HEY YOU’VE DECIDED TO GO FOR IT? WELL DONE, YOU’RE ABOUT TO START AN AMAZING ADVENTURE. YOU’VE STARTED CREATING SOME GOOD MEMORIES RIGHT HERE!!

Here are some easy steps to get started :

Find your nearest Award Authority. It may be your school, local council, youth group or company. If you’re not sure where to look contact the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Malta (Click here).

Once you’ve identified your closest centre you need to complete a registration form and pay a small fee which will cover admin costs and support as well as your subscription fee to your ORB. (Online Record Book).

CHOOSE YOUR AWARD LEVEL

There are three levels to the Award – Bronze, Silver and Gold. Its now time to decide where you should get started. Your age, and the level of commitment you are willing to give will determine which level is suitable for you. You can check out more details about the Award Levels here.

NEXT, CHOOSE YOUR ACTIVITIES

Its now time to start choosing what activities you want to do. This is the best thing about the Award Programme, as your activities are custom made for you – by you!! Finally do communicate with your Award Leader about your choices and they can advise you and confirm that your choices fit into the chosen section.

FIND YOUR ASSESSORS

For each section of your Award you will need an Assessor. The Assessor must have some experience or qualification in the chosen activity. They will assess your progress, record it and sign of your record for that activity as proof that you have achieved the requirements. Again, your Award Leader will guide you in your choice of Assessor.

Set Smart Goals

SMART GOAL SETTING MOTIVATES FOR SUCCESS

Which of the two following goals is likely to be most motivating? “I want to run faster” or “In 3 months, I will be able to run 5km in 30 minutes by running 5km 3 times per week”.

To maximise your motivation to achieve, it’s best to set goals that acknowledge where you are, where you want to be, and how to get there.

The clearer the goal is, the easier it is to know what it is you need to do to achieve it.

So when you’re setting goals, either for your Duke of Ed sections or for any life goals, make sure they’re SMART goals. They give direction, purpose and meaning that will motivate you to achieve.

S.M.A.R.T. is the acronym for goals that are:

  • Specific: Your goal should very clearly outline what you want to happen – ask yourself what, why, when and where to help you get more specific.
  • Measurable: You should be able to track your goal because it is clear what it looks like when you have got there.
  • Attainable: Can you achieve these goals? Is it doable? Set yourself up for success, not disappointment with not achieving something that was always unrealistic.
  • Relevant: The goal should be something you want to achieve and is relevant to you.
  • Timely: You should set a time-frame for your goal. This helps with procrastination.