Philosophy

The Award is tough. It is not easily achieved. Yet at the same time, any young person aged between 14 and 25 can gain an Award at Bronze, Silver or Gold level.

This seeming contradiction is explained by the basic idea that The Award is about individual challenge. As every individual is different, so too are the challenges that young people undertake to achieve an Award. With the guidance from adults, each young person should be encouraged to reflect upon their interests, abilities and ambitions and then set themselves challenges in the four different Sections of The Award.

These challenges should require persistence and determination to overcome. Along the way participants may feel daunted or want to give up, but at the end will have the satisfaction of knowing they have overcome the challenges and succeeded, learning about themselves, their hidden depths of character and developing as a human being in the process. Now that’s a sense of achievement!

It is important that these challenges are at the right level for the individual participant. Too easy and there will be no sense of real achievement. Too difficult and the young person may give up in despair.

Participants do not have to be good at anything to get an Award, they simply need to set personally challenging targets for improvement and then strive to reach these targets. A young person will get out of The Award what they put into it. There are no short cuts to a real sense of achievement, it has to be earned.

The Award is balanced. The four Sections provide a framework to encourage physical activity, mental challenge, individual perseverance, teamwork and interaction with other people. An individual’s Award activities should reflect their own interests, but should also show breadth and not focus too exclusively on similar activities.

The young person is required to challenge themselves for their own personal growth and development and they are also required to appreciate the needs of other people and to help them. After doing The Award, participants should be aware of the role they can play in helping the community.

The Award is non-competitive. It is a personal challenge and not a competition against others. There is no sense in which one person’s Award is ’better’ than another’s because they walked further or achieved their Award in a shorter time frame. To achieve an Award, participants need to show individual improvement based on their own starting ability and potential. The only competition is with themselves, to realise their potential and to conquer their challenges.

The Award is voluntary. Young people must choose to do it. They must not be forced to take part, nor forced to do certain activities within each Section. Likewise, activities which participants would be doing as part of their job, school curriculum, full-time training scheme or similar do not qualify as voluntary activity, unless they enhance the activity by contributing a substantial commitment of their own time. If participants are paid to do something, it cannot count towards The Award.

The Award is for young people, for the years of transition between adolescence and adulthood. Subject to the minimum ages for each level, any young person can participate in The Award at whatever level they choose. There is no maximum time limit for an Award, provided all activities are completed by the time participants reach 25 years old, and they should be encouraged to work towards their Award at whatever pace suits them.

The Award is a programme of activities, not an organisation. Any organisation that seeks to develop young people in the age range of 14 – 25 can use The Award to enhance and give additional recognition to the work that they and their members do.

The Award is used by schools, colleges, universities, employers, social clubs, uniformed and non-uniformed youth organisations, young offenders’ institutions, religious organisations, sports clubs, and civil organisations and so on. Young people who are not members of any formal organisation can also do The Award, usually by registering their interest directly with their National Award Authority.

Once the entire Programme is completed satisfactorily, as explained in the following Sections, the young person receives a certificate and pin/medal at a suitable recognition ceremony.

By doing The Award, young people should be encouraged to show imagination, to be able to look beyond barriers, and to set goals, not limits. The challenge is for young people to make things happen rather than waiting for things to happen for them.

Lives are changed, both for the young people and for those with whom they come in contact.

At the end of the process, a young person who takes part in The Award should have developed many of the following:

• Self belief and self confidence.
• A positive and realistic self image – they will know and accept their own strengths and weaknesses, and be more aware of their own potential.
• An independent and self motivating attitude.
• A sense of responsibility to others.
• A connection to the broader society.
• New or improved interests, skills and abilities.
• A willingness to try new things.
• New friendships and relationships with their peers and older people.
• The ability to make a plan and then make their plan happen.
• Lifelong interests.
• Team skills.
• Life skills – negotiation, research, communication, problem solving, presentation skills.