For the Adventurous Journey section of the Duke of Edinburgh award you’ll need a sense of adventure and discovery as you go on a team journey, expedition or exploration in our big Kiwi backyard.
The Process
1. Preparation and Training:
You must have adequate structured learning in bush craft before undertaking your Practice Journey as there are some critical skills you need to learn. This is training on topics such as leadership, trip planning, map reading and survival skills. It’s all about keeping you safe in the outdoors – safety of participants is the top priority.
At Gold you will need to do your training through an Accredited Provider or through your Award Unit.
2. Practice Journey:
Participants must undertake a Practice Journey to ensure they can complete their Qualifying Journey safely. The Practice Journey should be as similar to the Qualifying Journey as possible to ensure you are sufficiently prepared (e.g. if you choose an Exploration for your Adventurous Journey, then both the Practice and Qualifying Journeys must be Explorations OR if you are doing your Adventurous Journey on a boat, your qualifying journey must also be on water). The requirements for each level of the Award are:
Bronze:
2 days and 1 night, with 6 hours of activity per day.
Silver:
2 1/2 days and 2 nights, with 7 hours of activity per day.
Gold:
3 days and 2 nights, with 8 hours of activity per day.
3. Qualifying Journey:
For the Qualifying Journey, the team is required to be self-sufficient and independent. The requirements for each level of the Award are:
Bronze:
2 days and 1 night, with a minimum of 6 hours of activity per day.
Silver:
3 days and 2 nights, with a minimum of 7 hours of activity per day.
Gold:
4 days and 3 nights, with a minimum of 8 hours of activity per day.
For ALL levels of the Award,the Adventurous Journey must be undertaken in groups of 4 – 7 young people who must all be involved in the planning and preparation.