Scouting and the Award Programme Overlap in the Areas Of

Scouting

And

The Award

Revised May 2007 Keith Barr

How it all Began

The Award Programme was first introduced in the United Kingdom in 1956 as The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, as a means to encourage and motivate young people over the age of 14 years to become involved in a balanced programme of voluntary self-development activities.

The Programme was designed with great care by a small team of concerned individuals. It included HRH The Duke of Edinburgh who had experience as a school student of a similar programme operated by his former headmaster, Dr. Kurt Hahn. Dr. Hahn, another member of the original committee, was a distinguished educationalist and the founder of Outward Bound and the United World Colleges. The third prominent member was Lord Hunt, the famous adventurer and leader of the first team to conquer Mount Everest.

Almost as soon as it was launched in the UK, the Award Programme was taken up by schools and youth groups in other countries. The unique composition of the Programme is ideally suited to easy adaptation and integration into different cultures and societies. Its basic content remains the same throughout the world, but the activities, the application and even the title are all adapted to suit the varying needs of young people in different countries.

Over the past three decades the Award has developed and grown, touching the lives of young people in over 60 different countries. In many countries it is known as “The President’s Award” or “The National Youth Award”. In others a more national title has been adopted, e.g. The Crown Prince Award in Jordan and Gaisce in the Republic of Ireland.

The Programme is continuously updated and modified to suit the changing demands of modern society and the needs of young people. Today it is a major international programme recognized and used by agencies concerned with youth throughout the world.

The Award Programme

The Award concept is one of individual challenge. It presents to young people a balanced, non-competitive programme of voluntary activities, which encourage personal discovery and growth, self-reliance, perseverance, responsibility to themselves and service to their community.

 The Award is a programme of leisure time activities; it is not a youth organization.

 The Award is based on self-improvement and personal challenge; it is not a competition.

 The Award is open to all young people regardless of ability, background or culture; it is not just for a small elite.

 The award has a progressive structure.

There are three levels of Award, Bronze, Silver and Gold, each as important as the others and each requiring an increasing time commitment.

Young people can become involved at the level which best suits them at that point in their lives. The Award provides young people with a framework for activity, not a strait- jacket.

To gain an Award a young person must satisfy the requirements in four areas of activity: Service, Expeditions, Skills and Physical Recreation. Within these four Sections there is a vast choice, to enable every young person to follow an individual balanced programme unique to his or her interests and personal development.

 The Award is aimed at the 14 to 25 year age range, which covers the transitional period between childhood and adulthood. The three levels of the Award may be attempted at any time after the ages shown: o Bronze – 14th birthday; o Silver – 15th birthday; and o Gold – 16th birthday.

 The Award is concerned with personal all-round development and individual challenge. No activities under-taken or qualifications gained before starting an Award can be taken into account. It is not retrospective.

 The Award itself is not a monetary prize. The satisfaction and sense of achievement of gaining personal goals is the reward for the young person. As a token of their achievement Award holders are presented with a badge or medal and a certificate.

To Scout Members

This chapter is aimed at three categories of people within Scouting: the member, the leader and the Service Scouter (leader of adults).

The Member

The Award presents four areas of activity where members can set challenges for themselves in community service, physical recreation, personal development and adventure projects

The purpose of these challenges is to enable members to reach their personal best in each area of activity in keeping with the ideals of Scouting of ‘doing one’s best’. It is not intended that participants are ‘first’ or ‘the best in all activities’, but rather are prepared to strive in the pursuit of excellence. It is this striving which is acknowledged by the Award.

Members have the opportunity to select activities linked to their Scout programmes. The essential feature is that the particular activity is one that has not been undertaken by them before (for example, a community environment project), or a standard is being sought which was not attained before (for example, a level even more demanding than a previously achieved badge) or an expedition is being mounted in unfamiliar territory.

The Leader

Since the Award operates up to the age of 25, leaders in this age category are readily provided with a programme for themselves, which augments the leadership, which they are already providing for their units.

