Anyone within the age limits can register. The minimum age for Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards is 14, 15 and 16 respectively, and entrants must finish before their 25th birthday.
The Award is an international award for achievement known around the world. It helps you in a number of ways:
- Helps you discover interests and talents you never knew you had.
- Assists you in making decisions of increasing complexity and accept responsibility for their consequences.
- Provides you with an opportunity to give a continuing personal commitment of service to others.
- Allows you understand your own strengths and weaknesses
- Recognized by both Government and private industries as a significant achievement in the lives of young people. Completion of the Award provides tangible evidence of success and effort on the part of young people.
- Non-competitive - a personal challenge, not a competition.
- Available to all - anyone can do it!
- Voluntary - it's up to you what you do - it's your leisure time.
- Flexible - your program is designed by you.
- Balanced - it will stretch you in all directions.
- Progressive - you improve at your own pace.
- Achievement focused - you can't fail!
- Marathon not a sprint - it takes more than short bursts of enthusiasm.
- Process not a prize - it's the taking part that matters, getting an Award is the icing on the cake!
- Enjoyable - it's about getting out there and having fun!
The Award Program in Newfoundland is quite inexpensive. The registration fee, which includes public liability and personal accident insurance, is $20 and the Record Book (used for all three Awards) is a mere $5. There is no annual registration fee. The Leaders Handbook, which is purchased by group leaders or independent participants, costs $10.
What are the three levels of the Award?
There are three seperate Awards - Bronze, Silver and Gold - and young people may enter at whatever level is most suited to them, keeping the age requirements in mind. You must be 14 years of age to start the Bronze Award, 15 for the Silver Award and 16 for the Gold Award.
You proceed at your own pace, and you can take as long as you like provided you finish before your 25th birthday. This limit can be extended in case of accident, illness or other unavoidable circumstance. The minimum permissible times for completing the Award are 6 months for Bronze, 12 months for Silver and 18 months for Gold. However most entrants prefer to take about twice as long because this reduces their weekly load. Apart from an occasional weekend and possibly an evening or two, most entrants spend between 1 and 2 hours a week on the Award, depending on the activity (skills take the longest) and their initial proficiency.
What activities can I participate in?
Award activities are arranged in the following seperate sections. In each, there is a wide choice:
a) Service - to prepare for and give service to others;
b) Expeditions and Explorations - to undertake a challenging journey of discovery;
c) Skills - to develop personal interests and social and practical skills;
d) Physical Fitness - to take part in a planned program of physical activities.
The sections are intended to complement each other and provide a balanced program reflecting different aspects of leisure activitiy. Participants have to complete activities in all four sections before they carry on to another award level.
The three Awards are within the reach of all. The Scheme is completely voluntary and non-competitive - the only person you need to impress is yourself. Of course, the Award can be quite demanding (like life, it wasn't meant to be easy) but it is very rewarding.
Do school or work activities count?
No. Award activities must be done in your spare time. Time spent on activities done during school or work hours, or before you enrolled in the Award Program, cannot be counted towards an Award.
No problem . You can still benefit from the Award because the conditions can be modified to accommodate your disability. However there is no lowering of standards and no soft options - the modifications accommodate your disability and no more. Thus you can take part on equal terms with everyone else.
Do lower Awards count towards higher awards?
Yes. Thus an entrant with a Bronze Award could get a Silver Award in a minimum of 6 months instead of 12. In fact, most entrants prefer to work up through the Awards rather than go for a higher Award direct, since this takes no more time, introduces them to the demands gradually, and guarantees them a Bronze Award even if they have to withdraw from the higher Awards.
No. If you don't belong to a group you can enter as an independent candidate through the Provincial Award office or why not try to get a few of your friends involved and start your own group?
The Award Program operates through many local youth organizations such as Venturers and Rovers, Pathfinders and Rangers, Army, Air and Sea Cadets, the CLB and in a number High Schools throughout the province. There is almost certainly a group near you. Please call the Provincial Award office for details.
If I run out of time, can I get an extension?
The time requirements listed in your record books are the minimum time requirements. Therefore, extensions are not required. However, you are required to complete the program before your 25th birthday
You follow your activities in your spare time at your own pace under the guidance of your group leaders and assessors. An assessor is any experienced person in a given area who you meet with periodically for instruction and to discuss your progress. They are responsible for signing your Record Book once you complete each section of the program. The time required varies, but is typically an hour or two a week for a year or so.
When you have finished, an assessor verifies that you have reached the standard specified in the Award Handbook. You then receive your Award. Bronze are presented by local officials such as group leaders, your Mayor, Member of the House of Assembly or Member of Parliament at a locally organized ceremony. Silver are presented by the Lieutenant Governor at a provincially organized ceremony held annually. Gold Awards are presented by a member of the Royal Family.
Step by step, this is what you do:
- Ask us or your group leader for a registration form, then fill it out and return it with the registration fee of $20 and $5 for your Record Book. You can also find a printable copy of our registration form on our Resources page.
- We send you your Record Book.
- Select your activities.
- Find an assessor for each of your chosen activities and work out a schedule. If you joined through a group, your group leader will help you find assessors. If you joined as an individual, the Award office can help you.
- Begin your activities and record your progress in your Record Book.
- Periodically meet with your assessors to discuss your progress.
- When you have finished your program to the standards specified, make sure your Record Book is complete and signed by your assessors.
- Send in your completed Record Book and journal to the Award office for approval. You will then be notified when you receive your pin and certificate.
If you are interested in joining the Award Program or having a presentation on the Award Program just click here and e-mail The Duke Of Edingburgh Program.