Applications for 2024 are open!

Applications close for expeditions on Sunday 31 March 2024 or once capacity is reached, make sure you apply before the closing date.

What is DofE?

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is designed to challenge young people like you and engage you in a wide variety of interests, experience adventure and develop outside of the classroom. It was founded in 1956 and today, is an internationally recognised programme that is delivered in 144 countries.

Get involved to stand out!

Achieving your DofE award enables you to stand out! Stand out with new skills, with a renewed sense of confidence and with an edge on your peers. Not to mention that it’s great to add to a CV or personal statement; your DofE award shows commitment, resilience, and teamwork.

In addition, you’ll make a positive contribution to other people’s lives, become fitter and healthier, make new friends, and have memories to last a lifetime.

Earning your Award with VICTA

At VICTA we know that having a vision impairment shouldn’t hold you back from achieving your Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Our expedition assessors and supervisors have experience in delivering the programme with vision impairments in mind so that you can sign up to take part with confidence. If you would like further information on how we can support you, please get in touch on dofe@victa.org.uk

VICTA currently offers DofE at Bronze and Silver level, and including the expedition, there are four sections that you’ll need to complete to fulfil the requirements of either award. Expedition. Volunteering. Physical. Skills.

The Bronze award expects a commitment of at least 6 months and for the Silver, 12 months is recommended. You are expected to spend a certain amount of time on each section, details of which can be found at: Timescales – The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (dofe.org). For Bronze, the assessed expedition is 2 days and 1 night and for Silver, the assessed expedition is 3 days and 2 nights.

All about Bronze…

All about Silver…

The expedition!

At VICTA, before you undertake the (Assessed) Expedition, we will expect you to attend a Training Weekend. And while the weekend is hard work, you will not only have fun, get dirty, meet new people but develop your basic first aid, campcraft, ability to cook on a camping stove, map reading skills, and emergency procedures. The Training Weekend typically runs from a Friday – Sunday and takes place late June/early July. In order to do your expedition section with VICTA, attendance to the Training Weekend is compulsory.

The other sections

The volunteering section is where you choose how you want to dedicate your time towards something that you are passionate about. This could be people, the environment, or animals. Your volunteering must not be done for a business but can be done for a charity or a not-for-profit organisation. The physical section requires you to undertake a physical activity which raises your heart rate and requires a sustained amount of energy to do. For example, this could include football club on a Saturday morning, swimming lessons before school or the NHS’s Couch to 5K programme. The skills section is where you learn or develop a skill to improve understanding and increase expertise in your chosen field. You could learn to play chess, play the piano or take the next Grade, or master a new language like French. The opportunities are endless! For more information on the individual sections, please visit: Sections – The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (dofe.org)

321,622 young people embarked on their DofE award last year, are you ready to start yours?

Find out more

If you would like further information on completing your DofE award with VICTA, please visit Duke of Edinburgh’s Award – VICTA or contact dofe@victa.org.uk.