tunde folawiyo executive

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The significance of leaders within the DofE programme | Tunde Folawiyo

The importance of the DofE leaders’ role in the programme cannot be understated; without the guidance and encouragement which they offer the young participants, the number of people who finish all of the tasks would be considerably lower. As well as supporting the overall mission of the DofE, these leaders also have a number of practical responsibilities, such as helping to run the DofE centres, and offering advice to participants who may be struggling with specific aspects of each task.

Tunde FolawiyoDepending on their area of expertise, a leader may be involved with the Expedition, Skills, Physical or Volunteering section at the Bronze, Silver and Gold Levels. It is their job to inspire and support participants, as well as to approve their activity choices, and monitor their progress. As an assessor, they must be DofE accredited, and approved by the relevant licensed organisation. Supporters of this programme including Tunde Folawiyo understand that a leader’s supervisory responsibilities are of particular importance; they must be experienced in the activity selected by each participant, and must carve time out of their schedule to check on the participant’s progress, adjust their goals and help them to address any issues which they might be facing. Leaders in a supervisory role are actively involved in the Expedition section of each level; it is their job to attend these excursions, and ensure that the participants stay on track, and remain safe whilst carrying out the required tasks.

Much of the work carried out by these leaders is done on a voluntary basis; it is because of this selfless support, and the contributions of Fellows of the Duke of Edinburgh Fellowship, including Tunde Folawiyo, that the DofE is able to continue to nurture and support young people around the world. Just recently, a teacher from New Zealand, by the name of Helen-May Burgess, was the recipient of a special award from the programme.

The committee wanted to honour this woman, who had been helping her students with their DofE tasks for over 27 years. Burgess has worked at St Hilda’s Collegiate College for decades, offering her expertise and advice to DofE participants, in addition to teaching at the school on a full-time basis. For her years of dedicated service to the programme, Sir Jerry Mateparae, the Governor General, presented her with a framed certificate at a ceremony held in the city of Dunedin. Over the course of almost three decades, Burgee mentored hundreds of young participants, and supervised 23 students as they completed all of their tasks at Bronze, Silver and Gold level.

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A look at the DofE Bronze level activities | Tunde Folawiyo

Those who support the DofE Programme, like the businessman Tunde Folawiyo, understand that completing the Bronze level tasks is, in and of itself, a great achievement, as it requires a considerable amount of tenacity and commitment. It is also the first step towards achieving the highest honour within the programme – the Gold award. The Bronze level can be completed by anyone aged 14 or over, and consists of four sections, including Skills, Physical, Expedition and Volunteering.

Tunde FolawiyoAt this stage of the programme, participants must dedicate a minimum of three months to the Volunteering, Skills and Physical sections, and 2 days to the Expedition. Following the completion of these activities, they must then spend an additional three months focusing on one section of their choosing. In total, it should take at least six months to finish this particular level.

As someone who is familiar with this programme, Tunde Folawiyo understands that the Bronze level provides young people with a fantastic opportunity to get a head start in developing important life skills; the preparation for each section helps them to learn about the importance of having strong organisational and research abilities, and teaches them the value of being independent and self-sufficient.

During the preparation stage, they also begin to understand the process of setting realistic, measureable and challenging goals for themselves. The activities themselves are, of course, equally beneficial, as they help young students to develop confidence in their own abilities, and cultivate a sense of responsibility, as participants know they must dedicate several hours each week to completing their tasks. As each month passes, their intellectual, social and physical skills become stronger and stronger.

The awards for this level are given out at special ceremonies throughout the year; for many participants, these events are one of the main highlights of their time in the DofE programme. Recently, a student named Jayme Gower, from King Alfred School, received her Bronze award, after completing her volunteer work at the lifeboat station in Burnham-On-Sea. Jayme dedicated six months to the station, often working in severe weather conditions on the emergency ‘shouts’ and training sessions.

She also arranged a number of events to fundraise for the station, and attended several out-at-sea lifeboat sessions, where she was able to watch as the crew carried out their most important practical training exercises. Lyndon Baker, who serves as the coordinator for the station described Jayme as a ‘true asset’, adding that she had become an integral part of the group over the course of the last six months.

