School Coordinators – you have come to the right place to learn some valuable Duke of Edinburgh Award Tips for Adventurous Journeys. With Black Diamond Adventures director, Rob Mann, working as a PDHPE teacher for many years, he’s learned a few systems and tricks to make delivering the award much easier.

Below, we present four useful tips for DOE Award Leaders to utilise which have been tried and tested by schools that work alongside Black Diamond Adventures. These tips have helped DOE coordinators in their role, ultimately reducing their overall workload, which has made organising the Adventurous Journey much easier. This has allowed them to focus more on other aspects of the award, including making sure that students are getting the full support they need.

 

1. Have a clear and structured Duke of Ed AJ Pathway for your school

The Adventurous Journey section is often the most ambiguous section of the award which participants and parents can be unclear or uncertain about. Formulating a clear Adventurous Journey pathway for your Duke of Ed participants will help significantly in providing a structured progression through each level of the award. This includes clearly outlining what year groups complete each level, what the trip will look like, where they will go as well as costing information for parents.

This can be presented at school assemblies or information sessions and will allow both students and parents to understand the progression of the Adventurous Journeys and give the participants a sense of direction and purpose, motivating them to stay committed and persevere through each level. Take a look at our Duke of Ed page on our website for more information.

Establishing this pathway can be a difficult undertaking for schools that have been impacted by the COVID-19 lockdowns and have students that are behind in finishing their award. However, an example of what this looks like for the schools that work with Black Diamond Adventures is outlined below.

For an extensive look at Black Diamond Adventures Duke of Ed offerings you can take a look at this brochure.

“My son went on a school trip to Uluṟu with Black Diamond adventures for their Gold Duke of Ed mid 2022. These guys are the best. The way they interacted with the kids, their work ethics, knowledge, everything they did was with a genuine passion for what they do.” – Parent

 

2. Combine bronze and silver students into one trip

Duke of Ed coordinators play a central role in planning and organising Adventurous Journeys for all levels of the award. This may involve sourcing teachers for trips, coordinating logistics and timings, liaising with external providers, and ensuring that the Adventurous Journey aligns with DOE requirements and guidelines.

If you are managing a small cohort of bronze and silver students it is worth considering combining your bronze and silver students into one Adventurous Journey. Doing so, will simplify the process of organising multiple journeys. Some benefits of this would include:

  • Organising ONE bus to transport the students
  • Reducing the number of times you need to chase up med forms throughout the year
  • Organising only ONE information and training session for bronze AND silver participants
  • Have fewer conflicts with the school calendar
  • Only having to liaise with your external provider about ONE trip

Black Diamond Adventures has trialed this method of organising trips with schools who have smaller cohorts of DOE students (<20 for each level) and have found this approach to be very beneficial, reducing teacher’s workload significantly. Alternatively, you can combine practice and qualifying journeys into ONE trip rather than having to organise two separate trips. This ultimately means you only have to organise TWO trips rather than FOUR in a year!

“I have used Black Diamond to run school camps and programs, which consistently meet the curriculum needs, and no idea is ever too big – they are always willing to help and support making each trip as fun as the last” – Teacher

 

3. Utilise as many online resources as possible

Award leaders are responsible for providing participants with the necessary training and preparation for their Adventurous Journeys. This may involve explaining relevant gear to bring, types of food to pack, basic navigation skills and other relevant topics. There are numerous platforms which provide access to a range of resources that can assist in the training and preparation of your participants. Black Diamond Adventures, for example, recognises this challenge and strives to provide as many resources as possible to schools we work with. This includes:

  • A series of relevant online videos that cover topics such as: Duke of Edinburgh Award Tips for Adventurous Journeys
  • Facilitating a training sessions for students (in person or virtual depending on preference) which covers vital information about trips such as:
    • Overview of Expedition Gear
    • Meal Planning Session
    • Itinerary Overview
    • Navigation Introduction
    • Initial Explanation of AJ Report Template
    • General Q & A for students
  • Gear hire & purchase for students who are unable to source certain items such as:
    • Sleeping Mats
    • Trangias
    • Hiking Bags
    • Pillows
    • Drink Bottles
    • Mess Kits

Having access to these resources not only ensures that your participants are properly prepared for their expedition, but it also assists in alleviating some of the stress of organising their training and preparation.

“We have just returned from another incredible Silver Hike run by Black Diamond. To say this company is anything short of phenomenal would be an understatement.” – Teacher

 

4. Have a structured and individualised report template for your participants

The report submissions are often the hardest part of the Adventurous Journey and can be an element that is often missed and forgotten about by participants. While the Duke of Ed Award page does provide a report template for students it is very broad and does not include journey specific information for participants. To address this, Black Diamond Adventures provides a customised report template for schools we work with that is based on the information on the Duke of Ed page, but is tailored to the specific Duke of Ed journey that your school has participated in. This will include additional sections such as:

  • A copy of relevant topographic maps
  • Key checkpoints students reached along their route
  • Specific reflection questions to answer
  • A dot point recap of their journey

Having this unique resource not only assists students in completing their mandatory report reflection but also alleviates a significant amount of stress in getting participants who are struggling with their reports across the line. They will still be required to complete the report on their own, but do not have to waste time sourcing information that could otherwise be provided for them. Instead they have a template that is laid out for them in an easy and structured manner for them to complete.

“Rob and the team at Black Diamond have been terrific! I have been working with Rob for 3 years now and he has delivered outstanding and rewarding experiences for Duke of Edinburgh students consistently.” – Teacher

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Duke of Edinburgh Award Tips & Solutions

Black Diamond Adventures has a great appreciation for teachers who choose to undertake a Duke of Ed coordinator role at their school. We understand that it’s no easy task which is why we have tried to implement as many solutions as possible on our end to ensure schools we work with get the best experience possible. Whether you are new to a Duke of Ed role at your school or have been doing it for years, these Duke of Edinburgh  tips for Adventurou Journeys are effective ways to assist you in reducing your workload.

If you are interested in developing your Duke of Ed program further and implementing some of these strategies, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us. We are always looking to work with new schools that are committed to developing their Duke of Ed Adventurous Journeys further. Linked below is our Duke of Ed brochure which provides some more detailed information about our Adventurous Journey pathways and offerings.

BDA Duke of Ed Brochure