Participants get enthused about their local urban area

We recently spoke with the DofE Manager at the Pendlebury Centre, a Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) in the North of England.

1. What was the expedition aim?

Participants completed photographic activities around the town of Stockport.

2. What did the expedition look like?

Day 1:

Participants arrived at the DofE centre at 9am and made their lunch and drinks. Each participant had a different photographic aim along the day’s 7-mile route – moss and lichen, architectural features, landmarks (natural and manmade) and trees. They took the photos on their phones and airdropped them to their DofE Leader at the end of the expedition as evidence. Along the route were three DofE Leaders who supported the weekly sessions. In the afternoon, the group also took part in various OS map challenges to strengthen their navigational and teamwork skills.

Day 2:

Participants continued along their route for an additional 7 miles and, before being collected at the end of the expedition, pitched and later repacked the tents in the adjacent primary school field, and cooked bacon butties using a gas stove back at the DofE centre.

3. What did you need to consider to organise and lead this expedition?

“As we have most of a Thursday timetabled as DofE we just extended it from 9am instead with the same staff that usually undertake DofE with them. The change of planning with the two new rules that came into force effecting this cohort obviously took extra planning and time to think ‘out of the box’ to make their usual town interesting and enthused about!”

Costs were reduced as the only expense was food and drink for the two days.

4. As a Leader, what did you notice about the outcomes for participants doing this expedition?

“The second day of the expedition was the Year 11’s last day in school and, the fact that these four participants came back to do the two full days when they did not have to, shows the determination they brought to their DofE.”