“COMPLETING MY DOFE HAS MADE ME REALISE THAT I CAN ACHIEVE ANYTHING IF I WORK HARD ENOUGH.”
Jake, Gold Award Holder
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Many young people find achieving a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) life-changing. A fun adventure and major challenge, three progressive award levels (Bronze, Silver and Gold) and a wide range of activities offer endless possibilities to anyone aged 14 to 24. Millions of young people in the UK have already taken part in the world’s leading youth achievement award - pushing personal boundaries, gaining new skills and enhancing their CVs and university applications.
At Gateway Adventure we can help you or your organisation achieve your goals. With an experienced team of qualified training staff and with over 50 years combined experience, we know a thing or two about helping people fulfill their ambitions.
Many company apprenticeship schemes use the Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award during their training to help with confidence, life skills and experiences. -
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is broken down in to four different sections so that you gain experience across a range of skills and activities to help you plan and achieve your own personal and unique journey.
Volunteering
Volunteering is all about making a difference to other people’s lives. Perhaps you’re interested in animals or conservation? Or you might like to work with older people or raise money for a cause that means a lot to you? From teaching children cyber safety to starting a local recycling campaign, the Volunteering section of your DofE enables you to give your time to help others and change things for the better.
Physical
The Physical section is a chance for you to focus on your health and fitness and have fun along the way. As long as you pick something that requires a sustained level of energy and physical activity, the possibilities are endless.
Skills
The Skills section is about discovering what you’re really good at. By developing practical and social skills and nurturing your personal interests and talents, you’ll boost your self-esteem and your CV.
Expedition
As part of a small team, you’ll plan, complete a practice and final expedition that will truly stretch your horizons. You will improve your communication and leadership skills and whatever you decide to do, you’ll have an unforgettable experience getting to grips with the great outdoors. -
Gateway Adventure can offer bespoke packages to suit any organisations requirements. However, there are standard packages available for the Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards. Our expedition supervision policy ensures there is a minimum of one instructor per team for ‘Walk & Talk’s. On unaccompanied ventures there is a minimum ratio of one instructor for every two teams.
We offer a complete foot expedition package for Bronze, Silver and Gold. If, however, you are interested in alternative modes of travel such as cycling or canoeing/kayaking then contact us for further information.
BRONZE PACKAGE
Our Bronze Package consists of five or six* days spread over three/four different dates.
Day 1 - A ‘Walk & Talk’ which is particularly useful for evaluating individual strengths and weaknesses in navigation skills. Our instructors are on hand to answer any questions or concerns about partaking in the DofE Award.
Day 2* - Basic expedition training to include topics such as kit, navigation, route planning, food and nutrition etc.
Days 3 & 4 - Consists of an overnight practice expedition where the participants take part in a further ‘Walk & Talk’ on day 3 and then meet supervisors at checkpoints on day 4.
Days 5 & 6 - Finally the participants take part in their qualifying expedition over the final two days.
SILVER PACKAGE
Our Silver Package consists of seven or eight* days spread over three/four different dates.
Day 1 - A ‘Walk & Talk’.
Day 2* - Basic expedition training to include topics such as kit, navigation, route planning, food and nutrition etc.
Days 3, 4 & 5 - Consists of an overnight practice expedition where the participants take part in a further Walk & Talk on day 3 and then meet supervisors at checkpoints on days 4 & 5.
Days 6, 7 & 8 - The participants take part in their qualifying expedition over the final three days.GOLD PACKAGE
Our Gold Package consists of 10 days spread over three/four different dates.
Day 1 - A ‘Walk & Talk’.
Day 2 - Day route planning session for the qualifying expedition plus comprehensive training to include topics such as kit, navigation, route planning, food and nutrition etc.
Days 3, 4 & 5 - Consists of an overnight practice expedition where the participants take part in a further ‘Walk & Talk’ and an overnight supervised ‘Wild Camp’ on day 3 and then meet supervisors at checkpoints on days 4 & 5.
Days 6 to 10 - Finally the participants take part in their qualifying expedition over the final five days which includes an acclimatisation day prior to the start of their venture.
*Not included if basic expedition training is delivered by the school or organisation. -
If you are looking to achieve your Gold DofE Award, you need to complete an additional Residential section.
You will spend five days and four nights taking part in a shared, worthwhile activity with people you’ve never met before. A DofE residential will boost your independence and confidence and is a great way to leave a positive footprint on your life and other people’s.
We predominantly aim to run residentials in the Peak District as it is an ideal area to cover a wide variety of activities and is central to most areas of the UK. However, we can run residentials throughout the UK including the Brecon Beacons, the Lake District and Snowdonia.
Should you be interested in a Residential, we can design a programme to suit your needs. -
The majority of our instructors have a youth work background with a passion for the outdoors and a wealth of experience delivering the DofE Awards.
If you simply require an instructor to oversee or support your expedition we will happily hire out our instructors at a very competitive rate. We also have available accredited DofE Assessors who can assess all levels of expeditions.
Although some items of personal expedition kit are essential for each individual, it is possible to hire certain items to ease costs. A limited number of items are available including:- First Aid kits,Mess tins,Roll mats, Rucksacks (65 litre), Sleeping bags, Stoves (Alpine gas stove), Tents (2 & 3 man), Trowels, Waterproof jackets, Waterproof trousers. -
If you have ever run expeditions for the DofE Awards, you know that it can be very time consuming. And then there is the cost of the equipment and making sure you have the staff with the right qualifications and experience!
This is where we come in. We make it easy for you!!
We offer a complete foot expedition package for Bronze, Silver and Gold. If, however, you are interested in alternative modes of travel such as cycling or canoeing/ kayaking then contact us for further information.*
We provide the staff and equipment for training, practices and assessed expeditions. Our staff are all experienced and qualified and many are accreditied assessors. All are First Aid qualified and are DBS cleared.
* Please note pricing will increase for these alternative modes due to hire of cycles or canoes/kayaks and the relevant safety equipment. -
The beauty of our service is that we can give you exactly what you want! We understand that each organisation has different requirements.
Our prices include campsite fees and fully qualified supervision. We sort out all of the expedition administration. All you need to do is arrange the transportation of the participants to the expedition area.
We do encourage everyone taking part to supply their own personal equipment as they advance through the DofE Awards. However, the package can include first aid kits, mess tins, roll mats, rucksacks (65 litre), sleeping bags, stoves, tents, trowels, waterproof jackets and trousers for participants who are finding it difficult to finance such items.
