The Community Education & Development Division is the licensed operating authority for the Duke of Edinburgh Award activities in Dudley borough. The scheme is open to all young people between the ages of 14 and 25 years, and provides an opportunity for personal achievement, adventure, community and social involvement, and a widening of interests. The scheme also caters for those with special needs.
There are three awards:
Bronze for young people aged 14 years and over.
Silver for young people aged 15 years and over.
Gold for young people aged 16 years and over.
To qualify for the award, participants must satisfy the requirement of the following four sections:
Service
Expedition
Skills
Physical Recreation
The scheme is a programme of practical, cultural and adventurous activities and is suitable for the aptitudes of young people regardless of their background or culture. Participants follow their chosen activities mainly in their own time and will include guidance from someone knowledgeable in each subject.
Those young people who are successful are presented with a certificate and a badge on behalf of the Duke of Edinburgh. The scheme is voluntary and individuals are assessed on their own progress, perseverance and achievement. The programme is available to all young people whether members of a youth organisation or not, and may take part individually or as a group.
'The Castle Award'
This unique Award was designed and developed by officers of the Division. It is a structured programme of activities for 12 to 14 year olds and for those aged 25 and over. It is similar in content to 'The Duke of Edinburgh's Award and is intended as an introduction to that Award.
There are three levels and participants undertake 4 sections within each level, which include:
Service
Expedition
Skills
Physical Recreation
The level three attainment of the Castle Award is equivalent to the Bronze Certificate of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award.
Kenya '99
During July 1999 a group of 15 young people and 3 adult helpers took part in a 3-week youth exchange visit with Kenya. The young people involved had to raise funds to both finance the trip, and to cater for themselves whilst over there. Funds were raised to provide materials and some of the specialist labour necessary to build a classroom at the Malava School and Polytechnic on the foothills of Mt. Elgon. The group also provided some of the general labour in the building and construction of the classroom. The second purpose of the exchange was to carry out a climb of Mount Elgon, this was undertaken to achieve the expedition component of the Duke of Edinburgh 'Gold' Award. The expedition provided a unique opportunity and valuable experience for the participants to experience Kenyan village life, and gain an insight into another culture. A further fundraising drive took place in 2000 to enable the partner group in Kenya to visit the U.K.
