Volunteering in a shelter, an acting course or an expedition with Pepa the butterfly - these are all experiences that Anna Pavlíková is taking away from the bronze level of the DofE programme. She admits that she hesitated for a long time before applying, but now she knows it was worth it. The DofE has taught her patience, perseverance and good time management, and has shown her that she can do what she used to fear.
Do you remember when you started at the DofE?
I was starting in the summer of 2023. I'd been thinking about applying to the DofE for a long time before that, but I always felt like it wasn't a good time and that I'd wait until I had more time, so I put it off for a long time. Finally, one Sunday in August, a friend texted me to say she'd already signed up, so if we're going to volunteer together, I should finally sign up now too. And so I did. 😀
What attracted you to the program?
It gets people to go the extra mile and at the same time motivates them to persevere and improve. For example, I used to volunteer at a shelter, which I really enjoyed. But if it wasn't for the DofE, I probably wouldn't have thought I could actually do something like that.
If you were to summarise, what did the DofE give you?
For example, I now have a lot of great memories and funny stories to tell, I've met great people and tried new things that I probably wouldn't have gotten to on my own otherwise.
How do you evaluate your participation in the programme now?
Definitely positive. I'm glad I signed up and tried it, I really enjoyed it.
Could you briefly summarize what you did at the bronze level?
As part of my sport, I did running, had an acting course as a skill and volunteered at a shelter for dogs and cats. I was a bit scared of this initially, I thought it would be very hard for me to return the dogs back to the shelter after a walk, especially if the dogs were more likely to want to leave with me. Fortunately, that didn't happen, it turned out that the dogs love their new home so much that at the end of the walk they literally dragged me to the house so that I wouldn't forget to return them.😅
What are the most important things you have learned in the DofE?
Quite a few things actually, so it's quite hard for me to pick just one. I would probably mention mainly the patience and perseverance I needed during the activities and good time management to keep up with all the activities along with school and other obligations.
Do you feel you have changed or moved on as a result of the DofE?
I don't think I've changed much, but I've definitely moved on. Among other things, I have improved my presentation skills, but most importantly, I have learned a lot about myself. For example, I was worried about how I would handle the expedition. I'm not the fittest physically, so I was a bit worried about it. In the end, I not only managed the expedition, but I actually enjoyed it and found out that I can do more than I thought.
I continue to volunteer after the end of the Bronze level
Do you think you will use some of the experience you gained in the DofE in the future? Or have you already used some?
I'm already using the skills I learned or improved through the acting course. I am now working as a trainer in a non-profit organization that tries to increase the health literacy of Czechs and educates the public mainly in the field of prevention. So I go to different companies and schools to teach workshops, so a lot of things from the acting course really come in handy, like the ability to perform and speak in front of larger audiences, voice work, improvisation and more.
Are you able to continue some of the activities you did in the DofE?
I continue to walk dogs from the shelter, I have my favorites there, so I couldn't leave them behind. 😊 I just can't manage to go there as often as I did during the DofE programme. I would also love to sign up for another acting course so I can push myself further in my acting. I wanted to take a course this term but it didn't work out because of school, so I'm hoping next year will be better. The only thing I know I don't want to continue with is running. I've never really liked it, but I thought I'd come around to it during the DofE. Which didn't happen, so at least now I know what I definitely don't want to do anymore. 😀
If you could choose one or two experiences that you like to remember in relation to the DofE, what would they be?
Definitely on Pepa. 😀 During the first day of the expedition a butterfly joined our journey. At first it flew around us, after a while it probably gathered courage and came to get acquainted with us. He took turns to sit on the shoulders or head of all our team members and in this way he walked a significant part of the way with us, so we decided to name him as a rightful member of our group (we called him Pepa, we unanimously agreed that this is the right name for a butterfly) and we declared him our mascot. When he decided to leave us after some time and flew to the nearest tree, we at least named the team after him.
And another experience I like to remember is from making videos for the DofE campaign. In the part where I say what activities I was involved in, I had a dog with me, a beautiful greyhound called Hugo. I was supposed to hold him on a lead, walk him through the park and tell him about how I used to walk dogs from the pound. But Hugo decided otherwise. He decided that rather than be led away from me, it was better to run away to his owner. And so he did. In every shot. It was quite funny when I was talking about my love for dogs and I was swimming after Hugo. When we realized that wasn't going to work, we moved to the bench to film. We thought sitting still would be easier for Hugo. It wasn't. He kept trying to run to his owner. After about less than half an hour of trying, we managed to get at least some usable footage. Which got cut out, so Hugo didn't make it into the final video. 😅
Online program fulfillment was no disadvantage
The DofE has been fulfilling the online version of the programme. What was it like actually seeing the supervisor in the online space rather than physically?
Well, considering the fact that I finished my final year online due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and then I studied online for practically the whole first year of college and didn't see my new classmates except through screens, I didn't find it strange 😀 On the other hand, when I saw my supervisor Mark live for the first time during the filming of videos for the DofE campaign, I found it quite unusual. 😅
Throughout my program, Mark and I regularly called or saw each other via video call and texted each other whenever I needed something, so I didn't feel like I was at any disadvantage compared to participants who saw their leaders physically.
What would you say to someone who is hesitant about joining the DofE?
I would tell him to definitely try it 😀 He certainly has nothing to lose, he can only gain - learn something new, meet new people but also see himself in unusual situations, push his boundaries and gain new experiences.
