Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme gets Kick Start at Christ College

 

 Christ College held a Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme week to set 30 of its students on their way to receiving the Bronze D of E award.

 

The week’s events included first aid, with resuscitation techniques practised on “Resusci Ann” dummies, an outdoor classroom that included putting up tents and improvising camp equipment such as utensil and boot racks, as well as cooking, map & compass skills and other aspects of camp craft.

 

There are 275,000 people involved in the prestigious scheme at any one time in the UK alone.

 

Mr. Dave Potts, Community Access Officer at Christ College said: “The week provided the first opportunity for a new group of students to appreciate what the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme is all about. The response has been extremely positive, so much so that the school is having to deal with an excess of interest!”

 

Students said that they very much enjoyed the week which was to be followed by two practice expedition weekends involving all the skills learnt during their week off-timetable in a practical setting: camping, cooking, route planning, map reading and navigation, all based in and around Bracelands Adventure Centre in the Forest of Dean.

 

Staff involved with the event said that it was a genuine pleasure to work with the students and see them grow in confidence, maturity and self-reliance.

 

Mr. Ian Dance of Christ College reminded students that “The Award is a marathon not a sprint, and that they should be very proud of themselves and their achievements so far.”

 

D of E Award Co-ordinator Karen Taylor said: “It was wonderful to see such enthusiasm for the Duke of Edinburgh Award at Christ College by students and staff alike. It just goes to show how relevant this accreditation method still is

 

It is hoped that all students will complete the award by Christmas.  

 

This news item was posted on 16^th May 2008