How does our licensing system work?

If you would like to offer the Award Programme at your school or organization, you can get licensed by us as a program provider. Our association is accredited as a national provider of the program by the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation. We are a not-for-profit organization and are committed to the aim of promoting youth services.

To ensure that the Duke Award’s international quality standards are met, the licensing of our program providers follows a two-stage process:

  1. Meeting with the school management to introduce the Award scheme, point out our criteria for program providers and clarify open questions.
  2. Signing of the licensing agreement and further discussions if necessary. Receipt of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award plaque and the invoice for the license fee.
  3. Participation of a “DofE Team” (ideally at least 3 persons) in the Programme Course; Accreditation as Award Leaders and assessors at the Bronze and Silver levels of the program.
  4. Implementation of the Award Scheme with the first cohort of participants aged 14-24
  5. Prerequisite for the Gold level: Participation of at least one Award Leader in the course for Assessors in Wilderness Areas.

Our programme providers are committed to providing the necessary legal, administrative and staffing framework to deliver on the promise to young people “You can do more than you think!”. For more information, please see our licensing agreement.

If you are interested in becoming a licensed Award Centre, we look forward to hearing from you:

Get in touch

Welche Kosten sind mit einer Lizenzierung verbunden?

The minimum contributions associated with licensing ensure the sustainability of our offer independent of donations and funding. We welcome higher contributions from individual schools on a voluntary basis to support our work with schools in challenging situations!

Licensing involves the following costs for schools and other organizations:

  • Annual license fee:
    • 200 euros (public Award Operators)
    • 300 euros (special conditions for private Award Operators by special agreement)
    • 450 euros (International schools and private schools)
    • tbd (Corporations)
  • Training as Award Leaders (per person):
    • 37,50 euros (public Award Operators)
    • 75 euros (private Award Operators)
    • tbd (Corporations)
  • Awards: 6 euros per Award ordered

 

Expeditions: The costs for carrying out the expeditions vary from provider to provider. It is possible to organize them inexpensively in the provider’s area, which can be reached by public transport, from 4-6 euros per person.

 

For participants, the costs are as follows:

  • Participation fee per level:
    • 7.50 euros (public Award Operators)
    • 15 euros (special conditions for private Award Operators by arrangement)
    • 30 euros (International schools and private schools; as of January 1, 2024)
    • tbd (corporations)

Public organizations that have difficulties in raising the license fee can apply informally for funding from our supporters. Participants who have difficulties in raising the participation fee can apply informally for funding from our supporters.

How does the digital logbook (Online Record Book) work?

The internationally used digital logbook enables our participants to keep a digital record of their activities. Award Leaders have the opportunity to digitally monitor the participation process of their students, regardless of time and place. Assessors who supervise young people in individual program areas can provide participants with digitally supported, strength-based feedback.

Once an organization is licensed as an Award Provider, the Award Coordinator can create an account for the organization on the Online Record Book (ORB). The registration will be validated by us. After validation, all Award Leaders of the organization can create their personal ORB accounts.

Registrations of Award Leaders will only be validated by us if they have received the appropriate Award Leader training (participation in the program training course).

Registrations of participants on the ORB will be confirmed by the respective Award Leaders of their school or organization.

Instructions or online tutorials can be found in our program part resources or in the Award Community.

How do participants register?

  1. Participants must complete the registration form and have it signed by their legal guardian if they are under 18 years of age. The form can be downloaded from the Materials section; it will be handed in to the Award Leader together with the entry fee.
  2. Participants register on the Online Record Book (ORB). The ORB can be used as an app, on a computer or tablet.
  3. Provided that the registration form signed by the parents and the participation fee have been received, the Award Leader will confirm the registration on the ORB.
  4. Now the participants start to choose their activities and set smart goals in the ORB. Award Leaders advise and support the design of a challenging program. For each activity, participants look for an assessor. For example, if participants play football in a club, the coach can be an assessor.
  5. Once the activity, objective and assessor have been identified, the Award Leader can release the activity via the Online Record Book (ORB). It is useful to provide close support in the design of personal programs as an Award Leader.
  6. Once an activity has been released, participants do it each week and create an entry about it in the ORB.
  7. When a program part is completed, the program part is sent to the assessor. This person receives a link and can leave a review there.
  8. The participants then send their program section to the Award Leader. The Award Leader can now confirm that the program section has been successfully completed.
  9. When all sections have been completed, the Award Leader confirms that the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award has been successfully completed at the chosen level.
  10. The next step is to order the Award from the Association and present it at a ceremony.

How do I support my volunteers?

In order to sustainably anchor the Duke Award in your organization, it is advisable to create a large network of motivated Award Leaders, evaluators and expedition guides and to share responsibilities. Teachers, school social workers, parents, alumni of the school and former participants of the Duke Award are ideal for this.

Feel free to download our volunteer management guide for program providers (see below).

The guide covers:

  • Recruitment of volunteers
  • Volunteer support policies and procedures
  • Application procedures
  • Induction and training
  • Ongoing volunteer management and support
  • Retention of volunteers

The guide contains 23 downloadable templates, each covering a different aspect of volunteer management that can be adapted for use in your own organization. Please note that the Duke Award does not accept responsibility for the use of these templates or guides.

Managing Volunteers