WORKING TOGETHER
Leaders and Operations Officers work together to start record numbers on their DofE, thanks to supporters such as the Asda Foundation and Lloyds Banking Group....
A
strong working relationship between DofE Leaders and new Operations Officers in West Yorkshire has led to some remarkable results in just a year.
Following local authority cuts in youth services in West
Yorkshire, numbers of DofE participants had dropped significantly, with only a tiny proportion of the eligible population of young people in the area achieving a DofE Award – lagging well behind the UK average. Recognising the problem in the area, at the start of the 2016-17 academic year the Asda Foundation committed to supporting the work of three new DofE Operations Officers, achieving a real step change in the number of young people able to access their DofE:
7,824
young people started their DofE across West Yorkshire, including 1,837 from disadvantaged backgrounds.
1,610 (+25%) more young people started their DofE in
West Yorkshire compared to the year before. 13
new schools started to run the DofE.
130 new Leaders joined the DofE network.
training courses attended by DofE Leaders, to ensure their young people get the best possible DofE journey.
309 Great encouragement
Kelly is the new DofE Leader at The Farnley Academy, where 40% of students are eligible for pupil premium. These students are specifically encouraged to start their DofE because of the huge benefits they can get from achieving their Award.
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Kelly praised the support given to her by her Operations Officer: “We wouldn’t be able to do this role without them. They help with funding and with expedition training, such as map reading. They also join our school assemblies, parents’ evenings, help with eDofE and meet regularly to go through things. The DofE has provided training for five teachers here, which is a huge help to me to spread the work.” Mark Shipley, Operations Manager for West Yorkshire,
said: “I am really proud of how closely the DofE Leaders have worked with our team to either start the DofE or offer DofE programmes to many more young people across all levels. We can only start more young people on their DofE journey through the passion and dedication of our Leaders and we are really thankful to all those who are giving their time.” The funding was part of Asda’s commitment to helping us work directly with schools, youth clubs and charities to bring the DofE to even more young people.
Helping Britain prosper with the DofE
Lloyds Banking Group supports The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and the difference it can make to young people’s lives is illustrated by Lloyd’s employee Charlotte Struges, who achieved her Gold Award while working for the Group. She shares her story:
“My DofE Gold is the best thing I’ve ever done. It gave me a self-belief and determination I didn’t have before. It gave me the confidence to apply for new jobs and skills that I could talk about in interviews about leadership, teamwork and supporting others that really made me stand out. “It was also really important for making friends. I dropped out of college to work for Lloyds and that had a real social impact. I met my DofE team and my life changed – I still talk to them, including my Leaders. “Now I go in to my old school to talk about my experience, and I still actively volunteer supporting secondary schools, sixth forms and colleges on careers education and career pathways.” We are grateful for Lloyds Banking Group’s continued support, and their belief in young people and what they can achieve.
Issue 29: SPRING 2018 DofE Magazine
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