Overview
The Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is the world’s leading youth achievement award. At the Gold level it requires the completion of five sections:
- Volunteering
- Learning a skill
- Engaging in a physical activity
- Attending a residential activity
- Embarking on an expedition
I took part in the award during 2013-2015 alongside my A-levels, and received my award at St James’s Palace in November 2016.
Volunteering
I took part in 18 months of weekly volunteering at my local British Heart Foundation. By organising the stock and maintaining the storefront, I helped to maximise sales.
Skill
For my skill, I spent 6 months learning Mandarin Chinese from October 2013 – April 2014. During this time covered reading, writing, speaking, and listening. I learnt and had conversations about:
- The four tones
- Numbers
- Basic phrases
- Describing myself and my family
- Food and drink
- Shopping
- Appearances
This culminated in earning an ELC Level 3 qualification (Entry Level Certificate).
Physical
For my physical activity, I took part in 12+ months of strength and cardio training from September 2013 – May 2015 in preparation for the expeditions.
Residential
I attended the 2014 electronics summer school at the University of Southampton in fulfillment of the residential activity. This was a 5 day program that included staying at university halls, attending lectures and taking part in practical laboratory sessions, and presenting group project work. I also visited the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and the Diamond Light Source, the UK’s synchrotron.
Expedition
After taking part in several practice expeditions in the Yorkshire Dales and the Peak District, I completed a 4 day 3 night expedition in Snowdonia, Wales. During this expedition, myself and my team covered over 50 km of terrain and were completely self-sufficient.
Our aim on the expedition was to investigate whether the pH level of water sources varied with the altitude of the source. We collected ten readings at various altitudes, and found no correlation with our findings. This could have been due to the inaccuracy in the pH meter used, not taking repeat readings and taking averages to increase reliability, and not considering many other factors such as the type of water source (free flowing, standing, etc) and the proximity to settlements.
Presentation
I received my award at the Gold Award Presentation on the 29th November 2016 at St James’s Palace, and the Presentation was attended by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh himself.
