Expedition Provision

Zest for Adventure can offer a Duke of Edinburgh's Award Expedition Section programme at Bronze, Silver and Gold levels tailored to meet your requirements. However, the following is a typical walking expedition programme format:

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Expedition Information Session

Purpose: explaining to participants and parents how the expedition programme operates

Timing: evening, ½ hour (typically combined with school’s DofE launch meeting)

Expedition Preparation Session (may be combined with Expedition Planning Session)

Purpose: reminding participants how the expedition programme operates, enabling participants to choose their expedition teams

Timing: lunchtime, ½ hour

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Expedition Planning Session

Purpose: demonstrating expedition equipment and discussing options for obtaining it

Timing: after-school, 1½ hours

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Expedition Briefing Sessions

Purpose: finalising arrangements for the expedition

Timing: the week before each expedition, lunchtime, ½ hour

Training Expedition

Format: skills training day and then an accompanied training walk: for all participants who have not successfully completed a DofE expedition programme at the previous level

Duration: 2 days, 1 night (Bronze, Silver and Gold)

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Practice Expedition (may be combined with Training Expedition)

Format: closely-supervised expedition with checkpointed training walk on the first day

Duration: not required (Bronze); 3 days, 2 nights (Silver); 4 days, 3 nights (Gold)

Qualifying Expedition

Format: remotely supervised and independently assessed expedition

Duration: 2 days, 1 night (Bronze); 3 days, 2 nights (Silver); 5 days, 4 nights (including checkpointed acclimatisation walk) (Gold)

Expedition Presentation Session (optional for Bronze)

Purpose: participants giving their presentations

Timing: the second week after the Qualifying Expedition, lunchtime or after-school (depending on number of teams)

Expedition Prices

Exact prices will depend on the details of the programme that you would like us to provide, as well as on your location and on the staffing requirements of your local DofE Licensed Organisation. Full details will be provided on request, but typical prices per participant are as follows:

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  Bronze Expedition Programme

   All entrants: £140.00

  Silver Expedition Programme

   New entrants: £280.00

   Bronze Expedition Section holders: £200.00

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  Gold Expedition Programme

   New entrants: £400.00

   Silver Expedition Section holders: £320.00

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VAT will be added to all prices at the applicable rate.

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Participant Presentations

Teams deliver an expedition presentation after the completion of their qualifying expedition. Here are a few presentations given by some of our recent successful teams:

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Accredited Leader Scheme

This is a scheme to train and accredit suitably-experienced school leaders to be able to lead on expeditions on exactly the same basis as Zest for Adventure Expedition Leaders. This scheme benefits participants because they are working with leaders who know them and are familiar with the procedures of both the school and of Zest for Adventure. In addition, the school benefits because the price of the expedition programme is reduced.

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Safety

All trainers, supervisors and assessors are appropriately qualified in walking leadership and first aid. All assessors are all nationally accredited DofE Assessors. All expedition leaders have enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service clearance. They carry appropriate safety equipment with them at all times.

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All expedition leaders are required to successfully complete our leader induction programme prior to the start of each expedition season. They are then regularly monitored throughout the season.

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All participants are required to have successfully completed an accompanied training expedition before being allowed to undertake an unaccompanied expedition. Teams carry appropriate safety equipment with them at all times.

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Zest for Adventure is regularly inspected by the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority and holds an Adventure Activities Licence for Trekking.

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Zest for Adventure holds membership of Pharos Response, which provides us with comprehensive emergency response support in the event of a serious incident.

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Zest for Adventure is insured with Activities Industry Mutual and holds £5,000,000 public liability insurance for mountain walking.

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Quality

Zest for Adventure is regularly inspected by The Duke of Edinburgh's Award and is an Approved Activity Provider for the Expedition Section for Expeditions on Foot.

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All our programmes are thoroughly reviewed prior to the start of each expedition season, and on an ongoing basis, to ensure that they continue to lead the way in Duke of Edinburgh's Award expedition provision.

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We run a comprehensive leader training programme for our expedition leaders prior to the start of each expedition season.

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Integrity

Zest for Adventure is a member of the Institute for Outdoor Learning and is committed to abide by its professional Code of Conduct.

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Experience

Zest for Adventure has been successfully providing Duke of Edinburgh's Award expeditions since 2010.

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All our expedition leaders are experienced and enthusiastic Duke of Edinburgh's Award expedition specialists.

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Support

Our team provides the following support to schools:

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• Regular expedition communication with participants and parents (where required, at extra cost)

• Liaising with school staff to arrange school expedition staffing (where required)

• Production of all documentation and submission of expeditions on Evolve (or similar) and to the DofE (where required)

• All expedition communication with school staff (where required)

• Production of laminated route maps for teams and leaders for each expedition

• Production of comprehensive team and leader packs for each expedition

• Production of detailed assessor’s reports at the end of each expedition programme

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Flexibility

Where participants are unable to attend all of their school's scheduled expeditions, we are able to transfer them over to our open expedition programme to complete their missing expeditions. Depending on circumstances, we offer them significantly reduced prices (often completely free of charge) in this case.

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References

We are able to put you in contact with some of the DofE Managers of the schools we work for, if you would like to obtain references on us prior to committing to booking one of our expedition programmes.