Queen’s Scout Award The Queen’s Scout Award This is the culmination of everything that Explorer Scouts and Scout Network members have achieved in Scouting. Registration Register your intention to complete the Award here. Activities (including the membership requirement) can count towards the award from the date of registration and back dated up to a maximum of 3 months (but not before your 16th birthday). Membership Award participants must: • Be aged between 16 and 25 years old • Be a member of Explorer Scouts or Scout Network (or both) for at least 18 months • Be a member of Explorer Scouts or Scout Network at the time you complete the award Nights Away Complete 18 nights away with Scouting, of which 12 must be camping. International, Environment & Values(IEV) List Complete six activities, two from each topic area. Click here to view the IEV list. If you have the Chief Scout’s Platinum Award you should complete four further activities, and if you have the Chief Scout’s Diamond Award you should complete another two. These should be different from the ones already completed for the other awards. Challenges Complete the five Queen’s Scout Award challenges or hold the Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE). • Skill Take up a skill for 6 or 12* months, and show progress and lasting interest. The skill can be an existing interest or something entirely new. • Physical Activity Take up a physical activity for 6 or 12* months, completing an agreed programme by taking part and achieving your objectives. • Service Provide service to an individual or the community for 12 months. Briefing and training should be given in order to gain the necessary skills. This may include helping with another section of the movement as an Explorer Scout Young Leader or adult volunteer. • Expedition Training framework: Show that you are competent in the following areas: – First aid and emergency procedures – Risk assessment/health and safety – Navigation and route planning – Camp craft, equipment and hygiene – Food and cooking – Country, highway and water sports codes – Observation, recording and presentation – Team building – Proficiency in mode of travel Practice Undertake a minimum of 3 days and 2 nights (consecutive) expedition in wild country by foot, cycle, horse, canoe, boat or dinghy. Final Undertake a 4-day and 3-night (consecutive) qualifying expedition with an aim in wild country by the method used in your practice. • Residential Undertake a 5 day and 4 night residential project in an unfamiliar environment where the majority of people are not known to you. This project could be environmental work, activity based, service to others or personal training. In exceptional circumstances, the residential can be done on 2 occasions, as long as the same activity is completed. *All members should complete 12 months in either the skill or the physical activity challenges. Award participants who are not holders of a Chief Scout’s Diamond Award or Silver DofE must complete an extra 6 months in either the service or the longer of the skills or physical recreation challenges. Presentation Make a presentation covering all elements of your award to a suitable audience, with the aim of inspiring and motivating others to achieve the award. The presentation should be the final activity you complete. Sign-Off Once you have completed all of the above requirements, your commissioner needs to approve the award. Additional Information… Approval by the mentor or person signing off the award should be given prior to each element being undertaken. If you are unsure about whether an activity is appropriate, ask the commissioner who will sign off your award as completed. Nights Away. Camping also includes other outdoor shelters, such as bivouacs and snow holes, often used in scouting activities. Nights away achieved through activities as part of the QSA or Chief Scout’s Awards including the practice and final expedition, residential experience or anything else achieved in completion of an IEV requirement are excluded. Membership Requirement. In order to meet the membership requirement for this award you must be an Explorer Scout or Scout Network member at the time that you register for the award, for at least 18 months from this date, and at the time you complete the award. Ideally you should be a member throughout the period from registration to completion of the award. However, it is accepted that you may take a break from working towards the award (for example if moving to go to university) and restart it at a later date. In this circumstance you could also have a break in your membership (but any activities undertaken during this time cannot count towards your award). It is important to note that the completion of the award is defined as the time the final requirement (the presentation) is signed off. If you are aged 18 or over on this date you must be a Network member, and your form must be signed off by the County Scout Network Commissioner. This is the case even if you completed the majority of the award while an Explorer Scout. Working for more than one award at a time. An award does not have to be completed before activities can count for the next award. For example, if you have completed the expedition element of your Chief Scout’s Diamond Award but not the rest of the award, you can begin the expedition section of the Queen’s Scout Award as long as you are over the age of 16 and have registered for the Queen’s Scout Award. Challenges – time commitment. The minimum time requirements for each section are expressed in months, during which you need to undertake a regular commitment averaging at least an hour a week. Taking a break or changing activities. If you want to change activities during an award, this is possible, although on one occasion only. It is also possible to take a break from an activity and then to restart from where you stopped. This could happen during a period of school, college or university exams. Making the award accessible. The Queen’s Scout Award is based on personal best effort rather than fixed standards, and should be available to all members of Explorer Scouts and the Scout Network. This may mean that for some individuals, the requirements of the award need to be adapted to ensure that they face the same degree of challenge as other participants. Where additional needs have to be taken into account, it is acceptable to adjust some of the activities to make them more accessible. You should work with your mentor to discuss any adaptations, and make sure that any adaptations have been approved by the commissioner who will sign off your award. As every set of individual circumstances will be different, it is left to the discretion of the relevant commissioner to make any adaptations to the activities, including the expedition requirement. For more information on how to include someone with additional needs in Scouting, visit scouts.org.uk/diversity. There is lots of information, including the factsheet Successfully Including Scouts with Special Needs (FS250061). You can also email programme@scouts.org.uk with specific queries. Support Material It is strongly recommended that you read the available support materials before starting to work towards your award to make sure you fully understand what you need to do. The materials provide