Duke of Edinburgh Training Section

D of E Awards - Expedition Section

Aim – To encourage a spirit of adventure and discovery by preparing for and carrying out an adventurous journey as part of a Team

There are four stages to consider before the journey commences:

Preparation & Training
Participants should plan a venture in terms of Aim, mode of travel and environment, and must undertake appropriate training

Practice Journey
Participants must undertake sufficient practice journeys to enable them to travel safely and complete their Qualifying Venture

Qualifying Venture & Debrief
A Venture followed by a Debrief must be planned and undertaken as a Team

Review & Presentation
All participants must give a presentation of the journey relating to its Aim, and the Aim of the Expedition section.

The most popular type of expeditions undertaken in the ATC are on foot. This guide will only concentrate on this aspect. Cadets wishing to participate in other types of expeditions should consult their DofE handbook, or the website www.theaward.org, where there is massive amount of information.

Requirements

• All qualifying Ventures must have a clearly defined Aim
• Cadets must be trained to a good level before being allowed to venture off
• Practice journeys must be undertaken to assess fitness, training, and ability to complete a journey.
• Practice journeys must be undertaken in appropriate terrain to the level of the award
• The Team should consist of between 4 and 7 cadets
• Mixed sex groups must have mixed supervisors
• Male and female cadets must sleep in separate tents
• All members of the Team must plan and prepare the expedition
• On completion, the Team must prepare a presentation to the assessor. This maybe verbal or a visual presentation
• All ventures must be supervised, and on Qualifying Ventures, the appropriate assessor in place

Timescale for Qualifying Ventures

Bronze – 2 days, 1 night, a minimum of 6 hours planned activity during each day

Silver – 3 days, 2 nights, a minimum of 7 hours planned activity during each day

Gold – 4 days, 3 nights, a minimum of 8 hours planned activity during each day

Planned activity includes walking, cooking, reviewing, setting up camp, striking camp

The Team should determine the speed of journeying, the distance travelled and the time spent exploring. This should be based on their experience during the practice journeys in a similar environment. It is expected that Teams should be able to achieve the following distances:

• Bronze – 24 – 32 km (15 – 20 Miles)
• Silver – 48 – 59 km (30 – 37 Miles)
• Gold – 80 – 96 km (50 – 60 Miles)

Time Of Year

The time of year should be chosen with great care in relation to the experience of the cadets, the environment, routes and accommodation.

• Ventures should undertaken when there are more day light hours- April to October. However a common sense approach should be taken. For example, there is no reason why a bronze team could not complete a days walking during the winter during daylight.
• Ventures should not take place if there is a risk of snow, ice, frost, or prevalent weather conditions
• Risk assessments must be in place to allow for poor or changeable weather, and appropriate accommodation provided

Practice Journeys

• Sufficient practices should be undertaken to allow the cadets to walk off freely, without direct supervision
• Appropriate terrain must be chosen, for that level of the award
• A minimum of 1 practice should have been done, this allows the Team to iron out any problems, and complete the Team dynamics
• During practice ventures, supervisors must accompany the Team, and act in an advisory capacity- but not take over or lead the Team. However, there should be one opportunity for the Team to be unaccompanied to allow them to gain experience, but supervision must be within a reasonable vicinity
• These journeys should clarify the Aim of the expedition
• Area’s of weakness can be spotted and extra training put into place if required
• A Qualifying Venture should take place within a reasonable time of the final practice journey so that cadets do not lose fitness and competence
• A full AT Application needs to submitted to WHQ at least 8 weeks prior to the journey taking place. This should include Wg AT Form x 3, RA x 2, Route Cards x 2, Route Trace x 2, Programme x 2, D of E Notification Form x 2

Qualifying Journeys

• The Team must be capable of achieving its Aim
• The correct training must have been completed
• Cadets must be fit enough
• Where Wild Country is being used, the Team must have experienced a practice in that type of terrain
• This journey should be unaccompanied, but safety supervisors should be in a position to assist the group in an emergency
• “Shadowing” the Team is a reasonable approach to take, but must be out of sight
• Teams should only see the assessor once during the journey and should be seen leaving camp, or setting up camp
• When Qualifying at Gold level, the appropriate Wild County Panel must be informed, and they will provide an assessor.
• The “Green Forms” must be submitted to the Panel at least 8 weeks prior to the journey date – download the Green Form from the website
• The ATC has very few Panel assessors, so it is likely that the assessor will not have met the Team before
• A full AT Application needs to submitted to WHQ at least 8 weeks prior to the journey taking place. This should include Wg AT Form x 3, RA x 2, Route Cards x 2, Route Trace x 2, Programme x 2, D of E Notification Form x 2

Remember: The expedition is the Teams “expedition”, and not the supervisors. The Team should be left to its own devices, and provided that the training has been to the standard required, then the Team should be safe.

Supervisors & Assessors

• Instructors who teach and train the cadets in the classroom may be experienced, but do not need to hold an NGB Award
• The supervisor must be an experienced and NGB qualified person
• Assessors must also hold an NGB Award
• Assessors should not assess cadets they have trained

Completing the Record Book
The assessor should comment on the briefing, training, practical service, achievement of personal goals, record and review.
For example:
Aim & Nature Of The Venture
“To discover the usage of farmland at differing altitudes”
Assessors Report
“Cadet Smith was the youngest in a group of 5 lads taking part in an expedition in the Lake District. The team worked well through some difficult navigation and some awful weather. I was impressed by the way that Cadet Smith seemed to lift the spirits of the team when things were getting them down. He appeared to be a ray of light, whether he was cooking breakfast or leading his section of the route. He was an inspiration to the group and upheld the objectives and the nature of the award. A superb effort and a pleasure to assess. Thank you!”
Review Of The Participants Presentation
“The group decided to prepare a PowerPoint presentation utilising a digital camera whilst on the expedition. Each of the team spoke in some detail about the type of farmland at differing levels, the impact the season has on grazing and the consideration of hill walkers in this area. They showed me some lovely photographs, which were artistic but demonstrated the point they were putting across. An excellent piece of work, well co-ordinated and nicely presented.”