The challenge of the Award at this level is usually Silver or Gold and amongst the activities leaders undertake are first aid, emergency service training, specialist training (like campfire leaders courses or training your Patrol Leaders) and outdoor pursuit training (like canoe leadership, mountain leadership or life saving). Such activities are not only beneficial to members of the unit but are of immense personal value to the leader in question and provide a great personal resource of skills to the family, the whole group and the community at large.

Formal Scout leadership training such as the acquisition of the Wood Badge may not count towards an Award. Informal training in a specialist field does, however, provide the extra challenge encouraged by the Award.

As part of the Service Section the leader may act as an Award leader for members of the unit who wish to undertake the Award themselves. Each person who chooses to do the Award requires an Award leader. This is someone who will assist the participant in defining his or her goals in each Section of the Award. They most likely will not have all

the necessary skills to instruct the participant in all the possible activities; however, their task is one of helping select suitable challenging goals relative to the individual capabilities of each participant.

The Service Scouter (Leader of Adults)

Just as the young member needs an Award leader, so does the section Scouter or assistant who undertakes the Award. These leaders are drawn from the older age range of leaders who are outside the age of the Award themselves or who are group leaders, commissioners, trainers, officers or committee people at group or area level. They perform the task of assisting the individual to set their personal goals in each Section for their Award.

An added dimension exists for the Service Scouter to act as instructors for members and leaders. Many skills exist within the group and area – an enormous latent resource of crafts, skills and trades. The imparting of a skill takes place over an agreed period of time on an informal basis depending upon which Award is being undertaken. Scouts acquire skills ranging from craft work to electronic skills to musicianship.

At group and area level, opportunities are available for former leaders and supporters of Scouting to assist in the operation of the Award by acting as Award leaders or instructors.

The Scouting community at group, area, council, national and international level already recognize the benefits of promoting this personal endeavour programme to the Movement.

The Award Within Scouting

“By keeping yourself healthy and helpful to others you will make a success of your life and enjoy it.” Baden-Powell

The philosophies of Scouting and the Award Programme overlap in the areas of:

 doing one’s best  lack of competitiveness  progressively building on success  wide ranging extra-curricular activities  personal development  links to the ‘outside’ world though community activity and helpfulness  team work through working with one’s peer – the Patrol system, Venturer Company, Rover Crew

The Award readily provides a flexible yet structured programme for:

 senior Scouts and Patrol Leaders who have achieved all their Scout badges  Venturer Companies  Rover Crews  Mixed or joint groups who share activities  Young leaders within all sections of the Movement

Scouts and Venturers progress through the Scout program earning challenge badges, achievements badges and awards. They reach various levels in the different sections such as Pathfinder Scout, the Chief Scout’s Award and the Queen’s Venturer Award.

The pursuit of any one of these standards is quite a challenge in itself and the Scout may use some of these activities to qualify for both the Scout badge and for part of the Award, as long as the requirements for both qualifications are met.

This however, must be agreed with the Award leaders before embarking on the activity. Since there is no hierarchy in relation to the Award, Scouts may undertake a Bronze, Silver or Gold Award at any stage during their badge work.

The Programme Itself

General

The Award Programme should be viewed in its entirety, not as four separate Sections. The spirit of the Award runs through the whole Programme linking each Section with the others, making this a ‘do-it-yourself kit’ for personal development.

The Programme has been designed very carefully and is flexible enough to be of use to any young person in any circumstance. The Programme has something to offer every young person.

The four Section of Service, Expeditions, Skills and Physical Recreation are now explained in more detail. The minimum requirements stated are those given in the “Participant’s Record Book” for “The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Young Canadians Challenge. Contact your local Award Office for full details.

Service

Goal: to encourage participants to realize that as members of a community, they have a responsibility to others and that their help is needed.

This Section is designed to develop in participants a sense of community service and a feeling of responsibility to others.

Personal relationship skills and leadership abilities are some of the qualities, which can be developed through successful involvement in this Section.

