The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) is the world’s leading youth development framework. As a charity, we foster personal growth while encouraging young people to take on new challenges. Run in schools, colleges, youth groups, young offender institutions, fostering agencies, businesses, hospitals and more, the DofE offers transformative experiences for young people and significant benefits for the adults and organisations that run it.

Young people

• Through the DofE, young people develop a wide range of essential emotional and social skills, including resilience, confidence, communication, commitment, self-awareness, empathy, teamwork and problem-solving, all of which help them navigate adult life.
• Achieving a widely recognised and well-respected Award improves young people’s further education and higher education prospects, opening doors to exciting employment opportunities.
• Young people embarking on their DofE journey at school get the chance to develop positive relationships with teachers and fellow students outside of the classroom setting, benefiting their wider school and social life.
• The DofE gives young people impactful opportunities to get out into nature through expeditions and the chance to connect with their community through volunteering.
• Our 2024 Impact Report shows that young people who take part in the DofE experience positive impacts on their wellbeing, skills development, community ties and physical activity.

Adults running the DofE

• Teachers, volunteers and other staff can develop themselves and their CVs through running the DofE, building and demonstrating skills such as organisation, teamwork, leadership and financial management.
• Working together on DofE activities fosters an atmosphere that doesn’t feel as formal as a classroom setting, helping young people and staff build positive relationships.
• The DofE can create cohesion across the whole organisation, building stronger working relationships between colleagues from different departments who may not have otherwise worked together.

Licensed Organisations

• Delivering the DofE strengthens the role of community organisations as hubs of support, development and opportunity, creating a ripple effect of positive change that benefits everyone involved.
• Holding a DofE Licence is a marketing accolade that attracts new students and members to an organisation.
• Providing opportunities for young people to volunteer in the community (in nursing homes, in animal shelters, in local charity shops), reflects positively on an organisation.
• For organisations running the DofE in schools or colleges, it helps fulfil personal development requirements, especially within the Ofsted 2019 framework. It can also be used as an enrichment activity for students receiving pupil premium funding and for those involved in alternative curriculum programmes.