The Australian Scout Medallion - the ultimate Scout award.
The Scout section peak award, the Australian Scout Award, is the ultimate achievement for a youth member in the Scout section.
There are six components to the Australian Scout Award. These are:
The first step in Program Essentials is to complete the Introduction to Scouting (if a youth member is new to the Movement) and the Introduction to Section. These assist youth members with understanding Scouting, meeting those within the Section, and to set their initial goals for what they wish to get out of their time in Scouting and the section. These are completed before the new member is invested or re-affirms their Scout Promise.
Program Milestones
You gain Milestone achievements by participating, assisting and leading in activities in your section. These activities are based on Community, Outdoor, Creative and Personal Growth Challenges.
Each Milestone should take approximately 6-12 months, and recognises the active participation in the program and personal development that has occurred during that time. It should not be viewed as something extra to work on, but rather represents what participating as a Scouting member looks like.
Outdoor Adventure Skills (OAS)
Outdoor Adventure Skills are the link between adventurous activities and the youth program. They enable youth members of all ages to access the basic skills for a range of activities, and progress through to high skill levels across nine broad activity areas.
Core Skill Area Camping, Bushwalking and Bushcraft.
Specialist Skill Areas Alpine, Aquatics, Boating, Cycling, Paddling and Vertical.
The core skill areas viewed as ‘key Scouting skills’ and are all scouts are encouraged to participate in these, whilst the specialist skill areas offer diversity of choice.
The early Stages (1–4) of all Outdoor Adventure Skills are for those who want to try out the activity and establish basic skills. The higher Stages (7–9) are geared towards the Scout who wishes to explore these pursuits in greater depth. Where a relevant Unit of Competency exists in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) package, Stages 5 - 9 could be mapped to gain formal Units of Competency through Scouts Australia Institute of Training (SAIT).
Special Interest Areas (SIA)
Special Interest Areas (SIAs) encourage Scouts from all sections to try new things and pursue existing interests. Scouts set their own goals, enabling them to design a project that interests and challenges them personally.
The Six Areas
They are broad, encouraging Scouts to pursue a range of interests and to ensure any activity a Scout could think of can be included. We always measure outcomes against an individual’s personal best. Scouts use Plan>Do>Review> to set and achieve their goals.
Scouting is about personal growth and development through experiential learning. That is why the Scout Method “learning-by-doing” is crucial.
Adventurous Journey
Your Adventurous Journey is a way for you to get out, explore, and put in place the skills you have learnt during Scouting. Your Adventurous Journey should occur whilst working on Milestone 3. The Adventurous Journey for the Scout section is 3 days and 2 nights duration. You should consult with a skilled Mentor about your Journey – this could be another Scout with Outdoor Adventure Skills Stage 7 or above in the relevant area, or an appropriately-skilled adult. The Journey should be a human-powered experience such as bushwalking, cycling, kayaking, sailing etc. The journey itself will be undertaken by you and fellow Scouts and should not require attendance by any adults. Adults will, however, need to be aware of both your route and when you have completed your Journey.
Personal Development or Unit Management
You may choose to attend an internal Scouting course run for the Scout section, or an external personal development course, such as RYPEN provided by Rotary Australia or a school leadership course.
Your Unit Management or Personal Development course should cover most of the following things:
The Personal Reflection is an opportunity to recall and reflect on the adventures that led to their peak award, to share some highlights (and challenges) as they conclude their journey, and to reflect on their development in the six SPICES areas. This is a great time for Scouts to look back on the Purpose of Scouting and consider their own personal progression.
There are six components to the Australian Scout Award. These are:
- Completion of Program Essentials – Milestone 3
- Ten progressions in the Outdoor Adventure Skills, this must include achieving Stage 5 in each of Bushcraft, Bushwalking, and Camping
- Six Special Interest Area projects
- An Adventurous Journey
- A Leadership or Personal Development Course
- A Personal Reflection
The first step in Program Essentials is to complete the Introduction to Scouting (if a youth member is new to the Movement) and the Introduction to Section. These assist youth members with understanding Scouting, meeting those within the Section, and to set their initial goals for what they wish to get out of their time in Scouting and the section. These are completed before the new member is invested or re-affirms their Scout Promise.
Program Milestones
You gain Milestone achievements by participating, assisting and leading in activities in your section. These activities are based on Community, Outdoor, Creative and Personal Growth Challenges.
Each Milestone should take approximately 6-12 months, and recognises the active participation in the program and personal development that has occurred during that time. It should not be viewed as something extra to work on, but rather represents what participating as a Scouting member looks like.
Outdoor Adventure Skills (OAS)
Outdoor Adventure Skills are the link between adventurous activities and the youth program. They enable youth members of all ages to access the basic skills for a range of activities, and progress through to high skill levels across nine broad activity areas.
Core Skill Area Camping, Bushwalking and Bushcraft.
Specialist Skill Areas Alpine, Aquatics, Boating, Cycling, Paddling and Vertical.
The core skill areas viewed as ‘key Scouting skills’ and are all scouts are encouraged to participate in these, whilst the specialist skill areas offer diversity of choice.
The early Stages (1–4) of all Outdoor Adventure Skills are for those who want to try out the activity and establish basic skills. The higher Stages (7–9) are geared towards the Scout who wishes to explore these pursuits in greater depth. Where a relevant Unit of Competency exists in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) package, Stages 5 - 9 could be mapped to gain formal Units of Competency through Scouts Australia Institute of Training (SAIT).
Special Interest Areas (SIA)
Special Interest Areas (SIAs) encourage Scouts from all sections to try new things and pursue existing interests. Scouts set their own goals, enabling them to design a project that interests and challenges them personally.
The Six Areas
- Adventure & Sport
- Arts & Literature
- Creating a Better World
- Environment
- Growth & Development
- STEM & Innovation
They are broad, encouraging Scouts to pursue a range of interests and to ensure any activity a Scout could think of can be included. We always measure outcomes against an individual’s personal best. Scouts use Plan>Do>Review> to set and achieve their goals.
Scouting is about personal growth and development through experiential learning. That is why the Scout Method “learning-by-doing” is crucial.
Adventurous Journey
Your Adventurous Journey is a way for you to get out, explore, and put in place the skills you have learnt during Scouting. Your Adventurous Journey should occur whilst working on Milestone 3. The Adventurous Journey for the Scout section is 3 days and 2 nights duration. You should consult with a skilled Mentor about your Journey – this could be another Scout with Outdoor Adventure Skills Stage 7 or above in the relevant area, or an appropriately-skilled adult. The Journey should be a human-powered experience such as bushwalking, cycling, kayaking, sailing etc. The journey itself will be undertaken by you and fellow Scouts and should not require attendance by any adults. Adults will, however, need to be aware of both your route and when you have completed your Journey.
Personal Development or Unit Management
You may choose to attend an internal Scouting course run for the Scout section, or an external personal development course, such as RYPEN provided by Rotary Australia or a school leadership course.
Your Unit Management or Personal Development course should cover most of the following things:
- Problem solving
- Communication
- Task management
- Leadership
- Planning
- Community involvement
The Personal Reflection is an opportunity to recall and reflect on the adventures that led to their peak award, to share some highlights (and challenges) as they conclude their journey, and to reflect on their development in the six SPICES areas. This is a great time for Scouts to look back on the Purpose of Scouting and consider their own personal progression.