Email Duke of Edinburgh Adviser: doe.adviser@gmwscouts.org.uk

12/12/05

Adult Support

Important information for Adults operating the DoE Award

Some of the information below might help you in the operation of The Award Scheme within your Units

Structure
The Award operates through a system of delegated responsibility.  Operating Authorities are licensed by The Award to operate the Programme and to maintain it's quality and standards.  This responsibility is then delegated to Award Leaders, and with other helpers, to participants.

The Operating Authority that we as Scouts operate The Duke of Edinburgh's Award under is The Scout Association.

Greater Manchester West County Scout Council is responsible for maintaining support for those Units who operate The Duke of Edinburgh's Award as part of their ongoing programme.  They do this by appointing a Duke of Edinburgh's Award Advisor who co-ordinates the administration and provision of the Award across the County.  The County Advisor is also the main local support person for queries concerning The Duke of Edinburgh's Award as well as delivering appropriate training, promoting and maintaining the quality standards The Award Scheme is recognised for.

The Award Scheme is delivered locally to young people by their Unit Leaders or via the County at Network level.  When their unit signs onto the Award, a Unit Leader agrees to help, support and manage them through their qualifying training and activities which count towards their Award Sections.  This can be quite a daunting prospect for Adult Leaders new to The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme.  Should your Unit want to start doing The Award Scheme, please Contact us for support and advice on managing and delivering The Award Scheme to your unit members.

History

  • 1934 Moray Badge started at Gordonstoun School by headmaster Kurt Hahn.
  • 1956 Pilot Duke of Edinburgh’s Award for Boys started.
  • 1956 Sir John (later Lord) Hunt appointed Director.
  • 1957 7,000 boys have started Awards, 1000 Awards have been gained.
  • 1958 The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award for Girls is piloted.
  • 1958 Pilot projects start in eleven Commonwealth countries.
  • 1960 35,000 boys and 7,000 girls taking part.
  • 1966 3 Area and 3 Regional Offices now running in the United Kingdom.
  • 1967 The Award now operates in 22 countries worldwide.
  • 1969 The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award for Young People (both men and women) aged 14 to 21 launched.
  • 1980 The next major revision - one programme for all aged 14-25.
  • 1987 The 100,000th Gold Award presented.
  • 1987 HRH The Prince Edward gains his Gold, and sets up Committee to fund outreach projects.
  • 1992 Charter for Business launched, recruiting major businesses to support the Award.
  • 1992 Over one million Awards have been gained.
  • 1998 Over three million young people have participated in the Award.
  • 2000 The programme revised to allow participants to choose the section on which they will spend the longest time.
  • 2000 Over 48,899 Awards were gained in the past year.
  • 2001 The Duke of Edinburgh, remaining as Patron, hands over the Chairmanship of Trustees to Sir Tom Farmer.
  • 2002 Over 113,000 young people enter for an Award annually.

Patron's Profile
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was born in Corfu on 10 June 1921, son of Prince Andrew of Greece. Prince Philip came to Britain at an early age to be education. After attending Cheam Preparatory School, he spent a short time at Salem School in Germany and then went on to Gordonstoun School, near Elgin, Scotland (which all three of his sons also attended). The Prince was made head of the school and captained the cricket and hockey teams. In 1939 Prince Philip left school and joined the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, where he won two awards as the best cadet. In January 1940 he went to sea as a midshipman in the battleship HMS RAMILLIES. After service in two cruisers he was appointed to the battleship HMS VALIANT in the Mediterranean fleet. During the battle of Cape Matapan in 1941 he commanded a section of searchlight control in VALIANT, for which he was mentioned in dispatches.

In July 1947, the engagement of Lieutenant Mountbatten (Prince Phillip) to Princess Elizabeth was announced. The marriage took place in Westminster Abbey on 20 November.

Although Prince Philip gave up his active naval career in July 1951, he remains to this day closely connected to, and actively interested in, every branch of Service life. In 1952, he was appointed Admiral of the Sea Cadet Corps, Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Cadet Force and Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Air Training Corps.

He has been patron of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award since its beginning in 1956, and devotes much time to meeting both participants and helpers, in the UK and overseas.

 

If you think there should be some other information of interest to Adult Leaders operating The Award on this page, please contact us and we'll put it on.

This site was last updated 20/03/05