Volunteering
Undertaking service to individuals or the community (helping others)
- To inspire young people to make a difference within their communities or to an individual’s life and develop compassion by giving service to others.
- Volunteering is simple. It’s about choosing to give time to something useful, without getting paid.
Examples are:
- Helping people
- Community action and raising awareness
- Coaching, teaching and leadership
- Working with the environment or animals
- Helping a charity or community organisation
Below we have provided just some of the volunteering opportunities for DofE, many of which can be completed virtually from your home. Or you can approach charitable, community interest or non-profit organisations. Please avoid placements offered at commercial organisations and businesses, like helping at a vet or assisting a commercial sports company. The spirit of DofE volunteering is to assist people, charities and community needs.
Ask an adult to be your Assessor, this will usually be the person in charge, an expert or qualified to help you develop in your chosen activity.
The DofE website is a great resource for finding volunteering opportunities
Young Leader
Patriot ESU will support you and provide the Young Leadership training program in conjunction with the needs of the DofE scheme. You can become a Young Leader with 4th Thorpe Bay at any of the sections (Beavers, Cubs or Scouts) or you can support the leadership team at any other group in the District.
When volunteering as Young Leaders doing their DofE, Module A is compulsory. The requirement is then for an extra 2 hours of ‘other training appropriate to the role for each level of the DofE Award. So a total of 2 hours at Bronze, 4 hours at Silver and 6 hours at Gold. This can be formal YL modules but does not have to be.
Whatever the training, it needs to be listed and signed off somewhere in the evidence. This can be as part of the Assessor report.
Award | Training | Volunteering time |
Bronze | Complete Module A + 2 hours of appropriate training | 3 months |
Silver | Complete Module A + 4 hours of appropriate training | 6 months |
Gold | Complete Module A + 6 hours of appropriate training | 12 months |
Other opportunities
Virtual Volunteering: Missing Maps
Be a remote volunteer and help put the world’s vulnerable people on the map by tracing satellite imagery into OpenStreetMap.
Virtual Volunteering: Social Media volunteer for St John Ambulance
Help to spread the word of the work the charity does in communities, and lifesaving first advice over social media.
Virtual Volunteering: SwopItUp
Create environment and sustainability content to share with other young people. On completion of these tasks, the young people will be awarded with certificates and awards in recognition of their achievements.
Participants of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award can take part in multiple environmentally-based Eco Briefs in accordance with the Award level they are aiming for. This will then allow the volunteer section of the DofE Award to be complete.
Virtual Volunteering: Energy Envoys
Help your community use energy more wisely, save money and help to save the planet! Learn all about the big energy challenges of our time and how to tackle real-world energy problems.
Virtual Volunteering: Anthony Nolan Youth Ambassador Programme (16+)
Volunteering as a Youth Ambassador consists of two three-month stages. For the first stage, you’ll encourage people to go online and join our iconic stem cell register, holding your very own presentation to spread the word. For the second, you’ll rack up lifesaving funds to support our charity with an event of your choice.
Virtual Volunteering: RESOLVEit
You will be trained to become a RESOLVEit safety ambassador and then you will run an online safety campaign and your own safety event, either online or face to face.
Virtual Volunteering: Canterbury Christ Church University – Kent Maps Online (16+)
You will be trained to become a RESOLVEit safety ambassador and then you will run an online safety campaign and your own safety event, either online or face to face.