What
are the age requirements?
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Young Canadians Challenge is for young
people ages 14-25. All activities must be completed by one's 25th
birthday.
When can I begin
counting hours toward my goals?
You may begin counting hours once you have submitted your Registration
form and fee.
Are hours accepted
for work I've already completed?
No. Hours or activities completed before you register for The Duke of
Edinburgh's Award Young Canadians Challenge are unacceptable.
What if I can
complete the hours in less time than required?
You are still required to complete the minimum number of months for for
the section and the award level.
Can I skip levels?
If you are 14 years old you must start at the bronze level, if you are
fifteen years old you may start at the silver level and if you are 16
years old you may start at the Gold level if you choose.
If I'm 16 or older
and I've completed Bronze can I skip Silver and work on Gold?
Yes, but you would be considered as a direct gold participant and could
complete the award in no less than 18 months.
Can I pursue just
one of the four sections?
No. In order to achieve The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Young Canadians
Challenge, participants must complete activities for all four sections, as
well as the Residential Project for Gold level. You cannot choose to
pursue only certain ones. The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Young Canadians
Challenge program is about exploring new and different activities, thus
becoming a well-rounded and balanced individual.
What if I go over
the required number of hours?
Just keep recording in your Record Book, until all others sections have
been completed, then submit your completed Record book and Application
Form for assessment. Remember that the minimum program requirements are
just that - the minimum.
How long does it
take for a completed Award to be approved?
On average it takes 4-6 weeks for awards to be approved. It depends on how
many awards are submitted at one time. Awards are assessed on a first come
first serve basis and will not be processed if they are missing any
components - use the checklist that accompanies the application form for
each level to ensure that you have submitted all the pieces necessary.
Once an award is received by the provincial office you may phone / email us to check on the status of your Award. If an email address has been included in the Award, we will email you upon receipt of the Award in our office. New applicaiton forms do include a space to record an email address (new forms on line).
When is my record
book due?
Record books are submitted all year. There are no deadlines. Work at your
own pace. Just ensure you complete all activities by your 25th birthday.
If your group has a special event where they would like to present you
your award, please keep in mind the time it takes to assess awards and
submit your award with plenty of time to be processed.
Can my activities
with other organizations count towards The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Young
Canadians Challenge?
Often, they do. If you belong to groups such as Scouts, Girl Guides, 4-H,
Cadets, etc., your activities may often be used to achieve a particular
goal. The activities used for The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Young
Canadians Challenge program, however, are to be consistent with the
guidelines of the Award program. Activities for which you are paid or
receive academic credit cannot be counted.
If I register for the programme in Ontario, but move temporarily and do the majority of the work towards the award outside of Ontario, can it still count?
Yes, the work you do outside of Ontario still counts towards the completion of your award, however you must submit your award package and application form to the Ontario office to be assessed and approved.
Are adjustments
made for persons with disabilities?
Yes. While the minimum requirements (such as hours and months) remains the
same, adjustments to activities can be made to suit the individual needs
of participants with physical or mental disabilities. However, the degree
of challenge and effort required to earn the Award is not diminished.
Who would be a
good assessor?
Teachers, guidance counsellors, coaches, club leaders, Scout/Guide leaders
etc, often make excellent assessors. The important thing to keep in mind
when finding an assessor is that they must be knowledgeable and
experienced in the particular activity to be assessed.
I lost my record
book, now what?
Replacement books may be purchased from the office for $6.00. It is your
responsibility to reconstruct your award to the best of your ability.
Can the 40 service
hours required to graduate from high school count?
Yes!
Does shovelling my
drive way count?
No. Activities such as babysitting sibling and performing chores may not
be used as community service as you are not assisting others in the
community. Shovelling/raking for an elderly neighbours who can't do it for
themselves; or babysitting for a needy family would count as service.
Can I complete all
the hours in less than the minimum number of months?
No, you must fully meet the minimum number of months for your level. We're
looking for hours sustained over the entire number of months.
