Buckingham Palace held a week of celebration events to acknowledge the impact of the Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) programme and saw over 9,000 young people awarded with DofE Gold.
Attendees heard from the Duke of Edinburgh, DofE alumni and inspirational figures offering insights from their own lives and careers.
HideOut Youth Zone was invited to join celebrations based on work undertaken to help young people accessing and completing the DofE Bronze Award.
In 2022/2023, HideOut Youth Zone supported over 90 young people who signed up to gain a DofE achievement (88 Bronze, 1 Silver and 1 Gold). 45 completed a certificate of achievement, with 35 completing their Bronze Award following a two-day expedition.
Members were accompanied by HideOut staff who had completed the Duke of Edinburgh Expedition Skills (DES) course across the summer months, which gave them the theoretical and practical skills needed to support expeditions with young people.
In October 2022, HideOut was announced as the winner of The Manchester Duke of Edinburgh Challenge which was awarded to the school or organisation that has harnessed the development potential of DofE to motivate and inspire young people.
The win followed a funding event, held at the Youth Zone (Gorton), which saw DofE Donors hearing from HideOut staff about the structure of its DofE model and future implementation into other organisations; promoting impact, engagement and outcomes. This resulted in the commitment of more funding to engage more young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds and those with additional needs into the DofE programme.
With 90% of HideOut’s membership (of over 6,000 young people) being those living within the top 10% of the most deprived areas of the UK, and with 20% being those who identify as having an additional need or disability, HideOut worked significantly to reduce barriers to participation and to place emphasis on community access for all members.
Child poverty rates in Manchester have increased to over 40% compared to 31% nationally and in some of the neighbourhoods surrounding the Youth Zone based in Gorton, it’s as high as 60%.
The charity was able to successfully secure £2,234 additional funding which was used to enrol young people onto the cohort by paying participation fees and to provide young people with equipment for their expedition (backpacks, walking boots, compasses and food).
38% of those who completed the Bronze Award through HideOut were those who identified themselves as having an additional needs or disability.
Deputy Head of Youth Work, Kerin, said: “We’ve loved seeing our members get involved with the DofE programme this year, and to be invited to the celebrations gave us the opportunity to reflect on what we’ve achieved. We’ve helped so many young people step out of their comfort zones and achieve incredible things. Everyone deserves the opportunity to take part in these programmes, and I’m proud that at HideOut we’re reducing those barriers for young people in the local area. They’ve loved it!”.
