Once you have signed up. Your DofE Leader will email you a link to your DofE account. This is where you log your progress through your DofE programme and where your Leader checks and approves you’ve completed your activity in each section. Once you’ve added your home address to your DofE profile you’ll be sent a Welcome Pack with lots of helpful information and your personalised DofE Card so you can access discounts and offers on expedition kit and other items. 

Now, you can start choosing what activities you want to do and decide your goals – although you don’t have to wait until you get your Welcome Pack before you start planning your programme.

Once your Leader has approved your plans, you’re ready to get going with your activities.

For each of your DofE sections, you need to choose an activity. Remember – you own your DofE programme and have the freedom to choose activities that are specific and relevant to you.

Don’t worry if you can’t find exactly what you want to do, speak to your DoE Manager or Leader – most activities can count towards your DofE. All we ask is that any new activity is checked with your DoE contact to make sure it’s counted for the right section.

For Gold, you’ll need to do your programme for at least 12 months if you’ve achieved your Silver Award, or 18 months if you’ve started at Gold level without doing your Silver – even if you’ve done Bronze. The big difference at Gold is you’ll also do a Residential section – staying away from home for five days and four nights doing a shared activity with people you don’t know.

– Volunteering section: 12 months
– Physical and Skills sections: One section for 12 months and the other section for 6 months
– Expedition section: 4 days/3 nights
– Residential section: Undertake a shared activity in a residential setting away from home for 5 days and 4 nights.



If you didn’t do Silver, you must undertake a further 6 months in either the Volunteering or the longer of the Physical or Skills sections.