For rangers, ranger leaders and all volunteers 16-24
Ready for your next adventure? Take on Gold DofE with Girlguiding Birmingham in 2027
- Find out more at our Intro meeting on Teams: Thursday 19 November 2026, 8.00–8.45 pm. Email Claire for a meeting link and to register your interest claire.l.gibson@outlook.com
Gold DofE is a chance to challenge yourself, discover what you’re capable of and build skills and confidence that will stay with you long after the Award is finished.
You’ll have the opportunity to:
- Build confidence and independence by making decisions, solving problems and taking responsibility for your own expedition.
- Develop skills for your future through volunteering, physical and skills activities that you choose yourself. Your Award can also be recognised with a verified digital badge that you can add to a CV, UCAS or job application.
- Have a real adventure – exploring the outdoors, travelling by public transport, camping and completing a four-day expedition as a team.
- Make memories and new connections, including through the five-day Gold Residential, where you spend time away from home with people you don’t already know.
- Try something new – your volunteering, physical, skills and residential sections can be built around things you already enjoy or something you’ve always wanted to try.
With Girlguiding Birmingham, Gold has a particular focus on independence. We’ll give you the training and support you need, but you and your team will take the lead: planning routes, organising travel and campsites, working together and making decisions along the way.
Who can join?
For our 2027 expedition programme, you need to be a member of Girlguiding and be at least 16 years old before 23 January 2027. You’ll need your Girlguiding membership (GO) number to register.
Gold can fit around school or college. The different sections give you flexibility over when you complete them, and you have until your 25th birthday to finish the Award. If you haven’t completed Silver, that doesn’t necessarily stop you starting Gold – it simply affects the minimum time you’ll need to spend completing the programme.
We can also lend key expedition equipment including tents, stoves, rucksacks, maps and compasses, so you don’t need to own everything yourself. If cost is a concern, please talk to us – we want the programme to be as accessible as possible.
2027 programme dates
You’ll need to be able to attend all of these:
- Intro Call – online via Microsoft Teams: 19 November 2026, 8.00–8.45 pm
- Training Weekend – Trefoil House: 23–24 January 2027
- Expedition Weekend – Wales/Shropshire: 16–18 April 2027
- Route Planning Day – Trefoil House: 25 April 2027
- Pre-Expedition Briefing – online via Microsoft Teams: 15 July 2027, 8.00–8.45 pm
- Practice Expedition – likely to be the Yorkshire Dales: 24–28 July 2027
Gold is challenging – that is part of what makes completing it such an achievement – but you won’t be expected to arrive knowing everything. The training programme is there to help you build the skills, confidence and teamwork you’ll need.
Interested, but not sure whether Gold is for you? Come along to the introductory call and find out more. There’s no harm in asking questions before deciding.
Email claire.l.gibson@outlook.com to register your interest and receive the link to the introductory call.