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What’s involved in a DofE Expedition? | Tunde Folawiyo

The Duke of Edinburgh’s World Fellowship, a network which focuses on the intellectual and social progress of young people, brings together individuals such as Tunde Folawiyo to contribute to the youth development. With the support of this network, the DofE programme has continued to offer guidance and encouragement to thousands of young people across the globe.

Tunde FolawiyoOne of the most intriguing aspects of this programme is the diversity of the activities it involves. Participants in the Duke of Edinburgh’s award programme are required to complete a series of tasks, which fall under the categories of Volunteering, Physical, Skills and Expedition. The latter involves planning and completing an ‘adventurous journey”, the details of which are left up to the participant to arrange. In the past, people have organised sailing voyages, horse-riding treks, hiking excursions and camping trips. Those involved in this activity are put into groups of between four and eight people, with whom they must plan, train and complete the journey.

Philanthropists who support the DofE, such as Tunde Folawiyo, understand the value of these expeditions; in addition to enhancing participants’ social skills, these adventures also encourage them to improve their organisational abilities, and to develop a sense of responsibility.  Expeditions which focus on teamwork are especially popular; these might consist of creating and participating in a team challenge, or establishing different roles within the group, and switching roles several times each day. Environmental expeditions are equally well-loved; these are usually overnight camping trips, and may include the filming of woodland creatures, searches for specific types of plants or the painting of the local scenery.

Due to the popularity of these types of environmental expeditions, the DofE committee was relieved to learn that they had been granted an exemption certificate by Natural England, which will allow programme participants to make use of green-field sites. This is likely to result in an increase in the number of young people choosing to do this particular activity, as they no longer have to go through the time-consuming process of obtaining a site licence from the local council.

The certificate which the committee received covers all of England, and has an expiry date of October 2018. Unfortunately, whilst Scotland does not place any limitation on where DofE participants can camp, Wales does, and as of yet, no exemption has been obtained, although the committee has stated that an application has been submitted.

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Taking a look at the DofE Gold Level | Tunde Folawiyo

Through the Duke of Edinburgh’s World Fellowship, individuals like Tunde Folawiyo come together to support young entrepreneurs involved in the DofE. This challenging programme encourages young people to develop the social, intellectual and physical skills they need to become well-rounded individuals.

Tunde FolawiyoWithin the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programme, the Gold level is reserved only for candidates aged 16 or over, who have already completed their Bronze and Silver level activities. Whilst there is no flexibility in regards to the age limit,  it is possible for those who have not gone through the previous levels to join in at the Gold stage, provided they are willing to commit to 18, rather than 12 months of work.

Although participants at Gold level are allowed to select the same activities that they chose for former levels, those who do this are required to demonstrate a certain level of development; to simply repeat the same activity again, without showing any indication of progress, is not acceptable.

As with the Bronze and Silver levels, the Gold is divided up into several categories, namely Volunteering, Skills, Physical, Expedition and the Residential Project. The latter is only available at this particular level, and involves a four day trip with a group of people whom the participant has never met before. The volunteering activities are spread across the entire twelve months; however, for Skills and Physical, the participant can choose to spend six months on one, and 12 on the other. Those who are joining in without having completed Bronze and Silver must do an additional six months of activities.

Philanthropists like Tunde Folawiyo understand the importance of acknowledging young people’s achievements. As the culmination of many years of hard work, receiving the Gold Award is a very important moment, and as such, deserves to be celebrated. The DofE committee hosts Gold award presentations several times each year, in one of three venues; St James’s Palace, Hillsborough Castle, and the Palace of Holyrood House. Just recently, two brothers, named Juba and Adam Jasko, attended one of these events in London, after having spent more than six years completing all of the required activities at the Bronze, Silver and Gold Levels.

They were joined by 13 other DofE participants, each of whom received their certificate from Prince Philip. More than 300 hundred people attended the ceremony. The Cabinet member of children’s services, Councillor Maxi Martin, was also present; she was given the opportunity to meet the Duke of Edinburgh, and was awarded a three-year operating licence, which will enable the council to continue its participation in the DofE programme.

