they support the business. Young people can spend time with the residents to enrich their lives and provide activities, personal support and companionship.
Physical
Can karate count for my Skills section? Sometimes learning katas require far more skills, like balance, than physical exertion? We say in the Handbook that ‘while all sports require skills to play, this does not mean that they can be used for the Skills section’. Each section of the DofE has a different set of aims and benefits, and karate fulfils those in the Physical section more than the Skills section.
The DofE aims to develop ‘the whole person; mind, body and soul’. Each section of a DofE programme should therefore focus on a different part of a participant’s development. This is the reason why most sports are categorised separately to skills.
All martial arts are DofE Physical section activities.
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Skills
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How can work experience count for the Skills section? Whilst the activity still needs to be in the participant’s own time, developing work skills through optional unpaid work experience or training would count for this section as life skills. Participants must still set themselves personal goals for their work experience, as with all other sections. This is a good way for participants to use the DofE to help them bridge the gap between education and employment.
Expedition
Who can approve expedition variations at Bronze and Silver? It depends on your organisation. If your centre is directly licensed by a DofE Region or Country Office, then all variation applications should be sent directly to that DofE Office. However, if your centre is run under an Operating Authority (e.g. a County Council) then Bronze and Silver expedition variation applications should go to the DofE Manager for that Operating Authority. For variations to conditions 14, 16 and 17 at Bronze and Silver level do not need to submit variation forms and can be agreed in advance with the accredited Assessor for the expedition.
Q A
Where does the DofE set out what first aid training DofE participants should complete for their Expedition section? All training requirements, including first aid, are set out in the Expedition training frameworks which can be found at
DofE.org/ expeditiondownloads and in the DofE’s Expedition Guide.
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