Scouts are already dedicated to giving service. Through this Section, Scouts can challenge themselves to develop this commitment either within the Movement or elsewhere.

If they are already leaders within the Movement they can develop their leadership skills by acquiring new qualifications or by exploring new activities with their units.

They can undertake service which will benefit a wider community – their neighbors, their town, ether own country or another country.

The emphasis is on giving a regular commitment to helping others.

Preparation for giving service is considered important. Participants have to acquire an understanding and awareness of the role and importance of community service and to learn how to carry out their chosen activity competently and considerately.

To qualify in this Section, participants should challenge themselves to give regular practical service for the following minimum periods of time:

Bronze 15 hours spread over at least 6 months

Silver 30 hours spread over at least 6 months, or 45 hours spread over 12 months (direct entry)

Gold 60 hours spread over at least 12 months, or 90 hours spread over 18 months (direct entry)

The Scouting Equivalent

Scouts Community service is part of the requirements under the Citizenship activity badge. For example:  Voyageur Citizenship #1  Pathfinder Citizenship #7.

Scouts working on their Chief Scout’s Award must complete a challenging program in the Citizenship activity area. That program usually involves a community service project.

Community service is also included in the requirements for the following Challenge badges:  Special Needs Awareness #2  Fish & Wildlife #3  Forestry #3  Recycling

Venturers Venturers working in the Service Activity Area of the Venturer program are asked to provide service to their community.

Examples of possible Scouting Service activities

Bronze -- a Scout serves as a Kim with a Cub Pack over a 6 month period. A Scout participates in several Troop service activities; local food drive, Scoutrees, etc.

Silver – a Venturer completes first aid training and serves on the school’s Emergency Response Team over a period of 6 months.

Gold – a Venturer or Rover meets with a service club or organization in the community, the local food bank for example, and organizes a food drive and takes part in other service projects over a period of 12 months.

Adventurous Journey

Goal: to develop self-reliance by undertaking an interesting journey of discovery. To encourage participants to develop an awareness of the natural environment, and the importance of protecting it during the Expedition.

The Expeditions Section is designed to encourage young people to open their eyes and minds to the opportunities, which exist around them. The emphasis is on discovering their environment and themselves, to explore and to dare to journey further.

This has to be done in a safe and proper way. Training in expedition and camping skills therefore is considered necessary as is training in preparation and planning techniques.

In small groups, young people have to conceptualize their own venture. They plan and carry it out on their own under the careful supervision of experienced adults.

This experience emphasizes the importance of teamwork and group responsibility, a concept already familiar to every Scout.

It is recognized that within Scouting there is a vast knowledge and resource for expeditioning. This Section can still act as a further challenge to even the most experienced Scout.

Young people are required to undertake a challenging expedition-type venture roughly equivalent in effort to the following minimum requirements:

Bronze: 5 hours per day on foot over 2 days with 1 night spent under canvas in unfamiliar country.

Silver 6 hours per day on foot over 3 days with 2 nights spent under canvas in unfamiliar country.

Gold 7 hours per day on foot over 4 days with 3 nights spent under canvas in remote country.

These minimum standards may seem easily attainable to Scouts experienced in expeditioning. If this is the case, the Scouts should set themselves expedition goals relative to their experience.

There are many different types of ventures to choose from in this Section.

They can journey on water or on land, by cycle or on horseback, whichever presents a challenge. They can climb high mountains or spend more time researching or studying a field of interest. They can explore a different area or even a different country. They can share this Section with others who may be less experienced or capable than themselves.

This Section is about personal challenge and offers something for everyone – from the youngest, newest Scout to the experienced mountaineer.

The Scouting Equivalent

Scouts Scouts working on the Pathfinder level of the Outdoor Skills activity badge are required to complete varying levels of multi-night lightweight or mobile camps.

Scouts working on their Chief Scout’s Award must complete a challenging program in the Outdoor Skills activity area.

