Information for New Volunteer

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Moray is dependent on our volunteers. Without volunteers young people would not be able to complete their awards and gain a valuable accreditation. 

Volunteers manage our centres, encourage young people to participate, mentor them through their volunteering, physical and skills sections, and train and supervise them through the expedition section. Volunteers are valuable role models who help young people build important skills for life and employment. 

How to get involved

If you are interested in getting involved with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, please telephone the contact the DofE Moray office on 07800 670654 or 07890 275514 or email DofEMoray@moray.gov.uk to discuss your interest. We like to meet our volunteers to get a good ideas of what they want and how we can support them.

We will ask you to complete a Volunteer Enrolment Form.

On receipt of your form, we will contact your two referees and send you a Disclosure Scotland Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) pack. This is a mandatory requirement and you cannot start volunteering with DofE until your PVG check has been completed. We will cover the costs of the Disclosure Scotland check.

We will arrange a meeting to check your Disclosure form and the three forms of ID you must provide. These can be two photo IDs and a utility or bank statement with your current address. 

Volunteer Roles

There are a wide range of volunteering roles and opportunities within the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Whatever time and commitment you can offer, and whatever role you wish to undertake, your skills and enthusiasm are to invaluable to young people. The DofE team at Moray Council will provide you with the support and training you require to help young people achieve their potential through the Award.

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is managed through a system of Centres. Each Centre is run by a Coordinator, who is assisted by Leaders. A Leaders is normally responsible for mentoring a group of 7 to 21 young people. Coordinators and Leaders need to complete a classroom based Introduction to the DofE course to help them support their young people within the guiding principles of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award. 

The expedition section requires volunteers with specific skills and qualifications. Expedition Supervisors play an important role in training young people and ensuring their safety on the expedition. Therefore they need to have a recognised qualification to lead in expedition's chosen mode of travel. In Moray, that starts with a DofE expedition Skills course for Bronze, a Lowhills or Lowland Leader qualification for Bronze and Silver expeditions. For Silver expeditions in remote areas and all Gold walking expeditions the Supervisor must hold a Mountain Leader Summer qualification. All Expedition Supervisors must have a valid Outdoor First Aid qualification.

Expedition Supervisors also need to complete the Expedition Supervisors Training Course before they can work with DofE groups. For expeditions using other forms of transport, such as canoeing or mountain biking, the Expedition Supervisor must have an appropriate National Governing Body (NGB) qualification. 

If you would like to be an Expedition Supervisor but do not hold the required qualifications, please contact the DofE Office. 

All expeditions must have a second adult to assist the Supervisor mentor the team and provide support under safeguarding guidelines. These adults do not have to hold a NGB qualification but must have completed the Introduction to the DofE course or the Expedition Supervisors Training Course. Leaders 

In Moray most of the Expedition Assessors we use are volunteers. Expedition Assessors must be trained and accredited by the DofE.

Section Mentors and Assessors are vital for young people to have a quality DofE experience. They are often the unsung heroes, offering support for volunteering, physical or skills sections. We rely on their skills and patience to mentor a young person, as they progress, and write a short report at the end of their programme plan. Assessor reports can be completed in the participant's Log Book or entered directly on line at https://www.dofe.org/assessor. If you are asked to act as a Mentor or Assessor and have any questions please contact the DofE Office.

There is a wide range of other support roles you can volunteer for. Helpers can assist Coordinators and Leaders manage their groups or run eDofE sessions for young people. Our supporting charity, The Moray DofE Awards Committee need volunteers to help manage the charity, with important roles such as Treasurer and Secretary.