Young people doing their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) get new mapping boost from OS

16 Jun 2022 01:23 PM

Planning expeditions for Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards has never been easier as OS mapping is made available to young people doing their DofE.

Hundreds of thousands of young people doing their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) each year are set to benefit from easier access to mapping with Ordnance Survey.

The DofE and OS are working together to ensure the latest in OS’s mapping – courtesy of the OS Maps application – is now available for planning expeditions via eDofE, the DofE’s digital system for young people, leaders and volunteers.

It means young people and their DofE Leaders will find potting routes for upcoming expeditions quicker, easier, and more reliable than before.

Tom Ovenstone, Director of Quality & Compliance at the DofE, said:

“For young people across the UK, planning and doing their DofE expedition can be an amazing experience which helps build their independence, confidence and teamwork skills, and gives them lifelong memories.

“We're excited to partner with OS to continue to support young people on their outdoor adventures by giving them access to this next generation mapping platform.”

OS’s MD for Leisure, Nick Giles, said:

“For so many young people, doing their DofE is the first time they experience the joy and excitement of map reading and expedition planning.

“We want to be involved as this is all about setting up future generations for a life of adventure, building the skills that can help them in future years and last lifetime.

“OS wants to play a part in that. We want to help as many young people as possible to learn to read OS maps and take those skills into later life. We want them to feel confident, safe and inspired to go adventuring around the wonderful outdoors we have in the UK.

“So it is fantastic to strengthen our long-standing partnership with the DofE by improving how young people access our detailed mapping through eDofE.”

OS mapping will be available directly when logging into the eDofE web platform and will include mapping for Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Young people doing their DofE will have access to:

• Plot their own routes, and share them with their fellow participants and their Leaders and Assessors;
• Standard and premium topographic mapping;
• Import and export routes; and
• Unlimited printing up to A3 size.

The DofE is a non-competitive, personal challenge with three levels open to all young people aged 14-24. It is run in schools, colleges, youth and sports clubs, prisons and young offender institutions, hospitals and many more, across the UK – giving young people the chance to discover new passions, develop vital skills and grow in resilience and self-belief.

Young people choose their own activities to complete four sections at Bronze and Silver level – Physical, Skills, Volunteering and an Expedition – as well as a challenging Residential section at Gold level.