Scouts earning the following Challenge badges must demonstrate outdoor skills:  Advanced Tripping  Exploring  Water Tripping

Venturers Venturers earning any of the following Venturer Awards may have completed the requirements for the Expedition Section at either the Silver or Gold level:  Exploration  Outdoorsman  Canadian Trails Activity Award Award Award

Examples of possible Scouting Expeditions

Bronze – two Scouts, with the assistance of their Troop Scouter or Patrol Counsellor, planned and conducted a 25 kilometer weekend hike to backcountry wilderness sites in Fundy National Park.

Silver – two Venturers hiked 50 kilometers of the Trans Canada Trail over a long weekend.

Gold – two Venturers planned, organized and carried out a four-day long, 85 kilometer hike of the Dobson Trail and other trails in Fundy National Park.

Skills

Goal: to encourage the discovery and development of personal interests and social and practical skills.

The object of this Section is to stimulate young people to take up and persevere with satisfying and purposeful pursuits within a wide range of practical, cultural and social activities.

The emphasis is on effort and perseverance within one’s own capabilities rather than reaching a set level of ability. Participants are required to show commitment and ‘stickability’ at their hosen activity over a certain period of time, thus widening their horizons and satisfying a personal challenge.

The activity is to be followed regularly for:

Bronze: at least 6 months Silver: at least 6 months, or 12 months for direct entry Gold: at least 12 months, or 18 months for direct entry.

Here Scouts can continue an interest or hobby perhaps initiated through Scouting. It encourages them to continue their interest after the Scout badge has been achieved, increasing their knowledge and widening their horizons. It provides participants with the change to acquire a lifelong leisure interest, a vocational skill or even a route to self- sufficiency.

This Section is the most personal and individual of all the Sections. It allows young people to develop personal interests within their own capabilities and potential. There are no set standards to reach or exams to pass. To obtain satisfaction and enjoyment through participating and to increase one’s knowledge is the aim.

The Scouting Equivalent

Scouts Scouts working on their Chief Scout’s Award must complete a challenging program in the Personal Development activity area.

Scouts earning the following Challenge badges are developing personal interests and skills:  Agriculture  Heritage  Performing Arts  Artist  Home Repair  Photography  Builder  Horticulture  Pioneering  Collector  Language  Powercaft  Communicator  Lifesaving  Sailing  Computer  Literary Arts  Science  Cooking  Modeller  Space Exploration  Engineering  Music  Swimming  Family Care  Naturalist  Weather  First Aid  Paddling  White Water  Handicraft  Pet Care

Venturers Venturers earning any of the following Venturer Awards may have completed the requirements for the Skills Section at either the Silver or Gold level:  Service Activity  Exploration  Personal Interest Award (select a Activity Award Award service skill) (outdoor skills)

Examples of possible Scouting Skills activities

Bronze – over six months, a Scout has completed the requirements for one of the Challenge Badges listed above.

Silver – over a period of 6 months a Venturer completed the requirements for the Lifesaving Society’s Bronze Medallion and served as a lifeguard during the summer at a Scout camp.

Gold – over a period of 12 months, a Venturer or Rover completes the training required to become a volunteer Firefighter and serves on the local Volunteer Fire Department.

Physical Recreation

Goal: to encourage participation in psychical activity and provide an opportunity to improve performance and learn to appreciate Physical Recreation as an important component of a healthy life style.

Participation in a physical recreation has been included in the Award Programme for three main reasons. It is believed that:

 Involvement in some form of physical activity is essential for physical well-being

 A lasting sense of achievement and satisfaction is derived from meeting a physical challenge

 Once introduced to enjoyable physical recreation, there is reasonable likelihood that individuals will continue their involvement, leading to a lifelong interest.

This Section is based on improvement of performance relative to an individual’s capabilities. Participants should strive to achieve a personal physical goal, thus making this Section as challenging to the natural athlete or games player as to the physically less gifted.