What is the
difference between an expedition and an exploration?
All journeys should involve travel by personal effort without motorized
assistance. An expedition (a trip with a purpose) is a journey where
participants stay at different campsites each night. An Exploration (a
purpose with a trip) is a journey where participants may make use of a
base camp, as long as their purpose involves some aspect of the natural
environment. All explorations are to include an element of journeying and
at least ten hours are to be spent in this way. All explorations require
prior approval from your provincial office.
What should I
include in the write-up of my Expedition or Exploration?
Please answer the questions on page 20 of the blue Record Book, and also
include the following (also listed on page 21):
- personal equipment list
- group equipment list
- first aid and safety equipment
- weight of equipment
- map of where you journeyed
- menu
- at least one hot meal each day
- any other material of interest or documentation
What qualifies as
an expedition or exploration?
Expeditions and explorations are all about adventure and discovery.
Participants should plan, prepare, and be responsible. Some summer camps
may involve a trip that can count as an Expedition, as long as the
activity is consistent with the guidelines of the Award program.
Preplanned activities, or "Sign-up and Go" type of trips would
not qualify for The Duke of Ed expedition. The exception to this rule is
Outward Bound, due to the time commitment, total immersion into a new
environment and the level of physical and mental challenge required.
Family vacations and camping trips are fun and relaxing, but there must be
a level of challenge and discovery involved with the trip to count as an
expedition or exploration.
I'm in
Scouts/Guides/Cadets, do I still have to do the preliminary training and
practice trip?
Yes, preliminary training and the practice trip must be completed. For
those who are involved with organization such as Scouts/Guides/Cadets you
may already have knowledge of all the preliminary training items - to get
it signed off meet with one of your leaders and prove that you know it, so
they can sign your book.
Can I use dance or
martial arts as a skill?
Any physical activity may not be used as a skill. Ballet/belly
dancing/jazz/judo/karate etc. would be counted in the physical recreation
section.
How often may I
switch skills?
You may change skills once during each level.
Can I use the same
skill in more than one level?
Yes, so long as you continue to improve at your skill.
Do I have to
complete the fitness chart?
It is very important for the fitness chart to be completed so we can
ensure the appropriate number of weeks and hours (counting no more than 2
hours per week) have been done.
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award - Young Canadians Challenge: What is it? The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is a voluntary, non-competitive programme of practical, cultural and adventurous activities, designed to support the personal and social development of young people aged 14-25, regardless of gender, background or ability. It offers an individual challenge and encourages young people to undertake exciting, constructive, challenging and enjoyable activities in their free time. All Awards must be completed by the participant's 25th birthday. The Award Programme started in 1956 and it's Founder and Patron is HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.
Who operates the Award?
Award groups are based in schools, colleges, universities, youth clubs,
voluntary organisations (Scouts, Guides, Cadets, etc.), open centres,
young offenders' institutes and many businesses. Award Groups are run by
adults, many of whom are volunteers, including youth workers, teachers,
employers, trainers, Instructors, Assessors and individuals from the
community, all of whom are keen to share their skills, enthusiasm and
organizing abilities to help young people reach their potential.
What does the Programme
consist of?
It is a four Section Programme with three progressive levels:
- Bronze (for those aged 14 and over)
- Silver (for those aged 15 and over) and
- Gold (for those aged 16 and over).
The Sections involve:
- Service (helping other people in the local community)
- Skills (covering almost any hobby, skill or interest)
- Physical Recreation (sport, dance and fitness)
- Adventurous Journey (training for, planning and completing a journey on foot or horseback, by boat or cycle)
- Residential Project (Gold Award only) (a purposeful enterprise with people not previously known to the participant)
What are the benefits
of involvement?
