Many Year 11 students have just completed their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award after 1½ years of very hard work. As well as the final expedition there were three sections to complete – physical, skills and volunteering. For the physical element, most people used their sport teams, like football or netball and recorded evidence whenever they played matches. For skills there was a variety of activities from baking and drawing, to playing an instrument. Some people volunteered at charity shops or helped out at their local Girl Guides for their volunteering section.
The main part of the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme is the expedition. We had a practice expedition where we learned how to use a compass and map read. The final expedition lasted two days and one night and we were split into groups of around 6, which challenged our team work and our ability to act independently from the leaders.
I think that the most challenging part about the award was doing everything on our own. Of course, we were supervised but for the most part we really had to be very independent. Personally I enjoyed this independence very much and I think it’s helped me to see how much I can achieve on my own. This award has also helped me develop very useful skills such as map reading and it has brought me closer to my year group as we relied very much on each other to finish the expedition.
We all finished in time and were presented with our awards on 1st May 2018 by Mr Andrew Holt, Chairman of Accrington Stanley FC. It was a wonderful presentation and a brilliant end to our D of E Award. Mr Holt congratulated us and gave us many tips for the future. He even brought in Accrington Stanley’s winning league cup!
Overall, our Duke of Edinburgh Award was an amazing experience only made possible by the leaders and teachers, all of whom we would like to thank. It taught us all how to work together as a team and how to overcome challenges. We have come away from this experience not only having earned our Bronze Award, but also having learned many new skills and made many new friends. The Duke of Edinburgh Award is an amazing opportunity, and I am very thankful that I have these memories to look back on.
Amelia Bolton
Year 11
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