As a Year 10, I have the opportunity to take part in the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh. This means camping for 1 night, with 2 practice weekends, along with three other sections; volunteering, physical and skills. 1 of these 3 sections must last for 6 months, the other 2 for 3. The requirements are for you to spend either 1 hour a week or 2 hours per fortnight on each activity, although you can spread them out, of course. You’d have to be a superhero to do all 3 simultaneously!
At the start of the year, I didn't know much about what the Duke of Edinburgh entails. I didn't know there are 3 different awards, and I had no idea about the volunteering, physical or skills section. I'd only heard of the expedition, where typically in Cumbria, you get soaked.
I will admit, I wasn't at all keen on doing Duke of Edinburgh, and I was forced by my mother to actually take part. Camping really isn’t my thing, and I thought that was all you did; camp in the rain. But, after going to the initial meeting, where the basics of the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh was explained, I realised there was a lot more to it. This made me want to do it even less. I didn’t want to learn a new skill, and I had no idea where I could volunteer, or how I could do my physical.
But, thanks to my mum’s stubbornness and perseverance, I agreed to take part. And guess what? I’m really glad I did. We’ve barely even started, but I’m already enjoying it a million times more than I expected to! Why? It’s because I am really enjoying my volunteering and skill section. I haven’t started my physical yet though…
For my volunteering, I am helping out at some local kennels. I have already done a post about the RSPCA and volunteering. It’s a brilliant experience and I get to walk some lovely dogs! It’s definitely worthwhile and I hope the dogs appreciate my mum, sister and I coming to see them for at least an hour a week!
The idea of the skills section is for each participant to try a new skill, something they haven’t done before. Some of the examples were photography, learning a new instrument, or a fashion portfolio. I chose journalism, and it is the reason I have this blog; so I can post my ‘articles’ to be checked by a member of staff. I have decided to aim for 2 articles a week, spending half an hour on each. This way, I can live up to the 1 hour a week expectation in a way that works for me. As I am enjoying working on my articles, I find myself really eager to improve my work and see what works and what doesn’t. Plus I enjoy writing in general, especially the odd fictional story. English is my favourite subject alongside History and both of these subjects are very writing based. I hope that makes sense…
So, to summarise, I am glad I am weak willed; If my mum hadn’t pushed me to join in, I wouldn’t have this wonderful experience to talk about whenever I’m short of conversation starters.
