On the 16th and 17th of April, approximately 50 year ten students from Therfield School completed their Bronze DofE training weekend. This was arranged for those participating in The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award to learn the skills needed to complete the expedition section.

DofE is a youth award programme that was founded in the UK in 1956 by the Duke of Edinburgh. It consists of four sections for Bronze and Silver and then five sections for Gold. Each section is intended to help a participant learn valuable life skills. The volunteering section aims to develop a sense of community and social responsibility; the skills section to develop practical and personal skills and interests; the physical section encourages improved performance and fitness; finally, the expedition section helps young people to develop a sense of adventure and discovery.

The expedition section was definitely the part Therfield students were looking forward to most! Despite the heavy rain on Saturday morning, everyone arrived at High Ashurst (an outdoor education centre) eager to begin the weekends activities. During the first day we worked through a carousel of training activities that ranged from learning how to cook on a trangia to map reading and navigation skills. Putting up the tents in the rain proved to be the biggest struggle - we all got very wet and muddy!

The early evening was probably the most enjoyable time for everyone. The rain had finally stopped and we were all able to cook our dinner on the trangias. The night however, wasn’t as much fun! The freezing cold temperatures meant that we all got very little sleep! Some of the year 10’s even woke up with frozen hair! This didn’t manage to ruin the weekend though as everyone was still in great spirit for the 10km walk. This walk enabled us to put our map reading skills into practice and somehow we all managed to make it back to the campsite without getting to lost!

Overall it was an extremely fun weekend that all students seemed to enjoy. The cold weather hasn’t put anyone off and we are all (I think!) looking forward to our practice expedition beginning on Friday the 13th of May.

For me DofE has proved to be something definitely worth taking part in and I am not surprised that since 1956 when it all began, the number of participants has increased year upon year. There is now an average of 300,000 participants each year and nearly 2.5 million awards have been achieved since the beginning. This year, 2016, is actually DofE’s Diamond anniversary and to celebrate this there are many events and activities being held throughout the year including the DofE Diamond Challenge. These events are available to anyone of any age so I suggest you find a way to get involved so, that you too can experience all that DofE has to offer!

By Nia Marvin, Therfield School