Volunteer with Us: Become a DofE Adult Volunteer
Are you ready to be part of something rewarding and make a real difference to the lives of young people?
The Essex Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DofE) team is looking for enthusiastic, supportive and engaging adult volunteers to help deliver life-changing experiences for young people.
As a DofE Adult Volunteer, you will play an important role in creating a positive, inspiring and supportive environment where young people aged 13 to 25 can develop confidence, resilience, teamwork and leadership skills through their DofE journey.
To apply, you must be 18 years of age or older.
DofE Volunteer Roles
Our volunteering opportunities fall into two main areas:
Youth Centre-Based Volunteering
Volunteers support our DofE Leaders during fortnightly youth-centre sessions, helping to deliver a wide range of activities and providing encouragement and guidance to participants.
You'll help young people:
- Build confidence and teamwork skills
- Develop leadership abilities
- Explore volunteering opportunities
- Learn first aid and expedition skills
- Prepare for DofE expeditions
- Navigate and use eDofE
Sessions also include social activities, giving young people the opportunity to play sports, table tennis, pool, board games and spend time with their peers.
Locations:
- Brentwood Youth Centre
- Galleywood Youth Centre
- Colchester Youth Centre
When: There are 10 sessions delivered between November and March, with sessions running from 6:30pm to 9:30pm.
Expedition Volunteering
Our expedition volunteers support participants during training days, practice expeditions and qualifying expeditions at Bronze, Silver and Gold level.
Expeditions take place between March and October and range from:
- 2 days / 1 night
- Up to 4 days / 3 nights
This role offers a fully immersive experience in expedition life and may involve time away from home, sleeping in tents or simple accommodation.
You will support and mentor young people as they navigate the physical and mental challenges of their expeditions, helping them build confidence, independence and resilience.
Who Are We Looking For?
We're looking for people who enjoy working with young people and are ready to get involved in a wide variety of activities.
You might be:
- Energetic, approachable and engaging
- Compassionate and supportive
- Curious and willing to learn
- Reliable and hard-working
- Comfortable working as part of a team
Activities can vary considerably. One day you could be helping young people develop leadership skills in a classroom; another day you might be teaching participants how to put up tents, discussing expedition planning, preparing equipment, or walking several miles to check in with teams on expedition.
Whether indoors or outdoors, you'll be helping young people overcome challenges and achieve their goals.
Skills and Qualities We Value
You don't need to be a DofE expert to volunteer with us. We provide support and training to help you succeed.
We're looking for people who can bring:
- Enthusiasm and a positive attitude
- A willingness to get involved
- Reliability and responsibility
- Strong communication skills
- A friendly and approachable nature
- The ability to work well with others
- Flexibility and adaptability
- Compassion and empathy for young people
- Resilience and a willingness to support others during challenging situations
- An interest in outdoor activities, expeditions or DofE (desirable but not essential)
What's in It for You?
We want our volunteers to get as much out of the experience as the young people they support. At the start of your volunteering journey, we'll talk with you about your interests and what you hope to gain from the role.
As a volunteer, you can expect:
- Access to exciting training and development opportunities
- A supportive and welcoming team environment
- Opportunities to have your voice heard and contribute ideas
- Valuable experience working with young people
- The chance to support young people in achieving their DofE Award
- A sense of pride from making a positive difference
- The opportunity to be part of our fantastic DofE team
- An insight into youth work as a career, helping you decide whether it could be the right path for you
Join Us
Volunteering with the Essex DofE team is an opportunity to make a lasting impact on young people's lives while developing your own skills, confidence and experience.
Whether you're interested in youth work, outdoor education, expeditions, or simply giving back to your community, we'd love to hear from you.