Awards and Badges
Scouting is not just about learning essential life skills and having fun; it's also a journey of personal growth and achievement. Within the UK Scouts program, there are various awards and badges that young scouts can work towards, showcasing their dedication, teamwork, and individual progress.
As a parent, understanding these rewards can help you support your child on their scouting adventure. In this guide, we'll walk you through the different types of awards and what kids need to do to earn them.
EXPLORE OUR SCOUTS AWARDS AND BADGES BELOW
Membership Badges
These awards are the starting point for new scouts and help them get acquainted with the basic principles and practices of scouting.
More about different badges and where they go on the scout’s shirt, can be found here.
By supporting their scouting journey, you're helping them become well-rounded individuals who are prepared to face challenges and make a positive impact on the world around them.
Progression Awards
These awards are earned as scouts advance through the different sections of the scout’s program, such as Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers, and Network.
They recognize the scouts' growing abilities and responsibilities.
Earning these awards is a testament to your child's dedication and hard work. As a parent, you can encourage your child to actively participate in scouting activities, engage in skill-building exercises, and contribute to their community.
Activity Awards
These awards celebrate a scout's participation and achievements in specific areas of interest.
Outdoor Challenge Award: Encourages scouts to explore and appreciate the outdoors by engaging in various outdoor activities and learning outdoor skills.
Adventure Challenge Award: Promotes adventure, creativity, and teamwork through exciting challenges and activities.
Skills Challenge Award: Recognises a scout's efforts in acquiring practical skills, from first aid to DIY abilities.
Special Interest Badges
These badges enable scouts to dive into their passions and develop expertise in particular fields. Few example:
Hobbies Badge: Encourages scouts to explore and nurture their personal hobbies and interests, such as arts, crafts, and music.
Global Issues Badge: Fosters an awareness of global concerns and encourages scouts to act on issues that matter to them.
Science and Technology Badge: Ignites curiosity and understanding of scientific concepts, encouraging scouts to explore the world of STEM.
Chief Scout's Awards
Chief Scout's Bronze Award: Typically earned by Cubs, this award acknowledges a scout's progress in mastering fundamental skills and participating in a range of activities.
Chief Scout's Silver Award: For older Cubs or young Scouts, this award requires a higher level of skill proficiency, increased participation in activities, and a stronger focus on teamwork.
Chief Scout's Gold Award: The highest award for older Cubs or Scouts, this honour signifies a scout's well-rounded growth, involving personal development, skill mastery, and leadership experiences.
Chief Scout's Platinium Award: For Explorers, who has been with their group for at least 6 months and completed at least
Chief Scout's Diamond Award: For Explorers, who has been with their group for more than 12 months and completed at least 12 nights away.
Young Leader's Award
Earning the Scouts Young Leader's Award is not only a recognition of a young leader's efforts but also a testament to their commitment to making a positive impact on their Scout group and community. It reflects the Scouts' emphasis on nurturing leadership skills and providing opportunities for young people to grow and succeed.
The award is typically available to explorers between the ages of 14 and 18 who are actively involved in leadership roles within the Scouts, particularly as Young Leaders. The young leaders assist adult leaders in leading activities, contributing to planning and organising events, and providing guidance to younger members of the group.
DofE Award
The Duke of Edinburgh Awards are prestigious award focuses on personal development through volunteering, skill-building, physical activities, and adventurous journeys has three levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold.
At Scouts, DofE is a part of the Explorer programme, so members must be 13.5 years old to start working on their awards. Subject to this minimum age, you can start the Bronze and Silver awards in the school year you turn 14 and 15 respectively. Gold has a minimum age of 16. All activities must be completed by a young person's 25th birthday.
Each level of the DofE Award involves participants completing the required activities and challenges within the specified time frame. The award is designed to promote personal development, self-discovery, and a sense of achievement. Participants are encouraged to step out of their comfort zones, learn new skills, contribute to their communities, and engage in outdoor adventures through the expedition component.
Special Awards
These awards challenge scouts to go beyond their comfort zones and achieve remarkable feats.
Queen's Scout Award (QSA): The highest award in scouting, it's earned by those who demonstrate exceptional leadership, personal growth, and community engagement, aged 16 to 25.
The King’s Scout Award (KSA) is the highest award available to Explorers and Scout Network members. It is linked closely to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award and it is worth working on the two awards together.
Dragon Award: Challenges Scouts, Explorers, Scout Network members and Leaders to complete a series of adventurous tasks, encouraging self-reliance and resilience.