Emily's Gold Duke of Edinburgh Expedition
Donation protected
My name is Emily Pieters and I am a 19 year old Air Cadet and Art Student. To complete my Gold Duke of Edinburgh award, I have been offered the expedition of my dreams: canoeing on one of the largest lakes in Sweden.
For almost a week, I will be working as part of a team of other young people to complete an unaccompanied, self-reliant expedition. My team and I will be stepping further outside our comfort zones, by doing it in the unfamiliar landscape of Sweden's Lake Stora Le.
Growing up, I avidly watched Ray Mears' "BushCraft" series and was in awe of his Scandinavian expeditions. Later, I was able to try canoeing through the Air Cadets. I fell in love with it. There is something inherently peaceful about the way the canoe moves with the canoeist, and being level with the water gives you a perspective on nature you can't get any other way.
The expedition section of the Duke of Edinburgh's award is by far the most difficult. It consists of 4 days and 3 nights remotely supervised, using only what you can carry. Participants must plan, train for and navigate the expedition independently. I will have several training and planning weekends with my team leading up to the the final expedition at the end of August.
I would be immensely grateful for any help you could offer me towards fulfilling this dream. This would be an extraordinary challenge for me and I hope to return with new skills and insights which I can put back into the community by encouraging and supporting other young people to explore these opportunities.
What the money's for and when I need it:
This expedition is provided by Joy of Adventure and they have split it into two main fees: £550 for the training and practice and £350 for the final expedition. The last £100 is the plane fare to Sweden. My deadline for the first £550 is the 1st of May, with the remaining sum following close behind.
I have tried to break down the overall fees to show what's involved:
Equipment
The expedition equipment is provided by Joy of Adventure and, between canoes, paddles, buoyancy aids and dry-barrels, a canoeing expedition takes a lot of it.
Training and Teaching
In order to complete the final expedition safely I will need to complete a series of training days, as well as a remotely supervised Practice expedition. All this requires the valuable time of a team of qualified assessors and teachers.
Transport
Aside from the £100 plane fare, there is also the cost of transporting canoes and other equipment, and getting to Stora Le on the other side.
My DofE So Far
Throughout my Duke of Edinburgh's award I have tried not to settle for the 'simplest option' in completing each section. Because of this, I have reached outside of my cadet squadron to work independently.
Between my Gold and Silver awards I have volunteered at a local charity shop, discovered a love of yoga that I think will become a lifelong practice, and trained in instructional methods in order to teach my fellow cadets. For my Gold Residential project, I completed the West Coast Challenge, learning to sail a tall ship.
The only section I have yet to achieve is my expedition.
To find out more about the opportunity itself, follow this link to the provider's information page:
http://www.joyofadventure.co.uk/duke-of-edinburghs-award/gold-dofe-expedition-to-sweden-2019/
For almost a week, I will be working as part of a team of other young people to complete an unaccompanied, self-reliant expedition. My team and I will be stepping further outside our comfort zones, by doing it in the unfamiliar landscape of Sweden's Lake Stora Le.
Growing up, I avidly watched Ray Mears' "BushCraft" series and was in awe of his Scandinavian expeditions. Later, I was able to try canoeing through the Air Cadets. I fell in love with it. There is something inherently peaceful about the way the canoe moves with the canoeist, and being level with the water gives you a perspective on nature you can't get any other way.
The expedition section of the Duke of Edinburgh's award is by far the most difficult. It consists of 4 days and 3 nights remotely supervised, using only what you can carry. Participants must plan, train for and navigate the expedition independently. I will have several training and planning weekends with my team leading up to the the final expedition at the end of August.
I would be immensely grateful for any help you could offer me towards fulfilling this dream. This would be an extraordinary challenge for me and I hope to return with new skills and insights which I can put back into the community by encouraging and supporting other young people to explore these opportunities.
What the money's for and when I need it:
This expedition is provided by Joy of Adventure and they have split it into two main fees: £550 for the training and practice and £350 for the final expedition. The last £100 is the plane fare to Sweden. My deadline for the first £550 is the 1st of May, with the remaining sum following close behind.
I have tried to break down the overall fees to show what's involved:
Equipment
The expedition equipment is provided by Joy of Adventure and, between canoes, paddles, buoyancy aids and dry-barrels, a canoeing expedition takes a lot of it.
Training and Teaching
In order to complete the final expedition safely I will need to complete a series of training days, as well as a remotely supervised Practice expedition. All this requires the valuable time of a team of qualified assessors and teachers.
Transport
Aside from the £100 plane fare, there is also the cost of transporting canoes and other equipment, and getting to Stora Le on the other side.
My DofE So Far
Throughout my Duke of Edinburgh's award I have tried not to settle for the 'simplest option' in completing each section. Because of this, I have reached outside of my cadet squadron to work independently.
Between my Gold and Silver awards I have volunteered at a local charity shop, discovered a love of yoga that I think will become a lifelong practice, and trained in instructional methods in order to teach my fellow cadets. For my Gold Residential project, I completed the West Coast Challenge, learning to sail a tall ship.
The only section I have yet to achieve is my expedition.
To find out more about the opportunity itself, follow this link to the provider's information page:
http://www.joyofadventure.co.uk/duke-of-edinburghs-award/gold-dofe-expedition-to-sweden-2019/
Organizer
Emily Pieters
Organizer
England
