The Congressional Award

Scouts!!!

Earn Congressional Awards! Participants must be between the ages of 13.5 and 24 years old. Here’s how the program works:

Certificate Levels

1. Register online and pay the small registration fee at https://www.congressionalaward.org/.  This website has valuable, detailed information about the program and the requirements. The website also has a printable record keeping book.
2. Find an advisor. This is someone who helps you establish how you will reach your goals and oversees the process. A good place to start in your search for an advisor is an adult leader in your patrol.
3. Find validators for each of the four program areas-volunteer service, personal development, physical fitness, and expedition/exploration. Note that these categories align with what you are already doing in as a scout! You can not only advance in scouts, you can earn congressional awards at the same time!
4. Complete the requirements for each award level. Requirements are cumulative except for the overnight expeditions/explorations. Be sure to have you record book signed off by your validators as you complete each program area.
5. Once all the requirements are complete, have your advisor review and sign your record book for submission to earn your award!

Medal Levels

Questions?

Contact Tracy Padgett tspadgett@live.com or 423-306-0321 or Angela Ward 423-773-4577

Parents and Adult Leaders

Scouts between that ages of 13.5 and 24 have the opportunity to earn Congressional Awards, but we need your help. In order to earn these awards, our scouts will need adults willing to act as advisors and validators. An advisor helps a scout establish how they are going to reach their goals and oversees the scout’s progress toward those goals. Validators oversee individual program areas-volunteer service, personal fitness, physical fitness, and exploration/expedition. As you can see, these overlap with requirements of the scouting program, so scouts can earn recognition in both programs at the same time! If you would be willing to act as an advisor or validator, please contact Tracy Padgett at tspadgett@live.com or 423-306-0321 or Angela Ward at 423-773-4577. Without our help, our scouts will not be able to participate in this program. Our goal is to have 1-2 advisors for each patrol. For more detailed information about the program, please visit their website at https://www.congressionalaward.org/.

ADVISORS:

• Review the requirements and guidelines with the participant.
• Assist the participant in setting goals for each program area that are personally challenging, achievable, measurable, and fulfilling.
• Help the participant identify appropriate activities and qualified Validators for each goal.
• Maintain periodic contact with the participant while they work towards their goals.
• If the participant needs to revise goals, assist in helping set new goals and finding activities to achieve them.
• Upon completing the program requirements, ensure that the participant has completely and accurately filled out their Record Book and have obtained signatures from each of their Validators.

VALIDATORS:

• Review the requirements and guidelines with the participant.
• Discuss the specific requirement for the program area in which you will be working with the participant.
• Help the participant identify their starting level in a particular activity.
• Make certain the participant’s goal is personally challenging, achievable, measurable, and fulfilling.
• Once the participant has met the activity requirements, review the appropriate documentation and sign and date the Record Book page.