The importance of the Duke of Edinburgh Award
Ruth Marvel
Wednesday, April 14, 2021
As we reflect on the remarkable life of His Royal Highness, The Duke of Edinburgh, the DofE is marked out as one of his greatest achievements; woven into the fabric of our society, active in every community of the UK; a rite of passage for young people’s journey to adulthood.
It’s been an overwhelming and emotional experience listening to the thousands of people, from teenagers to politicians, radio presenters to sports stars, sharing such powerful stories about the difference DofE has made to their lives.
Paralympian Hannah Cockcroft MBE, attributing the DofE in part to her sporting success and Gold Award holder Gemma, saying that no matter what life throws at her, her DofE showed her she can do anything she sets her mind to.
It’s testament to the incredible vision of HRH Prince Philip, that he created a framework
that has stood the test of time and that helps build self-belief that lasts a lifetime. Hearing from young people it’s clear that it’s just as relevant today as it was 65 years ago.
DofE enables young people to curate their own bespoke programme of activities, develop their independence and take on new responsibilities in a way that’s safe and fun. A fantastic benefit of my job is that I get to see first-hand how young people surprise themselves and achieve things they didn’t think possible, whilst also making a difference to the world around them.
Over the last year we’ve seen how the DofE has given young people structure and purpose at a time when the normal rhythms of life were suddenly and brutally disrupted.
It has been a life-saver for young people like Harry who has autism and really struggled with the disruption to his routine caused by the pandemic. For his DofE he grew vegetables in his allotment for his neighbours, enhancing his independence and fitness while also helping his community. And it’s been a life-changer for young people like Evie who put on virtual concerts for residents in her local care home proving to herself that she had skills and talents that other people really valued.
And as we emerge from Covid, young people face some of the toughest challenges
for generations; for their education, mental health and employment prospects the future is very uncertain. I’ve seen how the resilience, confidence and skills that the DofE builds help them take the next step forward and strengthen these key building blocks of life.
Millions of young people have had their education disrupted this year and there’s been much debate over the best way to help them catch up academically, especially for those who are more vulnerable and economically and socially marginalised. I believe that non-formal learning, engaging young people in a broad range of interests across sports, arts, music, volunteering and nature-based activities, is an essential complement to formal education and should be available to everyone, regardless of background or ability.
Right now we have an opportunity to build on the powerful legacy of The Duke and his belief in the power and potential of young people. Ensuring all young people have access to the kinds of a broad enrichment opportunities that DofE and other youth organisations offer, is the perfect way to continue the inspirational legacy of The Duke and treasure his memory.
I have never felt prouder of the work done by the DofE family - by the thousands of volunteers who give up their time to support young people through their DofE, and our amazing network of partners around the UK who deliver DofE programmes in schools, youth clubs and prisons, hospitals, fostering agencies and sports clubs. Over the last day, we’ve seen an outpouring of love for the DofE, with alumni across the UK engaging with us across social media and sharing their memories and stories at www.DofE.org
And I have never been more convinced of the importance of The Duke’s vision, as he put it: "If you can get a young person to succeed in any one activity, then that feeling of success will spread over into many others."
It continues to be our mission to drive forward that vision: to make sure every young person – whatever their background, interests or ability - has the skills, resilience and self-belief to do anything, achieve anything and overcome anything life throws their way.
Ruth Marvel is chief executive of Duke of Edinburgh Award.