The Duke of Edinburgh Award allowed me to push myself to my physical limits in a safe environment. As someone who suffers a physical disability which prohibits my mobility sometimes, I never had the opportunity to hike properly before, because I couldn't trust my joints to stay stable enough to carry me all the way. Doing that with DofE for the first time at age 14, with my friends and leaders/staff at checkpoints, meant that I was able to overcome my physical barriers because I was supported by my schools DofE team. The staff made me feel safe and secure and allowed me as a young person to do something I never thought I would be able to do, and I will always be grateful for that.