The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award: a guide to DofE outside the UK
You may be interested in taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, but don’t live in the UK. Thanks to the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, this isn’t an issue. Whilst the overall concept between the two awards are the same, the International Award does have a number of notable differences, which I dive into in this article.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award operates in over 130 countries and territories around the world. It follows a similar section-based framework to the UK Award, and has the capacity to adapt to domestic cultures and local issues, ensuring the Award remains relevant for every participant.
Which countries run the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award?
You can do the International Award in over 130 countries and territories across the globe, from the Bahamas to Malawi to Argentina. To find the details for the International Award in a specific country, use this tool on the International Award’s website.
Alternatively, use the following links to find the official websites of the countries most popular for DofE outside the UK: Australia, Canada, USA and New Zealand.
Who delivers the International Award?
Outside the UK, the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is “licenced to operators around the world”. This means that the International Award does not actually run the Award — in fact, there is no single body overseeing the operation of the International Award globally, but rather each country will designate/create an organisation to assume this role domestically.
In countries where the International Award is very popular, such as Australia or Canada, these are organisations that exist for the purpose of operating the Award (i.e. DofE Australia and DofE Canada) known as National Award Operators, or NAOs.
However, in smaller countries such as the Solomon Islands, the Award is delivered through Independent Award Centres, or IACs — in this case of the Solomon Islands the Ministry for Youth and Sports assumes this role.
How does the International Award adapt to local cultures?
As mentioned before, the Award is licenced to different operators around the world. This means that the organisations running the Award in each country have the freedom to adapt the specificities of the Award to “ensure it is nationally, culturally, and personally responsive and relevant to each and every young person involved”.
This freedom allows the Award to fulfil its purpose for participants from an extremely broad range of backgrounds. As the International Award puts it, “from slums, favelas and rural villages; correctional facilities in Malaysia; youth centres in Israel and the Netherlands; national schools and sports clubs in India and Australia; to the most prestigious private and international schools across the world, the Award’s framework can support and thrive in a multitude of different environments”.
The International Award’s Framework
What sections do you need to do?
To achieve the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award you have to complete four sections (five for Gold), which are all closely aligned with their respective UK sections:
Physical Recreation
Skills
Voluntary Service
Adventurous Journey
Residential Project (Gold only)
Physical Recreation, Skills, and Voluntary Service sections
These sections are almost identical to their UK counterparts, and come with minimal regulations determining what is permitted. I have read through the International Award’s handbook, and can summarise the primary criteria for each of the Physical Recreation, Skills, and Voluntary Service sections.
Physical Recreation: for at least one hour per week, participants must “undertake an activity regularly where they work up a sweat”
Skills: for at least one hour per week, participants must “undertake an activity regularly which develops or improves on a desired skill”, such as (but by no means limited to) music, sport, arts, or games
Voluntary Service: for at least one hour per week, participants must partake in “activity regularly where they are donating their time to a genuine cause”
Adventurous Journey section
The Adventurous Journey is very similar to British DofE’s Expedition section. There are, however, some differences, as outlined below.
1. The Adventurous Journey can be exploration or expedition
The International Award’s ‘Adventurous Journey’ is used as a broader term than the UK’s ‘Expedition’. As stated on DofE Australia’s website here, “the journey can be an exploration or an expedition but must be a challenge”.
The concept of ‘exploration’ — in addition to ‘expedition’ — opens up this section to a whole host of possibilities that would not be available in the UK.
DofE Australia goes on to list a number of great suggestions for the Adventurous Journey, which you may want to use or take inspiration from:
Exploring the natural world: flora, fauna, erosion, geology, coastal studies
Exploring river valleys, plant studies, exploring human impact: visitor pressure in national parks, pollution
Carrying out health surveys or health education in remote areas
Completing a demanding journey by foot, cycle, canoe or kayak
Kayaking the entire navigable stretch of a river
An extensive sail across an ocean
Climbing mountainous peaks
Cycling from one part of a country to another
Undertaking a challenging journey in an urban environment
2. The ‘Conditions’ are more lenient
Another important feature of the International Award’s Adventurous Journey is the associated ‘conditions’. The UK Expedition has a set of 20 conditions that every expedition must fulfil, while the International Award only has 14 conditions.
In addition to having fewer conditions, the conditions themselves are more lenient than in the UK, giving you more freedom to design an adventurous journey that fits you and your group’s preferences.
Below I talk through some of the more relevant of the 14 conditions in terms of the extra freedom they give you when compared to the UK-equivalent.
Condition: “Only utilise simple self-catering accommodation (eg shelters, tents, hostels) and be largely self-sufficient throughout the journey.”
Implication: This condition states that you may stay in simple self-catering accommodation, including hostels — thus hugely expanding your options. For example, you could hike part of the Camino de Santiago in Spain, staying in various basic hostels and bunkhouses each night. Whereas in the UK, this would not be allowed.
Condition: “[The Journeys] require substantial individual effort in the journeying.”
Implication: This is the only condition which references that manner in which you must move from A to B during your Journey. While of course you couldn’t jump on a train, other means of transport (outside of hiking, kayaking etc.) may be approved by your Leader if you can justify is requires substantial individual effort.