Nearly eighty young people received their awards and badges for completing the DofE at the North Bohemian Museum in Liberec. Among them was DofE silver medallist Michaela Bruckner, who has increased her confidence thanks to the DofE.
The 25-year-old dofa on the move followed up her bronze medal goal by walking at least around seven kilometres each week. She read 25 books and volunteered as a club leader at a leisure centre as part of her skills goal.
"I have learned that I can do even what I am afraid of. I'm not a person who likes to sleep in nature, so expeditions were big nightmares for me. I don't know how, but I eventually made it. I'm so proud of myself when I think about it. It gave me the confidence I needed," she says.
She admits that she was surprised at herself when she applied for the silver level after bronze: "I wasn't the kind of person who would try things that had higher failure rates, but when I applied for the programme and passed the bronze level, it influenced me a lot in the right direction. Even to the point where I entered a competition within the school and went to the next level," said Michaela Bruckner.
It's a joy to give joy
Michaela joined DofE in the framework of the Sluníčko Leisure Time Centre in Lomnice nad Popelkou. This centre is one of the longest running organisations. It joined the DofE in 1998.
"For me it is a wonderful feeling to see happy young people around me who suddenly find their place in society. They want to be involved in the life of our organisation. It's just a joy to give out joy," adds current leader Jana Šimůnková.
