The value of the Award
The Award brings value to the lives of young people as they continue into adulthood. Watch our video where some of our participants, Award Holders and supporters share how the Award impacted them.
4 Things Parents and Guardians need to know about the Award:
- The Award helps instill confidence and self-esteem! It ignites passion and increases motivation, as well as develops skills and acknowledges achievement in a non-academic setting. Find out about the many benefits of the Award.
- The Award is an internationally recognized Award across over 130 countries; we’re serious when we say the Award looks good on resumes, scholarships, and applications! Young people stand out in the job market when they leverage their Award achievements.
- Our Award Ceremonies for Bronze, Silver or Gold Achievers are truly special events to recognize all the hard work they’ve put into their Award! Our Ceremonies are presided over by notable Canadians, Lieutenant Governors, Territory Commissioners, and the Governor General. Where else are young people celebrated for their accomplishments, other than graduation?
- How can you best support young people through their Award? By helping motivate and nurture their self-drive, provide encouragement, support them with activities, check in regularly to see how there are doing, and read Supporting Award Participants – For Parents and Guardians.
Parents and Guardians play a vital role by providing support and encouragement as young people work towards their goals.
The Award equips young people for life and work, whether it is through new unique activities, meeting new people, or exploring an unfamiliar environment. Your child is responsible for setting their Award goals and making progress towards them.
The Award can be challenging, but with your support and motivation, you can help your child grow and develop. As a parent or guardian you have a role to play in helping young people accomplish the Award.
- Help ensure that the activity choices they find are exciting, but realistic for your budget, transport and local facilities.
- Encourage your child to take an active role in constructing their strategies to drive them forward. Mentor, motivate them, remind them to log their activities, and encourage them to perservere.
- Help them stay committed on their path to completion, and cheer them on when they overcome the adversity of unplanned speedbumps on their way.
- Celebrate their success as they achieve and accomplish activities and the Award in its entirety.Encourage youth to step outside their comfort zone and try new activities to broaden their experiences.Support them by coaching them in communicating with their Leader via phone, email, online or in person. The phenonmenal Award is an opportunity for young people to learn how to take responsibility, seek help, and find solutions.
- All our volunteer Leaders have all completed formal training in Award delivery, facilitation and supporting young people.
Motivate your child, but remember this journey is theirs. There will be challenges along the way as they work towards completing their Award. Your support, guidance, encouragement, and understanding are some of the elements that help equip young people for the life ahead of them.
Why should your young person should do the Award?
The Award is more than just logging hours and a certificate. It looks good on college and university applications. It looks even better on CVs and resumes and sets them apart when in the work force. The Award gives young people an opportunity to talk about themselves in a non-academic way. It allows young people to document all the activities they do outside of their formal education and values these experiences, illustrating the importance they play as they develop into well-rounded individuals. By recognizing the hours young people spend on activities, the Award is a testament to the commitment young people demonstrate to set and achieve goals.
As always, we appreciate your support of our experiential learning framework, specifically developed to ensure young people see their infinite potential and are #WorldReady.