Kosher DofE Returns Across the Jewish Community

The world’s leading achievement award for young people is back! JLGB’s Kosher Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards are now open for applications. This year an estimated 1,000 young people of all abilities are expected to enrol into the Duke of Edinburgh's Award through the JLGB from schools, youth groups, synagogues and communities across the UK. Look out for JLGB’s dedicated DofE team coming to your school this term, they will be on hand to answer any question you may have.

This phenomenal increase in applications comes as JLGB continues to expand its provisions across the country, including delivering more adapted expeditions for young people with physical and learning disabilities. Earlier this year saw the first ever Silver expedition completed on adapted bikes for students at Langdon College in Manchester as well as other adapted expeditions with Kisharon. This year, we are excited to be working with Langdon College in London in our pursuit to make DofE accessible to all Jewish young people regardless of ability or religious observance.

Completing any level of DofE is an outstanding achievement but completing Gold is truly exceptional. Young people who complete their Gold award are invited to a special presentation hosted in the gardens of Buckingham Palace or St James’s Palace to be presented their award in the presence of HRH The Earl of Wessex. In addition to the traditional sections of Volunteering, Physical, Skills and Expedition that are required to complete the Bronze and Silver Award, Gold DofE also challenges young people aged 16 and up to complete an extra section - the Residential. This entails five days and four nights completing a shared activity with new people, which could include Israel Tour or JLGB’s faith sensitive National Citizen Service (NCS) as well as many others. The Expedition section of Gold DofE requires young explorers to spend four days hiking in the picturesque Snowdonia National Park.

Applications for the Gold Award (aged 16+), Silver and Bronze are already open.

Register your interest NOW at www.jlgb.org/dofe 

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us, by emailing dofe@jlgb.org or call 020 8530 8220.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award was set up by The Duke of Edinburgh 60 years ago to encourage young people to challenge themselves and discover new ideas. It is a flexible programme, where you decide what activities you want to do to fit within your skills and interests. Taking part in this phenomenal programme will give you new experiences, independence, a sense of achievement, self-confidence, leadership, teamwork skills, and the chance to make new friends. In addition, the multiple sections of DofE, equip participants with invaluable life skills such as teamwork, first aid, how to act in an emergency and the importance of helping others. This, together with the mind set of believing anything is possible and continuously challenging yourself, makes DofE a catalyst to future success. It is therefore no surprise that DofE is valued so highly by universities and employers, and is often the first thing they will look for on a UCAS form or CV.

There are three levels of DofE, Bronze, Silver, and Gold, with each more challenging than the last. You can start at Bronze in School Year 9, Silver in Year 10 and Gold from age 16. We run the DofE training in almost every Jewish Secondary school and for those who don't attend a Jewish day school we have Community Open groups across the UK, including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Cardiff and Glasgow.

JLGB removes barriers to participation and prides itself on providing a kosher and Shabbat-friendly expedition service, ensuring that all Jewish young people are able to access the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Single gender expeditions, as well as adapted groups for young people with physical or learning disabilities are also available, ensuring the entire Jewish community can be part of all that the DofE offers.

While there is a small cost to DofE, thanks to the tremendous support from the Pears Foundation we are able to provide training and expeditions at highly subsidised prices. Additional financial support is also available to families in need to ensure that all Jewish young people can access and take part in this important development programme. Please do not hesitate to contact a member of our DofE team in the strictest confidence to discuss this further.

Start your DofE journey now by signing up at www.jlgb.org/dofe