DofE Expedition Requirements

DofE Expedition Requirements 

In order for your DofE expedition to be signed off it needs to meet certain requirements. Here is a link to the DofE website and also the expedition aim and requirements document. Below is a brief summary of these requirements and how AE applies them to the expeditions we run. 

The DofE states that the aim of the expedition section is to: To inspire young people to develop initiative and a spirit of adventure and discovery by planning, training for and completing an adventurous self-sufficient journey as part of a team. Participants choose where and how they want to do their expedition.

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Who can take part in a DofE Expedition?

To take part, you have to be enrolled on the DofE Award and need to actively be working towards achieving the different sections of the Award. You must be enrolled at the right level of the award, for example, if you are enrolled for your Silver DofE Award, you can only take part in a Silver expedition. The DofE Award can be completed by young people aged 14-24, see below for the minimum age requirements for each level:

Bronze: 14+ (or the school year in which you turn 14)
Silver: 15+ (or the school year in which you turn 15)
Gold: 16+
 

Expedition teams

Your expedition team must have between 4 and 7 participants, or 8 where the mode of travel can be used by two people at once, open canoes for example. You must all be enrolled at the same level of the Award (e.g. all completing Bronze). 
 

Pre Expedition Training 

The pre-expedition training is mandatory for all levels and ensures that you gain the knowledge and skills you need to complete your independent and self-sufficient journey safely with your team mates. If you have completed a Bronze expedition previously you will still need to complete pre-expedition training for Silver. Here is more information regarding the pre-expedition training. 
Your instructors will cover the full training framework when you join us for your training and practice expedition. During the practice expedition, you will be able to embed and test out your new skills and your training will be ongoing. In that way, you should have all the skills and knowledge you and your team need to complete your qualifying expedition independently and successfully.
 

Practice Expedition

Practice expeditions must be completed at both Silver and Gold levels, for a minimum of 2 days and 2 nights. At Bronze, you don’t need to complete a practice expedition, however, your training needs to ensure that you have all the skills you need to undertake a self sufficient and safe expedition.
At Bronze we usually build in a navigation day after your training (instead of a practice expedition). Here your instructor will specifically focus on map reading skills and allowing you and your team to embed your learning before setting off on your qualifying expedition. 
 

Qualifying Expedition 

The qualifying expedition must meet the minimum requirements, as below. 
 

Bronze expeditions: 2 days with 1 night camping. Each day needs to have 6 hours of planned activity (at least 3 hours spent journeying);
Silver expeditions: 3 days with 2 nights camping. Each day needs to have 7 hours of planned activity (at least 3.5 hours spent journeying);
Gold expeditions: 4 days with 3 nights camping on either campsites or wild camping. Each day needs to have 8 hours of planned activity (at least 4 hours spent journeying). 
 

During your qualifying expedition you will be ‘assessed’ against the expedition requirements and one of your instructors will take on the role of a DofE assessor. You can still ask questions and your instructor will still be there to support you, however, the aim is that you and your team are as independent as possible to get the best expedition experience. 

 

Team Goal & Presentation

Each expedition needs to have a clear and defined team goal. This could be researching an area of interest, contributing to a community action project, or developing personal and team skills. 

Some teams may decide to spend a good chunk of time each day on their project, thus reducing the time you spend journeying down to the minimum required hours. Others might prefer a more challenging route and thus need to choose a goal that is less time consuming. 
 

Upon completion of your expedition you will give a presentation to your DofE assessor relating to the team goal and general experience and achievements throughout the expedition. Doing this allows us to have everything signed off before you leave and travel home. 
 

Accommodation

The DofE states that accommodation should be by camping or, in some cases where camping isn’t a suitable option, other simple self-catering accommodation e.g. bunkhouses. Adventure Residentials will ensure that suitable accommodation is booked for the duration of your expedition. We tend to use campsites throughout our expeditions, and these can range from sites with good facilities through to basic farm campsites or even wild camping. We book sites that allow you to create a suitable route for your DofE Award level. 

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Food & Drink whilst on expedition 

Participants must plan an appropriate expedition menu, including cooking and eating a substantial hot meal each day (optional on the final day where you’ll finish at 16:00). You can read more about food here. 

 

Please read the food information sheet carefully before joining us so you have everything you need. 
Please note that you won’t be able to use your stoves at lunchtime and whilst out walking (due to the risk of fires), therefore hot meals can only be cooked for dinner and/ or breakfast. 
 

Environment 

The environment chosen for your expedition must become progressively more challenging throughout the award levels. For example, you may have completed your Bronze expedition close to your school or in your local area. By the time you reach Gold, you should look at visiting an expedition location that offers some more challenging terrain such as a national park or more mountainous area. We recommend checking with your DofE Leader if the expedition you’d like to do fits this criteria. Alternatively, please call our office and we can advise you on this.

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Need more information?

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