DofE Expedition Advice

We spoke with Cadet UO Harnaam Singh who recently completed his Gold DofE where he revealed the activities, tasks and challenges he undertook for each of the five sections of the DofE Gold Award.

Expedition Advice

1. Don’t pack too much food – opt for freeze dried meals and calorie-dense snacks like nuts, flapjacks and protein bars for energy.
2. Les fourchettes de rations sont idéales pour les expéditions, car elles sont solides, légères et suffisamment longues pour atteindre les coins des poches de repas sans que vous ayez à vous couvrir les mains de nourriture.
3. Les poches à eau sont plus confortables à transporter et plus faciles à utiliser que les bouteilles d'eau.
4. Don’t assume you need walking poles – I prefer to walk without them. Try them for yourself in a practice expedition and if they don’t work for you don’t use them.
5. Practise walking with your packed bag before the expedition to help you find the most comfortable position and weight distribution.
6. Il peut être utile de garder une petite serviette accrochée à son sac à dos, afin de pouvoir se rincer et s'essuyer le visage de temps en temps. C'est incroyable comme on se sent mieux !
7. Le port d'un short (ou d'un pantalon dézippé au niveau du genou) avec un legging en sous-couche est une combinaison plus légère et plus confortable qu'un pantalon complet.
8. Dry wet socks by carrying them on the outside of your bag. If you can’t do that, put them in the bottom of your sleeping bag overnight – as the bag warms up, the socks will dry.
9. Always pack too many pairs of socks and plenty of foot powder because happy feet are key to a happy spirit on expeditions.

Completing the Five DofE Sections

Le bénévolat

Les participants doivent consacrer au moins une heure par semaine pendant 12 mois à aider les autres, par exemple en enseignant, en instruisant ou en soutenant leur unité de cadets de l'armée, ou en participant à un événement communautaire local, à un club ou à un groupe de leur choix.

Harnaam says: ‘I’d instructed at my detachment for years, so, for this part of the award, I looked back on past instructional courses and further developed my techniques to better support the junior cadets. At one stage, I was teaching six lessons per week and assisting in areas like drill, fieldcraft, first aid and navigation.’

Discover more ideas on where to volunteer et why it is beneficial to volunteer and give back.

Physique

Participants must dedicate at least an hour a week over six to 12 months to take part in a sport or activity of their choice that will improve their physical health, such as running, swimming, netball, football, climbing or canoeing. ‘I opted to focus on one of my favourite sports, cricket, which I played at school and at my local club. I was playing seniors cricket, so I got to play all over the county with people who were older than me, some of whom have played for over 20 years, so it was a fantastic experience.’

Keeping yourself motivated can be difficult but read our article on how to motivate yourself to exercise to complete this section.

Compétences

Participants develop skills in a chosen pursuit over the course of six to 12 months. These can include hobbies such as crafts, cooking, playing a musical instrument, or activities in the Army Cadets, such as ceremonial drill, learning first aid, or developing fieldcraft and leadership skills.

‘I developed my cyber knowledge for the Skills section of my award and then completed the CyberFirst Advanced course for the Residential section. Cybersecurity is fascinating and it was great to spend a few days with a brilliant group of people.’

Expédition

Participants undertake a self-sufficient expedition as part of a team, over four days and three nights. This might be on one of the many expeditions available within the Army Cadets.

‘My qualifying expedition was in Ballykinler in Northern Ireland. A low point was crossing a bog at the foot of Slieve Donard mountain – we had to take a cautious approach for about two hours – which tested our spirit and teamwork. High points were the vast mountainous landscapes, glorious sunshine and pure mountain streams.’

Résidentiel

Participants take part in a residential activity of their choice that focuses on building relationships and achieving a group aim over five consecutive days. This could be on a course at Cadet Centre for Adventurous Training (CCAT) or other specialist camps.

‘Le cours CyberFirst Advanced, d'une durée de cinq jours, a été pris en compte dans les sections ’Compétences" et "Résidentiel". Je savais que le cours avancé serait plus difficile que le cours Defenders, mais je ne me sentais pas du tout à l'aise - je suis plus heureux à l'extérieur en faisant du travail de terrain ! J'ai demandé de l'aide et on m'a encouragé à continuer. Je suis contente d'avoir repoussé mes limites et d'avoir continué.’

En savoir plus sur la DofE gold award and what is involved to gain this prestigious award. Did you know as an Army Cadet you can complete the Prix du Duc d'Édimbourg with lots of our activities and opportunities crossing over with what you need to do to achieve the award.