Nela Večeřová joined the DofE at the Labská Primary School in Brno shortly after she met the minimum age limit for the programme, at just thirteen. A year and a half later, she received her bronze badge and certificate at a ceremony. And along with her, more than three hundred and fifty other young people.
At bronze level, Nela's goal in the movement was to improve her target shooting in korfball. In the skill she composed a song, sang it and prepared a YouTube video clip for it. "At the beginning I thought doing the DofE would be easy. The beginning was really easy, I was completing tasks that I enjoyed. But then I found it was harder than it first seemed," she recalls.
Of course, she also volunteered by teaching the school assistant's son the guitar. "But by achieving the bronze level, I was able to not only overcome obstacles but also believe in myself," Nela says of her participation in the DofE.
DofE is for everyone
Her teacher, Daniel Andrášik, from a primary school in Brno, appreciates the fact that the DofE is open to everyone: "Pupils with a variety of interests can join, but also those from less stimulating backgrounds who have not done anything organised before."
In addition, he said, the program does not just move students, but their leaders as well. "Watching pupils develop and overcome their own challenges is very inspiring and motivating, and the experience can be transferred to the educational process in the school environment," he explains.
"For a leader who is a hiker and has been on his own expeditions, where he has often hit rock bottom, it is very fulfilling to guide the students through the project and to experience less pleasant situations on expeditions. These are the ones that push people forward," adds Daniel Andrášik.
