Over 2,000 young people completed bronze or silver level DofE last year. They are now receiving their badges and certificates at ceremonies across the country. From each ceremony, we will be bringing you a short story of one DofE or DofA and a leader from that centre.
We organized the very first ceremony in Kutná Hora at the end of January. For the bronze badge came there Terezie Sládková from the Gymnasium František Palacký in Neratovice.
The young girl made it her goal in the move to get better at push-ups and do ten of them with proper technique. In skills she learned to cook five new recipes from Asian cuisine and in volunteering she tutored children from socially disadvantaged families from the Low Threshold Centre for Children and Youth in Neratovice.
"This programme was a huge unknown for me, I couldn't imagine what it could mean for me. And its benefits can't even be put into words - I've deepened relationships with my friends, discovered what I'm capable of, and developed in all areas of my life."
Terezia Sládková with the head of the DoFE programme Šárka Trojanová. Photo: Jiří Coubal
They wanted to offer students new opportunities
At her high school, she was one of the very first girls to join the program. She describes her reasons for joining leader Šárka Trojanová.
"As a school, we joined DofE primarily because we wanted to offer new opportunities to our students. Gifted students can develop their talents, introverted students can quietly work on what they enjoy, and absolutely everyone needs to step out of their comfort zone from time to time, and this makes them stronger in life and in their studies overall. We also liked the concept of volunteering that is included in the project. Helping others should be a part of our everyday lives, and yet it is increasingly disappearing nowadays," explains the head of the Neratovice high school.
During the first year, she herself felt disillusionment when, after huge interest after recruitment talks, only five girls finally completed their registration and their goals.
"But almost all the students have completed the bronze level, and some have already joined the silver level, and for that we are proud of them. Above all, it has been a year of new experiences for me, for the colleague with whom we run the DofE programme at our school and for our headteacher. And last but not least, a year of new experiences."