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Tunde Folawiyo | The history and development of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

Tunde FolawiyoThe Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) programme has been running for fifty seven years. It was founded by Prince Philip, with support from Kurt Hahn, an educationalist from Germany, who had previously set up the Country Badge Scheme. This scheme came to an end during the war, but Hahn remained deeply concerned about the development of young people.

He noticed a lack of initiative, physical fitness, skills and compassion in the younger generation, and aimed to address these issues by helping to found the DofE. The goal was, and still is, to maintain a diverse programme of activities which enable young people to navigate the challenging adolescent years, and emerge as confident, hard-working and capable adults. The Duke of Edinburgh World Fellowship programme was also instigated in 1987, bringing together individuals like Tunde Folawiyo, to help support the ongoing Duke of Edinburgh Award programme and allow these young people to develop successfully and independently.

A committee was formed to oversee the programme, and after several meetings, it was decided that it would be non-competitive, and would be available to everyone within the specified age range, with no membership requirement. Initially, the committee agreed upon four categories of activities, which would include physical fitness, skills, services and an expedition. A number of years later, a fifth section was added, in the form of a residential project.

Whilst the lowest age limit has always been 14, the upper age limit has gradually increased over the years. When the DofE was primarily founded, only those aged 18 or under could participate; however, the following year, the limit was raised to 19. Between 1965 and 1980, the limit was raised a further three times, eventually reaching 25.

The flexibility and freedom of which the DofE affords its participants has meant that it has been integrated into many different youth organisations and schools, both in the UK and abroad. Currently, more than 120 countries have adapted the DofE programme, as well as a Duke of Edinburgh World Fellowship Award. The World Fellowship consists of individuals, including Tunde Folawiyo, that have been brought together as Fellows of the programme to support and develop the younger generation in their endeavours throughout this scheme. Although the title of the Award varies from place to place, the same principles apply.

The skills which participants develop throughout the course of the DofE programme can benefit not only their mental and physical health, but also their career prospects in later life. Employers like Tunde Folawiyo tend to look favourably upon those who can demonstrate that they are capable of focusing on a long-term goal, and seeing it through to the end. Moreover, a great deal of tenacity, teamwork and patience is required in order to complete the activities in each of the categories of the Bronze, Gold and Silver levels, and these are all important qualities which employers hope to find in potential employees.

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Tunde Folawiyo | The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programme – How does it work?

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is given to those aged between 14 and 24, who successfully complete a series of activities. These activities are designed to help participants develop character and confidence, and to teach them the value of hard work and persistence. They are provided with support throughout the course of their journey, ensuring that they have the guidance and encouragement that they need to accomplish their goals.

The programme is divided up into three levels, consisting of Bronze, Silver and Gold. Most begin by completing four sections at Bronze level; this can take up to six months. For those who do this, the subsequent level, Silver, will also take six months; however, there is an option for participants to
Tunde Folawiyojoin in this programme without completing the Bronze stage, in which case they are required to spend one year working on their Silver activities. The Gold level also takes a year to complete, although it will take slightly longer (18 months), if a person has not finished the previous two stages, or if they have only received the Bronze award.

Tunde Folawiyo understands that this award programme is unique, in that young individuals are permitted to tailor the activities to suit their personal preferences and circumstances. The type of activities undertaken can vary considerably, but will include learning a new skill (usually of a practical or social nature), providing a voluntary service, participating in challenging physical recreational events, going on an expedition, and getting involved in a residential project (the latter is reserved only for people who have reached the Gold level). The progress of each participant is carefully monitored and assessed by a person who has expertise in the selected activities.

The division of the activities into the five aforementioned categories ensures that participants receive a balanced learning experience, which will benefit both their mental and physical wellbeing, and help them to become well-rounded individuals.

Individuals including Tunde Folawiyo, have been assembled as Fellows of the Duke of Edinburgh World Fellowship, to promote diversity, and encourage all young people to participate for the Duke of Edinburgh award, regardless of their background, gender or particular skill sets. The flexibility of the entry paths and activity choices, coupled with the fact that the programme is widely available both in the UK and abroad, means that even those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds can get involved if they wish to. All that is required is commitment, enthusiasm and a willingness to learn. As a prestigious and youth developing programme, Tunde Folawiyo and other Fellows of this programme can help to make a difference to the development of the younger generation of this time.