
Awards
Silver Duke of Edinburgh's award
Reach new heights with the Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s (DofE) award
Push yourself with the Silver DofE award. It’s open to Guides aged 14 (in the academic year they turn 15), Rangers, young leaders and adult members aged 18-25.
Why should I get involved?
Doing DofE Silver will give you skills, confidence and an edge over others when you apply for college, university or a job. You’ll develop communication, leadership and teamwork skills as well making a difference to other people’s lives and your community. You’ll also go on an exciting expedition and make memories to last you a lifetime.
DofE has taught me countless leadership, time management and teamwork skills as well as the value and joy of giving back to the community through volunteering. It has also helped me make lifelong friends.'
What does it entail?
It will take you at least 6 months for Silver if you’ve already achieved your Bronze award, or 12 months if you’ve jumped straight into Silver.
There are 4 sections:
- Volunteering section for 6 months.
- Physical and Skills sections: one section for 6 months and the other section for 3 months.
- Expedition section: 3 days (2 nights).
If you didn’t do Bronze, you must undertake a further 6 months in either the Volunteering or the longer of the Physical or Skills sections.
It’s your choice which one and, though you can change your mind later, you should decide which section you want to do for longer at the beginning. Knowing how long you’re going to do it for will help you to choose your activity and set your goals for each section.
You can find more information on the timescales and the sections as well as lots more information on the DofE website.
I really enjoyed completing Bronze and have always liked going out walking, but I also wanted to challenge myself and do things out of my comfort zone, such as camping and navigating.'
Ready to get started?
We deliver DofE in lots of areas. This can depend on the number of volunteers, so we may not run it where you are. However, we'll do our best to support you.
Speak to your leader about registering and they’ll help you find your nearest group.
If you aren’t sure you’re quite ready for Silver, why not try DofE Bronze instead. Or you can jump straight to Gold.
Silver DofE has really developed my resilience and adaptability, which are skills that I have been able to transfer to many situations outside of DofE, and my time on expedition has also allowed me to make new friends within GirlGuiding.'