Through training for physical recreation, this Section encourages self-discipline, perseverance and self-motivation in the individual

Participants are required to follow their chosen physical recreation under a proper supervision and instruction for:

Bronze 30 hours of activity over 15 weeks Silver 40 hours of activity over 20 weeks Gold 50 hours of activity over 25 weeks

Young people must improve their performance within their own potential. For an athlete this may mean beating their personal best or taking up a new sport. For someone with little previous involvement in sports, this Section will mean taking regular exercise through regular participation in physical recreation of their own choice.

All physical recreations are available – team games, racquet games, martial art, even yoga and dancing.

This Section promotes sportsmanship as well as physical fitness, personal endeavour and effort.

The Scouting Equivalent

Scouts Scouts working on the Voyageur level of the Personal Development activity badge are required to:  Participate in an individual or team sport, and  Demonstrate basic fitness levels in five different exercise areas.

Scouts working on their Chief Scout’s Award must complete a challenging program in the Personal Development activity area. That program may include a physical recreation component.

Scouts earning the following Challenge badges are completing physical recreation activities:  Individual Sports  Team Sports  Winter Sports  Swimming  Water Sports

Venturers Venturers earning the Personal Fitness Award are asked to either:  Play a winter and a summer port, or  Plan a personal, active program lasting at least one year.

Examples of possible Scouting Physical Recreation activities

Bronze – a Scout played a sport for a minimum of 15 weeks and earned one of the Athletic Challenge Badges.

Silver – a Venturer played hockey in the winter and soccer in the summer, earning her Personal Fitness Award.

Gold – A Venturer developed and followed a personal active program for 25 weeks, earning the Personal Fitness Award.

Residential Project

Goal: to develop social adaptability through involvement with others in a group setting.

This Section aims to develop maturity and a sense of responsibility for one’s actions by placing participants in an unfamiliar environment in the company of strangers.

To qualify, participants undertake some worthwhile, purposeful activity in the company of others who are not their usual companions. The activity should take place in a residential setting away from home and normally extends over five consecutive days (four nights away). However, a series of weekends may be used instead provided the total number of nights away is four, the weekends fall within a twelve-month period and the same activity or training is undertaken.

Activity and adventure courses are ideal Residential Projects for Scouts and Venturers of all ages. Helping at Scout or Cub camps in the capacity of a leader is again a useful project for Scouts – provided the Scout is with others mainly unfamiliar to him or her. Attending Provincial, National or International Jamborees are also ideal Residential Projects for Scouts or Venturers. Rovers may decide to attend a jamboree as an Offer of Service or to participate in a Rover Moot.

All Scout leaders undertake training often in a residential setting. The experience gained from attending Wood Badge courses is the aim of this Section. Many combine weekend and longer training courses with the requirements of this Section, thereby improving their leadership techniques at the same time as developing social and other vital adulthood skills.

Continuing the Award

Many Scouts may have been introduced to the Award at school or through another agency. Any activity undertaken under the auspices of another Award Authority must be recognized.

Likewise, Award participants who leave the Scout Movement may continue their Award with another agency.

International Reciprocity

Given the current mobility of young people through migration, family circumstances, employment and education, there is the facility of allowing ‘credit’ or ‘trade-in’ of activities completed in one country or territory against the Award requirements in the new country of residence.

By contracting the appropriate National Award Authority participants can establish links with local operating bodies. This is similar to the system in existence in many national Scout associations, whereby Scouts may gain contacts in other countries through the international letter of introduction.

How to Take Part

The Award Programme worldwide is not a member organization. It is, rather, a programme, which is made available to all who wish to either participate in or assist with its operation.

To participate in the Award a person obtains a Record Book. This book becomes the verified record of achievements by the participant in each Section of activity.

How to obtain the Record Book and participant in the Award varies from country to country. Contact your provincial Award office, listed at the end of this booklet, for the relevant information.

Setting Goals

Having received the Record Book the first task is to set goals for oneself in each Section of the Award. As mentioned before it is here that the Award leader helps the participant to select a suitable set of goals appropriate to the age, experience and capabilities of the young person. The Award leader needs to take into account the relative difficulties of the challenge: How will the particular participant cope? What will the costs e? Is it possible to do these activities locally? How realistic is this challenge? (A black belt in martial arts in six months, for example, is impossible). Who will act as instructor/trainer for the various activities?

