Link those awards

Take it further

If anyone is interested in taking part in any of the other awards mentioned in this activity, give them the opportunity to do so if it’s possible within your group. They could complete some more research into the awards using the links from this activity. You could also run some more activities, such as the ‘Introduction to DofE’ activity, to give everyone more information.

You’ll need

Pens or pencils
A4 paper
Printer (optional)
Access to an electronic device which connects to the internet (one per group)

Before you begin

Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Additional help to carry out your risk assessment, including examples can be found here. Don’t forget to make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
Collect the website addresses for each of the top award pages. Write them on a piece of paper, with one copy for each team.

Find those links

Have a chat with everyone about how the work people do towards the Young Leaders’ Scheme can also help them towards earning more of the top awards within Scouts and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE).
Ask everyone to get into groups with a maximum of four per group.
Explain that each group will look at each of the top award webpages and work together to discover how the awards can link together.

Give everyone some pens and paper and between 10-15 minutes to discover the links between the awards.
After the time has finished, ask the groups to provide any examples of links or overlaps that they have found between the awards.

Reflection

Working towards a top award is such an achievement. Hopefully this activity has shown you that working towards one can help you earn another, or even all of them. How did it feel knowing that all the hard work can benefit you in lots of ways? Think about how any skills you have learned that can help support you in your leadership journey. Was it easy or hard to find the links between the awards? Were there any you were unsure about?

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Online safety: Supervise young people when they’re online and give them advice about staying safe. Take a look at our online safety or bullying guidance. The NSPCC offers more advice and guidance, too. If you want to know more about specific social networks and games, Childnet has information and safety tips for apps. You can also report anything that’s worried you online to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command. As always, if you’ve got concerns about a young person’s welfare, including their online experiences, follow the Yellow Card to make a report.