Year 9 Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) students Amber Plowman and Willow Young have created a new display board in the school library, to promote reading for empathy, as part of the volunteering section of the DofE programme.

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is a voluntary, and flexible programme of cultural and adventurous activities for all young people aged between 14 and 25 years old, whatever their background or ability. Volunteering is a key part of the DofE programme due to the impact it has, both on a young person's life, and on the wider community. Students develop the skills and attitudes they need to become more rounded, confident adults. Qualities that colleges, universities and employers are attracted to.

Amber and Willow both volunteered a total of sixteen hours each of their time to assist in the Library for one hour each week after school where they undertook a variety of tasks to help keep the Library organised and running smoothly.

Amber said, ‘I enjoyed my time during volunteering in the library, and it was a productive experience. I learnt lots of new skills and I enjoyed helping out others.’

Librarian, Wendy Mann said, ‘It was a pleasure to have Amber and Willow helping in the library. They worked extremely hard and completed all the tasks they were given. The #ReadForEmpathy display they produced took a lot of time and effort to prepare and they both did a fantastic job.'

Darren Hooper, who co-ordinates the Duke of Edinburgh Award at Brooke Weston Academy said, ‘The students that are involved are learning life skills which are what universities, and employers are looking for. It shows that they can work on their own and have good time management skills.’