Period of Participation

The goals having been set, the participant then carries out those activities as defined. As regular intervals the Award leader asks the participant how progress is going and often checks with the various instructors as to how the participant is getting along.

After the minimum period of hours have been completed in each Section and improvement and effort have been shown, the Award leader verifies completion to the local Award Authority which in turn makes arrangements for the Award to be presented to the participant.

Award Leader Pledge

Some countries operate a pledge or license system for leaders, similar to the warrant or commission idea. This is to ensure that if an Award leader moves away then someone else will be found to continue as the leader for each participant. Other wise the participant could be left without any adult support.

Resources

To operate the Programme does not require a lot of new resources or equipment.

Every participant needs a Record Book, which they normally buy themselves.

Each unit needs at least one copy of the Award Leadership Manuel.

There are many other useful publications available from your National Award Authority and often from your national Scout association. These include promotional materials (leaflets, posters, videos and powerpoint presentations), and guides on public relations, fundraising, running the Scheme with disabled young people, expedition techniques and making your own expedition equipment, and leaflets to explain the involvement of adults as instructors and assessors.

There is an international magazine, Award World, which is available free of charge and many National Award Authorities have a national magazine or newsletter to encourage participants and leaders to share their successes and achievements with others.

Your National Award Authority will be able to supply you with all the necessary literature and resources to operate the Programme.

Insignia

The various National Award Authorities have different means to acknowledge the achievements of the successful participant. They take the form of various combinations of the following:

Medal – either Bronze, Silver or Gold depending on the Award completed

Badge/Broach – either Bronze, Silver or Gold depending on the Award completed

Certificate – signed by the national patron of the Award verifying the fact that the named participant fulfilled all the requirements for either the Bronze, Silver or Gold Award

Cloth Badge – for wearing on uniforms, jackets and backpacks

Lapel Badge – worn by helpers, Award leaders and instructors to acknowledge their assistance and support in operating the Award

All of these insignia are non-transferable and for use solely by those who have merited them.

Glossary of Terms

Assessor A responsible adult who has a considerable knowledge of the activity chosen and can assess a participant’s improvement in performance within the requirements as laid down in the Award Leadership Manual.

Award holder A person who has aimed an Award.

Award leader An adult who co-ordinates, monitors and advises an Award unit or group of independent participants. Often this adult is also called a facilitator, monitor, advisor or coordinator. The Award leaders could be a Scout leader, a Venturer Advisor, a Rover Advisor, a Service Scouter (leader of adults) or a parent.

Award unit A group of young people who are participating in the Award Programme.

Leadership Manual The manual of the Programme, which outlines the conditions and requirements of the Programme and provides guidelines and advice on its operation.

Instructor A responsible adult who has considerable knowledge of the activity chosen, and who teaches, aids, guides and instructs the participant over the required time period within the conditions laid down in the Award Leadership Manual. He or she may also act as an assessor in some circumstances.

National Award Authority The national body responsible for all aspects of the proper operation of the Programme within their country. Each National Award Authority must conform to the Rules of Membership to be a member of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award International Association.

Operating Authority An agency or organization, which has been given responsibility for operating the Programme within their organization, e.g. Scouts Canada.

Participant A young person between the ages of 14 and 25 who is taking part in the Programme.

Record Book Each young person must have a Record Book to undertake the Award. Only successful performances are recorded and therefore the Record Book becomes a personal profile of each participant and his or her abilities and interest.

Provincial Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns regarding to the Programme, please contact:

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards 65 Brunswick Street Victoria Health Centre, Rm 287 Fredericton NB E3B 1G5

Phone: (506) 453-3662 Toll Free: (800) 520-DUKE (3853) Fax: (506) 444-5791

Email: [email protected] Webpage: www.dukeofed.org/nb