more advice and guidance on the award requirements, as well as some ideas for what you could do to meet them. Support Material for the Queen’s Scout Award The queen’s scout working party (QSWP). The QSWP is a national Scout Active Support Unit and membership only open to those who have gained their Queen’s Scout Award. More information about the QSWP and how to join can be found on their website. The Queen’s Scout Working Party website (external link) If you started working towards your Queen’s Scout Award before 1st January 2014, and will complete it before 1st September 2015, you can use the old award requirements. Queen’s Scout Award requirements prior to January 1st 2014. To gain the Queen’s Scout Award you must complete the following: Membership Be aged between 16 and 25 years old and have been a member of Explorer Scouts or the Scout Network (or both) for at least 18 months. This can include time counted towards the Chief Scout’s Platinum or Diamond Awards. Nights Away Complete 18 nights away as an Explorer Scout or member of the Scout Network, of which 12 must be camping (this may include nights counted towards the Chief Scout’s Platinum or Diamond Awards). See the ‘Additional Information’ section for more information. International, Environmental, Values List Complete two activities from the International, Environmental and Values list. These should be different activities from the Chief Scout’s Platinum and Diamond Awards, and from two different areas. The old list can be found at the bottom of this page. Challenges Hold a Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award OR Complete the 5 Queen’s Scout Award Challenges • Skill Take up a skill for 6 or 12* months, and show progress and lasting interest. The skill can be an existing interest or something entirely new. • Physical activity Take up a physical activity for 6 or 12* months, completing an agreed programme by taking part and achieving your objectives. • Service Provide service to an individual or the community for 12 months. Briefing and training should be given in order to gain the necessary skills. This may include helping with another section of the movement as an Explorer Scout Young Leader or adult volunteer. • Expedition Undertake a 4-day and 3-night expedition in open or adventurous country by foot, cycle, horse, canoe, boat or dinghy. The expedition should involve careful preparation, training, responsibility and review. • Residential Undertake a 5-day and 4-night residential project in an unfamiliar environment with people who are not known to you. This project could be environmental work, activity-based, service to others or personal training. If for any reason someone has to drop out then it is not possible for a non-Member to take their place in the expedition. Presentation Make a presentation, to a suitable audience, of your achievements in working towards the Queen’s Scout Award. All members should complete 12 months in either the skill or the physical activity challenges. Explorer Scouts and members of the Scout Network who are not holders of a Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award or the Chief Scout’s Diamond Award must complete an extra 6 months in either the service or the longer of the skills or physical recreation challenges. Additional information: Nights Away Camping also includes using other outdoor shelters, such as bivouacs and snow holes. Nights away can be counted if they take place: with other Explorer Scouts/ Scout Network members; while undertaking an award for Explorer Scouts/ Scout Network; or while completing an activity contributing directly to the section programme. It also includes any nights away undertaken as a Young Leader/Adult volunteer with another section. Working for more than one award at a time An award does not have to be completed before activities can count for the next award. For example, if an Explorer Scout has completed the expedition element of their Chief Scout’s Platinum Award but not the rest of their award, they can begin the expedition section of the Chief Scout’s Diamond Award. Award standards The awards are based on personal best effort and not on fixed standards. Therefore, the quality of the personal effort is much more important than the quality of the content, which will vary according to ability, age and other factors. Taking a break or changing activities If you want to change activities during an award, this is possible, although on one occasion only. It is also possible to take a break from an activity and then to restart from where you stopped. This could happen during a period of school, college or university exams. Special needs If you have a special need it is best practice to make sure that your leader and Commissioner are aware of the situation so that they can support you in gaining the award in the way that is suitable for you. Like the Chief Scout’s Diamond Award, the Queen’s Scout Award can be gained in either Explorer or Network Scouts, and should be achievable by all, no matter their physical or mental ability. Pre-January 2014 IEV List International Complete your Explorer Belt. Complete your International Friendship Award. Take an active part in a project with an overseas aid organisation, such as UNESCO. Take an active part in a camp in another country, for instance, a Jamboree or Moot. Take an active part in an International Camp in the United Kingdom. Take part in a project at a campsite abroad, for example, as part of a Euro-Steps project or Camp America. Complete the Passport for Europe with your Unit. Organise a series of programmes for your Unit on an international theme. Organise a series of programmes for another Section on an international theme. Complete any activity of a similar nature agreed beforehand with your leadership team. Environment Complete your Group Environment Badge. Assist some Cub Scouts or Scouts in gaining their Global Conservation Activity Badge. Take an active part in an environmental project with another organisation. Take an active part in an environmental project in your local community. Choose a current environmental issue to research, and then present your findings to your Unit. Complete an environmental project and make a formal report of your findings. Complete an environmental impact assessment of an activity the Unit is undertaking and act on your findings. Organise a series of programmes for your Unit on an environmental theme. Organise a series of programmes for another Section on an environmental theme. Complete any activity of a similar nature agreed beforehand with your leadership team. Values Complete your Group Faith Badge. Take a regular part in activities at your place of worship. Take an active part in a project examining your own faith, for example a retreat. Take an active part in a project examining a faith other than your own. Plan and carry out an act of worship for your Unit or another group in Scouting. Choose a current issue to research, such as health or crime, and then present your findings to your Unit. Assist some Cub Scouts or Scouts in gaining their Faith Activity Badge. Organise a series of programmes for your Unit on a values theme. Organise a series of programmes for another Section on a values theme. Complete any activity of a similar nature agreed beforehand with your leadership team.