The success of the Award is based on a partnership between adults and young people. Adults are needed to help in many ways including supervision, instruction or assessment.
For adults, the Award provides an opportunity to share their skills and experience with young people. This can lead to better understanding between the young and not-so-young, and strengthen co-operation within the community.
There are four Sections of the Award which must be completed;
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1 Service
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2 Skills
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3 Physical Recreation
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4 Expeditions
In addition, at Gold level, a Residential project must be completed.
The Award offers progression through its three levels:
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Bronze for those over 14
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Silver for those over 15
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Gold for those over 16
The upper age limit for completion of all Awards is the 25th birthday.
The Award Programme demands more time and an increasing commitment and improvement - as the participant progresses through the levels. At Bronze level, participants need strong support from adult helpers; but at Gold, they should be largely responsible for organising their own Award Programme with the guidance of adults.
The Award and Paddlesport
The Award fits very well into Paddlesport activities for all four sections but can be used just to complete the Expedition section as an alternative to more traditional expeditions such as walking. For the Physical Recreation section appropriate goals can be set based on the level and interest of each participant. In addition, the Service Section now includes, in addition to the BCU Lifeguard awards, awards such as the BCU Canoe Safety Test, Cadet Leader Award and Level 2 Coach Training.
The British Canoe Union will soon become a National Access Organisation for The Duke of Edinburgh Award, which means that it can issue Credit Notes and Certificates of Prior Learning to young people who have completed an Award-accredited activity. If the young person has not yet started their Duke of Edinburgh Award, they should be signposted to an Operating Authority where they can count the activity they have completed with the British Canoe Union towards their Award, when they get their Record Book.
The Duke of Edinburgh Award Leaflet for Paddle Expeditions can be found here. Full details on Duke of Edinburgh Awards can be obtained from their website www.dofe.org