Duke of Edinburgh Award promotes trying veganism as a ‘character building’ activity for teenagers

The Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Award has released a list of 25 “essential activities every teenager should do”, which includes trying veganism or vegetarianism, volunteering for a charity and partaking in a digital detox.

The DofE Award, founded by Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh more than six decades ago, recognises young people for completing challenges including helping the community, improving their fitness and taking part in expeditions.

The registered charity recently conducted a survey to discover the “best character hacks for teens”, outlining activities believed to provide young people with the tools to build their “confidence, independence and resilience”, which in turn could support their wellbeing and help them achieve success.

The 4,000 participants who took part in the survey included a combination of members of the public, education professionals, parents, young people and business leaders.

One of the activities featured on the list is “Try vegetarianism or veganism”, with the DofE Award outlining that in the UK, veganism has grown in popularity exponentially over the past decade, a trend that has been “largely driven by young people”.

“You might want to switch to a plant-based diet for health reasons or because you’re worried about the environmental impact of meat and dairy,” the organisation states.

“As a young person, you’ll increasingly make these kinds of decisions about your life – you’re becoming independent and you want to stand up for the things you believe in.”

The charity adds that if a young person is considering adopting a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, they should do research and speak to their friends and family about their decision.

According to The Vegan Society, it is estimated that a quarter of the British population will be made up of vegans and vegetarians by 2025.

The society adds that approximately one in 10 British children aged between eight and 16 are vegan or vegetarian, with 44 per cent reportedly trying to consume less meat, dairy and eggs in their diets.

Another suggested activity for teenagers on the list is to try to spend less time on their digital devices, a course of action that may prove easier said than done for those who habitually check their social media feeds on a regular basis.

“Switching off for a good chunk of time can have lots of benefits. You’ll reconnect with people and things in the real world,” the DofE Award outlines.

“Of course, technology is a big part of most jobs now and an important way to keep in touch with friends and family – so we’re not saying don’t use it at all –just try to strike the right balance between the time you spend online and offline.”

As part of the release of its Experience List, the DofE Award conducted research to discover how young people feel about their career prospects.

According to the organisation’s findings, 44 per cent of the surveyed teenagers said they don’t feel they are give sufficient opportunity to build their confidence, resilience or independence, more than half said they had never had a part-time job and 43 per cent said they had never campaigned for a cause they felt strongly about.

The DofE Award is calling on the government to “ensure that all schools are adequately resourced for character education”, suggesting that its Experience List become a formalised checklist.

Nicola Foyle, a teacher and a DofE manager at High Grange School, said she believes it would be “beneficial” for the government to formalise the activity checklist.

“With personal development being a priority in education at the moment, there’s no better time to instigate conversation about the types of experiences and activities that can help young people to build their character, resilience and ultimately boost their job prospects.”