The Award Programme was first introduced in the United Kingdom in 1956 as The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, to encourage and motivate young people over the age of 14 to become involved in a balanced programme of voluntary self-development activities.
The programme was designed with great care by a small team, whose members included HRH The Duke of Edinburgh; Dr Kurt Hahn, educationlist and founder of Outward Bound and the United World Colleges; Lord Porritt, the New Zealand Olympic athlete, Royal Surgeon and former Governor-General; and Lord Hunt, the famous adventurer and leader of the team which supported Sir Edmund Hillary in the conquest of Mount Everest.
Almost as soon as it was launched in the UK, the Award was taken up by schools and youth groups in other countries. The unique compostition of the programme is ideally suited to easy adaptation and integration into different cultures and societies. The basic content of the Award remains the same throughout the world, but the activities, the application and even the title are all adapted to suit the varying needs of young people in different countries.
Over the past three decades the Award has developed and grown, touching lives of young people in more than 60 countries. The programme is continuously evaluated and modified to suit the changing demands of a modern society and the needs of young people. Today the Award is a major international programme recognised and used by agencies concerned with youth throughout the world.
In New Zealand, although one or two organisations started taking part earlier, it was not until 18 July 1963 that the Governor-General, Sir Bernard Fergusson, held the inaugural meeting of the National Council of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award in New Zealand at Government House in Wellington, when a Constitution for the Award in New Zealand was adopted.
More information on The Duke of Edinburgh's Hillary Award programme may be found at https://dofehillary.org.nz/.
There are four sections that need to be completed at each level (with an extra requirement at Gold level). As you move through the levels a higher degree of commitment is required, but you can choose your own activities for each section and complete the requirements with things that you enjoy doing!
The hours and months required for each section are minimums and we encourage you to go over and above this to get the most out of the programme for yourself. You can tackle each section one at a time or do them all at once ... it's all up to you!
The Duke of Edinburgh's Guide for Bronze Award Participants may be downloaded here.
Duke of Edinburgh has online enrolment and an online record book. To enrol, students will need to go to https://www.onlinerecordbook.org/fo/ and complete the process. When asked for the Award Unit, students need to select Glendowie College.
The Online Record Book ($86.25) needs to be purchased and paid for directly to Duke of Edinburgh. When the participant goes through the registration process, they will be asked how they wish to pay and will have two options available to them. Please click here for information on using the online record book (ORB).
Once the registration process is completed, the Award leader needs to approve the registration (making the online record book active). Only once the registration has been approved will the participant be able to have full access their online record book.
Training, Practice and Qualifying tramps will be outsourced with payments made directly to Bigfoot Adventures ($245 per Bronze trip). The Training Day costs $90. These prices may change due to factors outside the school's control.
The Bronze dates for 2024 are as follows:
The Bronze dates for 2025 are as follows:
Bronze Co-ordinator
Mrs Jennifer ChampnessEmail: chp@gdc.school.nz
3 months
The Duke of Edinburgh's Guide for Silver Award Participants may be downloaded here.
The Online Record Book ($86.25) needs to be purchased and paid for directly to Duke of Edinburgh.
When the participant goes through the registration process, they will be asked how they wish to pay and will have two options available to them:
Please click here for information on using the online record book (ORB).
Training for the tramp needs to be completed by Bigfoot Adventures.
In 2024 all Silver tramps will be outsourced with payments made directly to Bigfoot Adventures.
The teacher-in-charge is Mr Richard Thompson, email thr@gdc.school.nz
The dates for the Silver tramps for 2024 are:
Training and Practice - Indicative price $38024 April to 26 April (Option 1)19 July to 21 July (Option 2)
Qualifying - Indicative price $38021 September to 23 September (Option 1) (tbc)4 October to 6 October (Option 2)
The dates for the Silver tramps for 2025 are:
Training and Practice25 April to 27 April (Option 1)11 July to 13 July (Option 2)
Qualifying26 September to 28 September (Option 1)3 October to 5 October (Option 2)
Students who are unable to get on the relevant tramp with Bigfoot Adventures may also try Adventure Works as an alternative option, please see the following link for more information: https://www.adventureworks.co.nz/duke_of_edinburgh.html
For general enquiries please contact Mr Richard Thompson, email thr@gdc.school.nz
Silver Co-ordinator
Mr Richard ThompsonEmail: thr@gdc.school.nz
Two of these Sections for 6 monthsOne Section for 4 months
Skill
The Duke of Edinburgh's Guide for Gold Award Participants may be downloaded here.
The Online Record Book ($115) needs to be purchased and paid for directly to Duke of Edinburgh. When the participant goes through the registration process, they will be asked how they wish to pay and will have two options available to them:
The Gold dates for 2024 are as follows:
Gold Training and Practice - 2 days
The practice tramp, training and qualifying journey will be provided and run by the award leaders at the college in conjunction with specialised providers. The teacher-in-charge is Ms Fiona Smith, email smi@gdc.school.nz
Gold Co-ordinator
Ms Fiona SmithEmail: smi@gdc.school.nz
Two of these Sections for 12 monthsOne Section for 5 months
