Going for Gold

I am incredibly fortunate to have presented at the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Gold presentations 8 times now over the last 3 years and it's always encouraging to be asked back again to see the end result of a challenging but worth while journey for so many DofE students and to hopefully inspire them to continue on that journey into adulthood.

I now spend a big part of my life, in and out of work, encouraging, facilitating and enabling others to achieve more, to say yes more, and to get out and do more. You certainly don't need to saying yes to everything, but by popping on your Brave Pants you stretch that comfort zone and expand your 'normal'.

The DofE does that for so many of our younger generation, from the age of 14 up to 24, whether it be in school, university or in business and as an Outdoor Instructor to deliver the quality tuition that the students need, I see development and growth of our students all the time, whether it be developing leadership qualities or learning how to work as a team in challenging situations to learning new skills for life.

To have feedback such as below from my last presenter stint at the beginning of December is such a joy and a real privilege to have planted a small seed for encouragement.

" I found Jo very inspiring. It gave me a warm feeling hearing about a woman’s experience/s as an Adventurer - especially for me as my Duke Of Edinburgh experience has consisted of me being the only girl in my team. This filled me with ever more pride. I thought she was very engaging, funny and interesting. I’d like to think I speak on behalf of the others who were there with me, but it was a privilege to hear her stories. Thank you for taking your time to speak to us."

Back in the Spring I wrote a short blog about The DofE and the impact it can have on individuals. Click here to have a quick read. I see students through the expedition element of the awards but it is so much more than 'just' that part of their journey.