Youth Scotland Youth Achievement Awards

Why this award?

The Youth Achievement Awards provide an accreditation framework to support quality work with young people. They are easy to use and can be incorporated into your existing or planned activities. The Awards follow a Plan-Do-Review process which enables young people to better recognise and describe their personal learning and achievements. They are structured to recognise the responsibility young people take within the activities that that they are involved in. There are 4 levels of the Award; Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum based on; Participation, Assisting, Leading and Peer Education. The Awards fully support the aims, values, purpose and implementation of A Curriculum for Excellence.

Who is it for?

The Awards are appropriate for all types of young person aged 14 and over, and can be used in all types of settings. They can be used within youth work settings, sports clubs, schools and colleges. In fact the awards can be used anywhere young people engage in activities that interest them.

What time commitment is required?

There are 4 levels of the Award; Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. The time commitment for the Bronze, Silver and Gold is 60 hours of activities. The Gold also has a prescribed presentation challenge. The Platinum has a notional minimum time commitment of 150 hours.

Is the award externally accredited?

The Youth Achievement Awards are Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) customised awards and are credit rated and levelled on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) at levels 4, 5, 6 and 7 and gain between 7 and 16 Credit Points. Youth Achievement Awards are certificated by SQA and will appear on a young person’s Scottish Qualifications Certificate. The awards also contribute ‘Insight’ tariff points (7 – 136) and the Gold Level also gains 14 UCAS Tariff Points. 

Case studies: Youth Scotland's Awards - their stories