A Royal Duke of Edinburgh’s Award visit for Cobham Hall

A Royal Duke of Edinburgh’s Award visit for Cobham Hall

6 March 2020

HRH The Earl of Wessex spent time with young people, teachers and volunteers from across Kent who are involved in The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) on Wednesday 4th March during a visit to Cobham Hall. The visit was planned to thank local schools and organisations who run the DofE for their young people and showcase how doing the DofE could benefit more young people, schools, business and youth organisations in the area who are not yet involved.

During his visit, The Earl met with young people currently doing their DofE. They demonstrated skills including CPR, First Aid and Orienteering, all designed to highlight the Physical and Expedition sections of the DofE. The Earl spoke with each of the representatives from the schools on site, having been welcomed by Cobham Hall’s youngest pupils waving Union Flags.

The visit follows on from the recent launch of The Experience List: 25 of the best character hacks for teens, a checklist of 25 experiences that can build teenagers’ confidence, independence and resilience, supporting their positive mental health and wellbeing and standing them in good stead for success in the workplace and beyond. To build the list, the DofE surveyed more than 4,000 people including members of the public, business leaders, education professionals, parents and young people. Many of the experiences and activities that appear on the List can be done as part of the DofE.

Achieving a DofE Award helps young people to enhance both personal and professional skills, empowering them to unlock their potential. It provides young people with the opportunity to have new experiences whilst volunteering, learning a skill, getting fit, planning and going on an expedition and, at Gold Level, taking part in a residential activity. Any young person aged 14-24 years old can do their DofE, regardless of ability, gender, background or location and it isn’t a competition or about being first; it’s all about setting personal challenges and pushing personal boundaries.

Maggie Roberts, Headmistress at Cobham Hall said, “We would like to thank The Earl for his visit to Cobham Hall. The DofE is an integral part of life at the School due to the vital skills it develops, such as perseverance and resilience, which are skills required for a successful future.”

Peter Singleton, Director – South East at The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, added: “Doing the DofE takes young people out of their comfort zone and supports them in building a vital set of skills for life and work, such as confidence, resilience and communication, as well as providing the foundations for life-long friendships. We are grateful to all our DofE Licensed Organisations in the area for their commitment to supporting young people with their personal and professional development and encourage other schools, businesses and youth organisations who see the value in offering this opportunity to their young people to get in touch to explore how the DofE can help them.”

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