Introducing Youth Achievement Awards to young people.

1.  a guide for young people

2. Key Features

3. The quick 5-step guide to Youth Achievement Awards...

4. 1. Choose a responsibility level

5. 2. Set a number of challenges

6. 3. Meet your challenges while collecting evidence

7. 4. Keep your evidence in a portfolio

8. 5. Collect an accredited Award for your hard work!

9. 4 levels of Youth Achievement Award BRONZE Taking part SILVER Helping / supporting GOLD Organising PLATINUM Leading

10. We call the activities you do for a Youth Achievement Award ‘ challenges ’.

11. The challenges you do must reflect the level of Award you have chosen.

12. Bronze Taking part Silver Helping Gold Organising Peer educating Attending a sports club Helping to run the pupil council Learning to design a computer game Being in charge of advertising school play Taking part in a maths group Contributing to the running Of an afterschool club Example challenges Which responsibility level is each challenge?

13. Attending a sports club Learning to design a computer game Taking part in a maths group Helping to run the pupil council Contributing to the running of an afterschool club Being in charge of advertising the school play Running a sports club Peer educating The answers! Example challenges Bronze Taking part Silver Helping Gold Organising

14. A challenge must last at least 15 hours

15. The higher the level of Award , the more challenges you have to do.

16. You can start at any level Challenge 1 Challenge 2 Challenge 3 Challenge 4 Bronze Challenge 1 Challenge 2 Challenge 3 Challenge 4 Challenge 5 Challenge 6 Challenge 7 Presentation Gold Challenge 1 Challenge 2 Challenge 3 Challenge 4 Challenge 5 Challenge 6 Silver Silver

17. Remember, each challenge has to meet the responsibility level of your Award.

18. Your challenges do not have to be linked to each other... ...and nor do they have to be taken at the same place.

19. Helping run a peer education project Helping out at football training Part of a team running a coffee morning Making a film Supporting someone with reading difficulties Helping out at the youth club Here is an example of the variety of challenges you could do for a Silver Award. Note: you do not have to do your Award in just one location!

20. Let’s have a more detailed look at how you could accredit the work that goes on in an Eco-School project . The hours refer to the minimum requirement. Challenge 1 (15 hours) Challenge 2 (15 hours) Challenge 3 (15 hours) Challenge 4 (15hours)

21. Follow this simple process whilst doing your Award

22. PLAN: think about what you want to achieve

23. DO: Try to achieve your targets. Collect evidence Along the way to demonstrate your efforts.

24. REVIEW: Analyse how you did and what could have been done better.

25. RECOGNISE: You will receive an accredited Award after a successful completion.

26. Collecting evidence We encourage you to be creative in how you collect evidence. There’s no need for lots and lots of writing with Youth Achievement Awards.

27. Exercise: How would you collect evidence which showed you tried to meet the following targets?

28. Rehearsing panto lines Attending rehearsals Performing in the school play Creating a website Making posters Helping my English teacher Running a sports club TARGET POSSIBLE EVIDENCE Copy of script Attendance register DVD of the play Screenshots of website The posters Note from English teacher Annotated photographs How would you evidence these targets?

29. Peer assessment is a crucial part of the Awards. You must support each other and quality check each other’s work as you proceed.

30. Your challenge is set at the correct level of responsibility Your targets are challenging You have collected enough evidence to show number of hours taken Peers check:

31. Collect your evidence in an organised manner, perhaps in a folder. This should illustrate what you have achieved and how you worked towards your challenges .

32. A portfolio must demonstrate that you: worked towards your targets took the correct amount of responsibility for the Award Level

33. A portfolio must demonstrate that you: spent the minimum time required on each challenge completed the correct number of challenges

34. Moderation Sam, working on a Silver Award Sam’s peers form an Award Group The Award Group Worker The Internal Moderator After these steps your school takes your portfolio to an external moderation meeting where other people will judge it. When it passes, you get a Youth Achievement Award!

35. Platinum Award A Platinum Award is a little different from the others. You have to follow specific steps in order to achieve your Platinum. Your teacher has more information.

36. Youth Achievement Awards have been credit rated for the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework ( SCQF ) by the Scottish Qualifications Authority ( SQA )

37. SCQF Level Youth Achievement Awards Other courses 7 Platinum Advanced Higher 6 Gold Higher 5 Silver Standard Grade (Credit) 4 Bronze Standard Grade (General)

38. What do others think? Teachers like that you take on responsibility: we get to plan with them. My Youth Achievement Award has helped me follow a career because it has made me make decisions. I’m better at judging the good points and bad points of different activities. It’s not like normal schoolwork: this is fun. We get to be in charge and have responsibility. In other classes the teacher tells you what to do but not here. This will help us in job applications because it shows we’ve got the commitment and dedication to finish something. This gave me the confidence to dance on a stage

40. Quiz – Bronze, Silver or Gold? Playing for the school football team Bronze – taking part TAKING PART? HELPING? ORGANISING?

41. Quiz – Bronze, Silver or Gold? Helping to run a football team outside of school Silver – helping/supporting TAKING PART? HELPING? ORGANISING?

42. Quiz – Bronze, Silver or Gold? Making posters for a charity event Depends...this activity could come under any of the Award levels TAKING PART? HELPING? ORGANISING?

43. Quiz – Bronze, Silver or Gold? Helping a teacher prepare a lesson Silver – helping / supporting TAKING PART? HELPING? ORGANISING?

44. Quiz – Bronze, Silver or Gold? Writing and planning a play Silver or Gold. Depends whether you are doing this alone or with support. TAKING PART? HELPING? ORGANISING?

45. Quiz – Bronze, Silver or Gold? Planning a coffee morning Silver or Gold. Depends whether you are doing this alone or with support. TAKING PART? HELPING? ORGANISING?

46. Quiz – Bronze, Silver or Gold? Sitting on the pupil council Bronze or Silver (most likely). Depends how much responsibility you take on. TAKING PART? HELPING? ORGANISING?

47. Quiz – Bronze, Silver or Gold? Organising the pupil council Silver or Gold. Depends whether you are doing this alone or with others. TAKING PART? HELPING? ORGANISING?

48. That’s the end of the introduction! View this video for more information.

49. Balfour House 19 Bonnington Grove Edinburgh EH6 4BL 0131 554 2561 www.youthscotland.org.uk [email_address]