70 Years of DofE. From Access to a Rite of Passage. 

70 Years of DofE. From Access to a Rite of Passage. 

JLGB has been there from the beginning. This October, the next generation takes its turn.

Seventy years ago, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award began with a simple but powerful idea: give young people the opportunity to challenge themselves, serve others, discover new skills and find out what they are capable of.

JLGB was there from the beginning.

Since 1956, JLGB has worked alongside DofE to ensure Jewish young people could take part in that same life-changing journey without compromising their faith, traditions or identity.

What began as a determination to secure equal access has, seven decades later, become something extraordinary.

DofE is now a genuine rite of passage for British Jewish young people.

THERE FROM THE START

Few people embody that shared history better than Barry Hieger.

Barry joined JLGB in 1948 at just 13 years old. After his National Service, he became integral to JLGB’s DofE programme from its earliest days and spent decades supporting young people, particularly those undertaking their Gold expeditions.

His extraordinary service was recognised with a DofE Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by the then Earl of Wessex, now HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.

But perhaps the greatest tribute to Barry and all those who built JLGB’s DofE provision is not simply that it has lasted.

It is that something which once required barriers to be broken down has become an expected part of growing up for thousands of Jewish teenagers.

FROM ACCESS TO INCLUSION

There was a time when participating in a national youth programme could present questions for Jewish young people that many of their peers never had to consider.

Will the food be kosher? What happens over Shabbat? Can I participate while maintaining my level of religious observance? What if I need additional support? What if my family cannot afford the cost?

JLGB has spent 70 years answering those questions with the same principle:

No young person should have to choose between identity and opportunity.

Today, kosher food and Shabbat-respecting delivery are built into JLGB’s programme. Tailored and single-gender opportunities enable participation from Orthodox communities. Adapted expeditions and specialist support help young people with additional needs take part, while financial assistance helps ensure family circumstances do not determine who gets the opportunity.

Through schools, synagogues, community centres, local groups and open provision, JLGB has built a national network designed to ensure that geography, background, ability or observance need not stand between a young person and their Award.

That transformation has been supported for more than a decade by the Pears Foundation, whose longstanding partnership with JLGB has helped turn access into opportunity for thousands of Jewish young people.

What was once exclusion has become opportunity. What was once exceptional has become expected.

Today, more than 51% of Jewish Year 9 pupils participate at Bronze level, compared with 30.8% nationally.

DofE is no longer simply something Jewish young people can do.

It has become a rite of passage.

MORE THAN THE AWARD

Mention DofE to someone who has completed it and the expedition stories often come first.

The enormous rucksack. The weather. The wrong turning. The meal cooked after a long day. The moment everyone was exhausted and the team still had to decide together what happened next.

But those memories are only part of the story.

Somewhere between learning a skill, volunteering, setting a physical goal and completing an expedition, something bigger begins to happen.

A young person discovers they can do something they were not entirely sure they could do.

They learn to make decisions, take responsibility, work with others, adapt when plans change and keep going when something feels difficult.

Challenge becomes confidence.
Confidence becomes contribution.
Contribution becomes leadership.

The certificate matters.

But the greatest achievement is the young person holding it.

A JOURNEY THAT KEEPS GOING

At JLGB, DofE can also be the beginning of what comes next.

Someone starting Bronze today might progress to Silver and Gold. Volunteering might become something they continue long after the section is complete. They may take greater responsibility at school or in their community.

Some will become JLGB Young Leaders.

And one day, some will become the adult volunteers standing beside another generation as their journey begins.

The person receiving encouragement today can become the person giving it tomorrow.

Just as Barry did.

70 YEARS LATER. NOW IT’S YOUR TURN.

Seventy years of DofE give JLGB an enormous amount to celebrate.

We are proud to have stood alongside the Award from its earliest days. Proud of the volunteers who made participation possible. Proud that generations of Jewish young people have been able to challenge themselves without compromising who they are.

And perhaps proudest of all that access became inclusion, and inclusion became a rite of passage for an entire community.

But an anniversary is not only about looking back.

This October, another generation begins.

Some will take their first step towards Bronze. Others will continue to Silver. Some will set their sights on Gold.

You do not need to know whether you are an adventurer, a volunteer or a future leader.

You do not need to know exactly where DofE might take you.

You just need to be ready to begin.

Seventy years of DofE history have already been written.

The next chapter belongs to you.

READY TO BEGIN YOUR DofE JOURNEY?

JLGB’s new DofE season launches this October, with kosher, Shabbat-friendly and inclusive opportunities available through schools, synagogues, community centres and JLGB provision across the UK.

Whether you are starting Bronze, progressing to Silver or aiming for Gold, your next challenge could be the beginning of something extraordinary.

FIND OUT MORE AND GET INVOLVED →

www.jlgb.org/dofe