Can someone answer a few questions about The Duke of Edinburgh Award (bronze) please?

I'm confused with DofE really I have no clue whats going on. All I know is that I'm doing these new things (physical, volunteering and skills) for certain amounts of time and I'm unsure if I'm even doing it right. I also know that I'm going to go camping soon but i'm not prepared and don't even know how to prepare. My parents are not from here and have never done anything like this before so they're even more clueless then I am - I don't know how to talk with my teachers either. Here are some specific things I need to know and I would be grateful if somebody were to answer:

1. For physical I'm planning to play badminton with my friend. Are they allowed to be my assessor and sign my paper for me? Do we need photo proof if my friend is signing it?

2. For skills my DofE teacher will be my assessor, I will be doing cooking and sending photo proof on the website for every time I do it. Will my teacher need to sign my paper everytime I cook and will he have to write his initials down or can someone else do it?

3. I've started a bit later than other people leaving a small amount of time until I go camping. Can I carry on my skills, physical and volunteering if it surpasses my camping date?

4. Could you give me tips for preparing for my camping expedition? I have the groups sorted and bought walking boots, thats pretty much it. I'm attending all meetings and getting the right training (although the meetings are pretty much pointless because no one takes it seriously). I also know how to use a map correctly and planned my route with my group. What type of stuff do I need to bring besides the obvious? How much food should I bring? When do I rent my gear from the school and prepare packing at home? ect

Well thats all I can think of! Sorry about the huge chunks of paragraphs and I would be absolutely happy if anybody sees this and replies with a helpful answer. Thank you for reading

Hiya, don't worry you'll be absolutely fine, I was confused at first as there is a lot to take in but I can help to answer some of your questions.

For badminton you need to have someone other than a friend to sign the card and write a comment e.g. a teacher, leader, instructor so it might be easier to join a badminton club. If you do this you don't need photo proof unless you want to.

For your cooking: your assessor just needs to make sure you're doing the cooking. Then he just needs to sign your card and write a comment at the end of your time, you don't need any photo proof if you don't want to

As for starting late you can continue past the expedition until a completion date that your leader might set. E.g. I did my expedition in august but I had to finish the whole thing by October so don't worry, some people start very last minute!

You sound like you're doing exactly the right preparation. Pack a couple of nights before so you can check you have everything- you may have a kit check the night before. Take as little as possible as it makes your bag a lot more manageable. Remember you're only going for 1 night- packed lunch, tea, breakfast, lunch- keep it to as many sachets and flat things as possible like soup, pasta and sauce, pitta bread and a few snacks- you will be assessed on the eve meal so listen out for what to bring.

Equipment just follow the list if you've been given one. Basic first aid kit- don't bring everything as you'll be able to share. Spare socks and trousers/shorts in case they get really wet. Base layer, raincoat, fleece? 2 mess tins, mug, torch, a few wash things. As it's only one night take as little as possible.

If you have any more questions just ask

Thankyou so much this was very helpful and thank you for taking the time to help me!

Hi,
I'm a DofE participant.During my volunteering, I couldn't do my weekly hour for 3 different weeks. Is it okay if I made up that time by working one hour for 3 consecutive days?