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. Tha forcaichean pacaidh-ràisin freagarrach airson turasan-rannsachaidh, oir tha iad làidir, aotrom agus fada gu leòr airson ruighinn a-steach do oiseanan phocannan bìdh gun a bhith agad ri do làmhan a chòmhdach le biadh.
3. Tha lannan uisge nas comhfhurtail a ghiùlan agus nas fhasa an cleachdadh na botail uisge.
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. Dh’fhaodadh e bhith feumail tuáille bheag a chumail ceangailte ri do bhaga-droma, gus an urrainn dhut d’aghaidh a nighe agus a sguabadh bho àm gu àm. Tha e iongantach cho mòr ’s a bheir e ort faireachdainn nas fheàrr!
7. Tha e nas aotroime agus nas comhfhurtail briogais ghoirid (no briogais a dh’fhosglas aig a’ ghlùin) a chaitheamh le leagannan bonn fodha na briogais làn-fhaid.
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

Saor-thoileach

Feumaidh com-pàirtichean co-dhiù uair a thìde san t-seachdain a choisrigeadh thairis air 12 mìosan gus daoine eile a chuideachadh, leithid a bhith a’ teagasg, a’ stiùireadh no a’ toirt taic don aonad Caideatan Airm aca, no a’ cuideachadh aig tachartas coimhearsnachd ionadail, cluba no buidheann den roghainn aca.

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.’

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Corporra

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.’

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Sgilean

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.’

Turas-rannsachaidh

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.’

Àite-còmhnaidh

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.

‘Bha a’ chùrsa còig latha CyberFirst Advanced a’ cunntadh a dh’ionnsaigh mo earrannan Sgilean is Còmhnaidh. Bha fios agam gum biodh a’ chùrsa Adhartach nas duilghe na Defenders, ach bha mi gu tur a-mach à mo dhoimhneachd – tha mi nas toilichte a-muigh a’ dèanamh obair-raoin! Shìn mi a-mach airson cuideachaidh agus chaidh mo bhrosnachadh gus leantainn air adhart. Tha mi toilichte gun do shìn mi mo chrìochan agus gun do chùm mi ris.”

Ionnsaich barrachd mun DofE gold award and what is involved to gain this prestigious award. Did you know as an Army Cadet you can complete the Duais Diùc Dhùn Èideann with lots of our activities and opportunities crossing over with what you need to do to achieve the award.