What is it like to do the DofE and what does it involve?
What is the most difficult and what does the DofE bring?
Read the article about Karolína Letochová, who is a bronze and silver level graduate and is now pursuing gold.
Karolína is 17 years old and comes from a small village near Olomouc called Lašt'any.
She found out about the DofE on the website of her school, where a student from China, who was in the Czech Republic for a year, was doing the DofE. Karolína decided to try all levels of the DofE. She started at bronze, went on to silver and is now in her second year of gold.
What activities did you choose in the 3 DofE areas? And what were your objectives for each activity?
I wanted to try a team sport in Movement, but since I'm often away and have an irregular schedule, I decided to run. My goal is to run a half marathon, preferably in a nice time of course. I also promised myself that I would put at least one thing into the gold level that I wouldn't otherwise do in my life. In my case, that was Norwegian, which I'm in my second year of learning and starting to be able to communicate in, which is my DofE goal anyway. At all levels I have always volunteered with children. I am now in my third year working with gifted primary school children. I don't have a fixed goal in volunteering, but I can't set one either. What is important to me is that the activity fulfills me in some way, gives me a sense of purpose and I learn new things through it.
Where did you go on your expedition and what are your favourite memories?
We went to the Jeseníky Mountains for the bronze expedition and to the Beskydy Mountains for the silver one a year later. In the gold level we headed to Ukraine. I took a lot of experiences from the expeditions. On the bronze expedition I went in a team with girls from all over the world. I knew about two words of English together, which made the trip all the more interesting. But probably the best experience I have is from our silver training expedition, where we went on one of the hardest routes in the Beskydy Mountains. Despite the constant climbs and descents, we managed to laugh while making the expedition video, and we have to smile when we watch it today.
Which of the DofE activities do you enjoy the most and why?
I don't think I have a favorite. Expedition is always a nice change for me. You work hard for a year on all your activities and then you go somewhere in the mountains. I guess I enjoy expeditions the most, where I can relax despite the physical strain.
What is the most difficult thing for you in the program?
I guess the hardest part is maintaining some sort of regularity with which I do the activities. For example, it's clear that you don't learn a language by intensive all-day cramming 5 days a month. Instead, it's nice to review something every day, learn a little something. It's the same with movement. This "daily rule" is probably the biggest problem for me, especially when I have, for example, more time-consuming periods.
What has the DofE given you in your life? How do you think it will help you in the future?
I used the DofE mainly to try new activities that I would never have done on my own. Who would start learning Norwegian all by themselves if they don't like foreign languages? Thanks to DofE I even started to like languages, which maybe school would never have taught me. Equally, in my everyday life I never get the chance to try out what the expedition taught me: communicating with people, dealing with crisis situations, problem solving and clever planning. Graduates of the DofE leave the programme with new experiences that will open up a pathway to almost anywhere in their future lives. Of course, upon successful completion of the programme, you will also receive a certificate that is accepted by companies or even universities abroad.
Why would you recommend the DofE to anyone else?
I came to the DofE as someone bored with school and soaps and I leave as someone who is quite active compared to my peers. Thanks to the DofE, I've tried my hand in a lot of areas, and I've found that I can learn anything I put my mind to. For example, if you don't know what you want to do next in life, or you want to try a new activity and are looking for motivation, definitely start with DofE. It was worth it for me and I dare say that being on the programme changed my life.
After completing the Bronze level I realised what the DofE had given me, how much I had learned and how much more I could learn. Plus, my friends and I had started planning another silver level expedition, so I couldn't get away. I think continuing was one of the best decisions I ever made!
Thanks to Karolina for the interview.
#WorldReady #dofeczech #zazijdofe
