North Lanarkshire Challenge
An activity programme for young people aged 8-14 years who live or attend school in North Lanarkshire.
How does the challenge work?
There are four levels of Awards:
- Sapphire
- Emerald
- Ruby
- Diamond
Within each level there are four sections:
- Service
- Physical
- Skills
- Adventure
Each section requires a specific number of hour’s participation: Sapphire, 8 hours; Emerald, 10 hours; Ruby, 12 hours; and the final Challenge stage Diamond, 15 hours. Each level also includes an adventure walk increasing in distance as you progress through the stages.
How do you take part?
A simple registration process takes place enrolling both the group/school and the individual participant.
What next?
Once you are registered a record book will be issued to you. This enables you to record your work and keep a portfolio of evidence about what you have been doing.
Who do you contact if you need help?
The Community Learning and Development locality youth work team is a good point of contact for guidance and support. The team will be able to advise you of activities taking place in your local area.
Why should you take part?
There are lots of benefits if you decide to take part, these can include increased self-belief and confidence; an opportunity to work as part of a team; developing new skills; a sense of personal achievement and working with others to benefit the community. The award is also validated by ASDAN and upon successful completion and moderation, each young person will receive a certificate in recognition of their achievement.
Some examples of the activities you can participate in are as follows:
- Environmental work, Drama, Football
- First Aid, Arts & Crafts, Horse Riding
- Fundraising for Charity, Cookery, Dance
- Visiting the elderly, Photography, Swimming
- Helping at clubs, DJ-ing, Martial Arts
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award for young people aged 14-25 years old
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a voluntary, non-competitive programme of practical, cultural and adventurous activities, designed to support the personal and social development of young people aged 14-25 years. It offers an individual challenge and encourages young people to undertake exciting, constructive, challenging and enjoyable activities in their free time.
You may already be doing an activity that will contribute to gaining The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, so why not get a recognised accreditation that Colleges, Universities and employers value and help develop yourself by learning new skills, trying new activities and being of service to your local community through volunteering. You can also discover exciting opportunities; make new friends; experience teamwork, problem-solving and decision-making; increase your motivation; enhance your self-esteem and develop communication skills. You’ll also have fun!
There are three progressive levels of programmes which, when successfully completed, lead to a bronze, silver or gold award. Young people create their own Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programme by choosing volunteering, physical and skills activities, going on an expedition and, for their gold only, taking part in a residential activity.
Award groups are run in many settings including; schools, colleges, community centres and uniformed organisations.
More information can be found on the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award website or on the North Lanarkshire Duke of Edinburgh’s Award page.
Dynamic Youth Awards
Dynamic Youth Awards (DYA) is externally quality assured by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and are credit rated on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) where they sit at level 3.
The awards follow a plan-do-review process, which enables young people to more effectively recognise and articulate their learning and achievements within different contexts. This increases their self-esteem, improves motivation and keeps young people engaged with learning.
Through self and peer assessment young people develop skills for learning, life and work. The awards fully support the aims, values, purpose and implementation of Curriculum for Excellence and the youth work outcomes.
Youth Scotland’s Dynamic Youth Awards provide a simple framework to support quality work with young people. They offer recognition and accreditation for young peoples’ achievements and are easy to use and incorporate into existing or planned activities.
Best of all, DYA can be delivered in a range of settings including youth and community projects, schools and colleges.
Hi5 Award
The Hi5 Award has been credit rated and levelled by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF).
To gain a Hi5 Award, young people choose a challenge, complete a minimum of 5 hours of activity, think about and comment on their achievements and gather evidence of their participation.
They will receive a certificate showing their name, challenge and special achievements. The certificate will also show the SCQF level and credit points.
Youth Scotland’s Hi5 Award provides a simple framework to support quality work with young people. They offer recognition and accreditation for young peoples’ achievements and are easy to use and incorporate into existing or planned activities.
Saltire Awards
The Saltire Awards are the Scottish Government’s way of celebrating, recognising and rewarding the commitment, contribution and achievements of young volunteers in Scotland, aged between 12 and 25.
Young people gain nationally recognised certificates, signed by Scottish Government Ministers, for the different amounts of volunteering they do.
The Saltire Awards recognise volunteering that meets the following three clear characteristics:
- It is a free will activity. This means you are doing it because you want to, and no one is forcing you to do it.
- It is not done for financial gain. Volunteering is not a job and you cannot be paid; however, you may have any reasonable expenses covered.
- It is for the benefit of the community, society at large or an individual
Why you might want to volunteer?
- Gain new skills and experience that will look great on your CV and could help you at school and/or work
- Meet new people and make new friends and connections
- Make a difference to individual people, communities and the environment
- Have fun! You will have the chance to get involved in a variety of activities that might not have done before