The DofE has made a truly spectacular start to the New Year, and at first glance it would seem that a literal ceremony has broken out in our country. During the first weeks of the new year, the DofE awarded bronze and silver certificates to almost 400 young adults from 6 regions of the Czech Republic. Many of them graduated from the DofE thanks to the DofE Social Fund, which supports socially vulnerable or disadvantaged people who would otherwise not be able to participate in the programme for financial reasons.
The tradition of awarding bronze and silver certificates in regional cities has been going on for the second year and is the result of memoranda of mutual cooperation. "Previously, we only presented awards in Prague, Brno and Ostrava. The idea to hold ceremonies at regional offices is the result of the vision of our director Tomáš Vokáč. We want to raise awareness of the DofE and enable people to attend the ceremony close to home." says DofE event manager Veronika Pantůčková.
Many of the graduates fulfilled their efforts during the pandemic, but even that did not deter them from successfully completing their degree. "I started DofE during the epidemic period when the programme helped me stay productive. The experience has given me lots of new opportunities, experiences and friends," Says Aneta Kristková, who passed the bronze level of DofE and is currently grinding her teeth for silver.
In the DofE with your head in the clouds
Among the award winners in January, there were those who decided to go their own way and try out unconventional skills. For example, Dominika Bechná learned to fly: "My most powerful experience was when I managed to land a small plane without the intervention of an instructor. The DofE gave me a lot of experience, both hiking in extremely warm weather and piloting the plane. It was challenging." reminiscing about fulfilling his bronze level.
