East Riding Of Yorkshire Council have axed The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and shifted the responsibility to local school’s to deliver the incentive.
With schools in the region among some of the most underfunded in the UK, fears are growing that young people in the East Riding could miss out on the opportunities the DofE gives young people.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award say that the Charity has ‘responded to the trend of council cuts’ by enabling schools to become Directly Licensed Centres, ensuring young people can still benefit from taking part in the DofE.
Georgia Woolford, from The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, told HU17.net;
“East Riding of Yorkshire Council has been working with The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in the North of England on a transition process since it was announced that it would have to terminate its DofE Licence due to budget cuts.”
“The DofE is committed to realising its ambition that any young person aged 14-24 can embark on and complete their DofE programme.”
“Over the last six years, the Charity has seen a trend in councils making cuts to their youth services, which, in some cases, includes their licence to deliver the DofE that schools have operated under.”
“In response to this trend, the DofE created a new model for licensing in 2012 that enables schools to become Directly Licensed Centres (DLCs), ensuring their pupils are still able to benefit from taking part in the DofE.”
“In addition to this, the DofE continues to grow its availability outside of schools, through youth clubs, voluntary organisations, sports clubs and businesses.”
Just 12 months ago HU17.net reported on how one local girl, Ruby Hulse Danced her Way across the Humber Bridge, in celebration of the charities Diamond Anniversary.
The DofE say it is up to individual school’s to decide if they want to offer DofE, Georgia said;
“It has been and will continue to be each school’s decision to take on an independent licence.”
“Since 2012 hundreds of schools throughout the UK have become directly licensed and are working with the DofE to do everything possible to minimise the number of young people’s DofE journeys affected.”
“The DofE in the North of England has been having positive meetings and establishing relationships with the different organisations in the East Riding area.”
East Riding of Yorkshire Council say they are ‘committed to these new arrangements’ and that the family support service has recently established with Beverley Town Council and the yet to be launched Beverley Youth Coalition.
Beverley Town Council say that there are no plans in their budget to fund The Beverley Youth Coalition but have received £5,000 in financial support from the local authority to ‘kick start’ the incentive.
