The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, a registered charity, is a voluntary, non-competitive programme of activities for anyone aged 14-25. It offers an individual challenge and encourages young people to undertake exciting, constructive, challenging and enjoyable activities in their free time. Just over 7% of those in the UK aged 14-17 participate in the Award, through Award Groups in youth clubs, voluntary organisations, Open Award Centres, schools, colleges, young offender institutes and businesses.

The Award is a four Section Programme with three progressive levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold. The Sections involve: Volunteering(helping the community); Skills (a hobby, skill or interest); Physical Recreation (sports, dance, fitness); Expeditions (on foot, cycle, horseback, or water); Residential Project – Gold only (an enterprise with people not known to the participant). Each year, Award Participants provide over one million hours of service to the community whilst, in the expeditions Section, they collectively covered over one million miles.

At any one time, around 225,000 participants are trying for an Award in the UK alone, with around 110,000 taking up its challenge each year. Approximately 70,000 volunteers share their skills, enthusiasm and time to help guide the participants through their Awards, learning new skills and making friends themselves along the way. The ATC has more people doing the award than any other organisation.