The Award is widely recognised by employers and people involved in
education. Some of the benefits to young people include:
developing or
discovering a sense of achievement
new skills and interests
self-confidence and self-reliance
leadership skills and abilities
exciting opportunities; friendship
experience of teamwork,
problem-solving and decision-making
increased motivation
enhanced
self-esteem
development of communication skills
a network of local,
national and international connections
enjoyment.
How much does it cost?
The cost to register in Ontario is $20 per person, with an
annual renewal fee of $10. For this fee participants will receive a Record
Book, as well as newsletters, and the fee also helps to cover the
administration cost of processing Awards. Depending on what a participant
chooses to do for his or her Award, there will inevitably be additional
costs:
- Service: usually little or no cost, unless training courses are required which may involve a fee levied by the body running the course.
- Skills: costs depend on the skills chosen and can be negligible.
- Physical Recreation: costs depend on the sport chosen and on local availability.
- Adventurous Journey: costs depend on where the journey will be - the greatest cost is often transport to and from the journey venue. Equipment can often be borrowed or hired.
- Residential Project (Gold Award only): many week-long activities are very low-cost, especially those where some form of voluntary service is being undertaken by the participant.
What about insurance?
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award - Young Canadians Challenge provides
limited personal accident insurance cover (details are available from the
National Office: 416-203-0674), and operating organisations will also have
their own insurance in place to cover any claims against them for injury
or damage caused to, or by, young people and adults engaged in the Award
Programme. You should check that your personal and household insurance
policies cover the participant's chosen activities and equipment.
How about safety and
child protection?
Operating organisations have their own procedures for ensuring
that suitably qualified and experienced leaders and helpers offer safe
activities, undertaking suitable risk assessments in the process.
Operating organisations should have policies and procedures for checking
the suitability of those working with young people. Please check with the
operating organisation for details of their procedures and policies.
What level of
supervision is there on an Adventurous Journey?
Adventurous Journeys help young people become independent. They
must be supervised by a suitably experienced adult who accepts
responsibility for the safety and well-being of the group on behalf of the
operating organisation.
Does it disrupt school
or college or work?
Participation in the Award gives young people the opportunity to
develop time management skills. All activities should be undertaken in
their free (i.e. non-directed) time and are often after-school or
lunchtime clubs; evening clubs or activities or weekend activities. Since
the Award is simply an extension of a young person's personal interests
and activities, and has a very open-ended completion time, Award work can
fit around school, college or other work quite easily.
How long does it take
to get an Award?
It takes at least six months for a direct entrant to achieve a
Bronze Award; 12 months for Silver and 18 months for Gold. Participants
can work on various Sections of their Award at the same time.
What if someone leaves
their group without finishing their Award?
Once a participant enters the Award, by registering with the
Provincial Office, they may take periods of 'rest' from Award activities
as they wish. Awards must, however, be completed by the participant's 25th
birthday. If a participant leaves an Award Group for whatever reason, they
may continue with their Award work with another group and their previous
work, recorded in their Record Book, will still count for their Award, or
they can continue on their own as an Independent.
What is the difference between being a member of a group or registering as an independent participant?
Being part of a "duke of ed" group means that one or more volunteers who have told the our office that they are responsible for a group of participants. These volunteers have agreed to be responsible for registering participants, offering advice, and helping participants to complete and submit your Award. These volunteers are often called "Leaders" and they will also received notices from us in the fall of every year when it is time to renew the participants in their group. A group is often called that becuase they were a group of people before they started to work towards the Award (i.e. Scouts, Cadets, Schools, Youth Groups). Because the Award is based primarily around independent, often participants complete the majority of their Award independently even if working with a group.
Being an independent participant means that all of our paper work and communications will go directly from our office to the participant. Independent Participants use the Ontario office as a resource when they have questions or concerns about their progress.
How do I find out more?
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award - Young Canadians Challenge
Ontario Division
Suite 201, 14 Adelaide Street West
Toronto, Ontario M5H 1L6
Tel: 416 203 2282
Fax: 416 203 0676
E-mail: duke@dukeofed.org
www.dukeofed.org