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
- Don’t pack too much food – opt for freeze dried meals and calorie-dense snacks like nuts, flapjacks and protein bars for energy.
- Widelce są idealne na wyprawy, ponieważ są mocne, lekkie i wystarczająco długie, aby sięgnąć do zakamarków woreczków na posiłki bez konieczności zasypywania rąk jedzeniem.
- Pęcherze na wodę są wygodniejsze w noszeniu i łatwiejsze w użyciu niż butelki z wodą.
- 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.
- Practise walking with your packed bag before the expedition to help you find the most comfortable position and weight distribution.
- Pomocne może być trzymanie małego ręcznika przypiętego do plecaka, aby móc od czasu do czasu opłukać i wytrzeć twarz. To niesamowite, o ile lepiej się wtedy czujesz!
- Noszenie szortów (lub spodni rozpinanych na kolanach) z legginsami pod spodem jest lżejszym i wygodniejszym połączeniem niż spodnie o pełnej długości.
- 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.
- 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
Wolontariat
Uczestnicy muszą poświęcić co najmniej godzinę tygodniowo przez 12 miesięcy, aby pomagać innym, np. nauczając, instruując lub wspierając swoją jednostkę kadetów armii lub pomagając w wybranym przez siebie wydarzeniu społeczności lokalnej, klubie lub grupie.
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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Fizyczny
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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Umiejętności
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.’
Ekspedycja
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.’
Mieszkaniowy
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.
‘Pięciodniowy kurs CyberFirst Advanced liczył się do moich sekcji Skills i Residential. Wiedziałem, że kurs zaawansowany będzie trudniejszy niż Defenders, ale zupełnie nie czułem się na siłach - jestem szczęśliwszy na zewnątrz, wykonując prace w terenie! Zwróciłem się o pomoc i zostałem zachęcony do kontynuowania. Cieszę się, że przekroczyłem swoje granice i wytrwałem’.’
Dowiedz się więcej o DofE gold award and what is involved to gain this prestigious award. Did you know as an Army Cadet you can complete the Nagroda Księcia Edynburga with lots of our activities and opportunities crossing over with what you need to do to achieve the award.