Duke of Edinburgh Progress Report

The teacher-in-charge of our Duke of Edinburgh students, Mrs Bastion, commented on the progress of her charges, as the end of the third term draws near…

Normally at this time of year, there is a mad rush to get all of the students through. All of the last tramps, the last consultations, the last activities that make the end of the year go more smoothly.  Mr Bennett and I both worry towards the end of the year that we may not have everyone organised, but inevitably all of the books come in and it turns out that a lot has been achieved.

The books catalogue the four aspects of the Duke of Edinburgh scheme that the boys need to complete.  They carry around the book and get their football coach or music teacher or pastor or volunteer co-ordinator to sign, to prove that they’ve been active in their community.  It is neat to go to community fundraisers like the Red Cross Book Fair and see Duke of Edinburgh boys there helping out. 

The highlight of this year has been a Year 10 student that began by explaining that ‘we just don’t do that sort of thing, Miss’, when we explained the tramping and outdoor activities that go with Duke of Ed.  We organised sponsorship to pay for his tramp, and it was clearly so far out of his comfort zone that he had to push himself to complete the tramp; but the sense of achievement and satisfaction for him when he did it was wonderful.

We currently have around eighty-five HBHS students involved in Duke of Edinburgh.  The increase over the last few years has been massive.  This has put greater pressure on us in terms of organising tramping and other things.  Mr Bennett and Mr Winslade have been out with the boys every second weekend to make sure that we can keep up with demand.  I’m involved with Mountain Safety Waikato, an organisation that has also take oodles of our kids.  Their volunteers have been really busy as well, and we are really grateful for their support. 

One of the many advantages of becoming involved in Duke of Edinburgh from the boys’ perspective is that you get to meet a lot of new people.  During the two mountain safety courses, the boys got to meet girls from both Hillcrest High School and St Peters.  This is always a nice experience for everyone involved.

As well as Mr Bennett and Mr Winslade, I’d like to acknowledge the help of Mr Potter.  He’s been a really good new addition to the team. 

The service aspect of the programme is often the area that the boys find most difficult; not because they don’t want to help out, but because it requires them to seek out opportunities to provide assistance in the community.  A few boys are a bit shocked that I won’t make the phone call for them, once they’ve spotted something good in the newspaper.  Cold-calling someone; even if it is to answer their request for volunteers, can be quite daunting, even for grown-ups.  The boys learn a really valuable skill when they learn how to network, get on the phone, approach organisations or just roll up to places like the SPCA because they would really like to help.

If you would like to become involved with Duke of Edinburgh in 2013, contact Ms Bastion and discuss your options now.