Merton’s young people celebrate Duke of Edinburgh success

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D of E awards

415 of Merton’s young people and their parents were invited to attend the annual Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Award Achievement Ceremony at AFC Wimbledon’s Cherry Red Records Stadium on Wednesday 3 May.

Merton’s Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme is part of the London Borough of Merton’s Youth Service. Between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023, 285 young people were awarded with bronze awards, 103 with silver and 27 gold full awards. This marked an increase of 25% on last year’s completion total. 68 of these awards were for disadvantaged young people.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is for all young people aged 13-25 years living or going to school in the borough of Merton. DofE is a national accredited scheme recognised by employers and further and higher education institutes. It gives you the opportunity to:

  • develop existing or new interests
  • experience adventure
  • make new friends through a personal development programme

The DofE requires participants to get involved in different activities that challenges to them to learn lifelong skills, overcome obstacles and build relationships with others around them through team exercises. Activities include hiking, camping, cooking and first aid training and sports activities such as surfing, rowing, and football. 

Volunteering is also a key part of the DofE, and the awardees represented almost 8,000 hours of volunteering in Merton over the past twelve months, which corresponds to a social value of almost £36,000. This has included helping at primary schools, libraries and fundraising for charities.

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Manager, Carol Curtis said: “We’re proud of how many of Merton’s young people who completed their Duke of Edinburgh award.  It’s a wonderful opportunity for them to develop skills that they will then have for life as well as helping their community and good causes along the way. Increasing our completion rate by 25% this year showcases the level of commitment that our young people possess. I want to congratulate everyone who participated and completed the programme and I wish you all huge success in what will no doubt be very bright futures.”

Anyone aged between 13 – 25 wishing to apply to be part of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme should contact Carol Curtis, Merton’s Duke of Edinburgh Award Manager by emailing dofeaward@merton.gov.uk or call 020 8274 5828.

More information on the DofE, visit the national website www.dofe.org