Being part of the DOE gave me so many learning opportunities. Right from Bronze level when I made so many mistakes and struggled to get on with my team of peers right through to Gold level when I was able to experience an expedition in the Canadian Rockies where an incredible world opened my eyes. Being part of the scheme taught me patience ( it took a while to come but after a few experiences), perseverance (getting on with the walk despite wet feet and blisters) and team work (their challenges of getting working with peers who held different ideas and were just as headstrong as me). I came across so many fantastic leaders who nurtured me and challenged me, gave me a second chance and were dedicated. Now I’m a leader, trying to open the opportunities for other young people, helping them to see what can be gained from following through with these challenges. My son has just completed bronze and now going for silver, I can’t believe my shy son introverted has gone and volunteered in a charity shop with complete strangers, what an opportunity for learning and stretching his comfort zone. That single opportunity to volunteer may have changed the course of his life and helped him to realise something he never thought he could do. It’s the simple opportunities like this that just push young people a little further than they would normally go that open up new paths and you never know where they will lead. I am so great evil to The Duke of Edinburgh for starting this scheme. Having been a part of it for several decades I can see how many of the things he would have had to do at Gordenstoun school have influenced his ideas for the DOE, I am so grateful to him for his legacy and I hope to continue to be a part of it for many years to come.