Award Team

Overview

The ‘Award Team’ is the group of people who carry out the Award work:

1. Award management (which indirectly includes the management of the organisation)

2. Award leaders and mentors, who advise and support participants

3. Helpers (like trainers, supervisors and assessors) for the Expeditions section (Expedition Team).

The team constitutes head, heart and hand for working with the Award. Its work is based in the

1. Long-term mission and vision of the Award work as identified through the Constitution and/or Mission Statement;

2. Development Plan which is dovetailed with the organisation’s plans and gives direction for the medium-term;

3. Annual Plan and budget allocation and, where appropriate, short-term Action Plans.

The Award work will always be only one project in the context of the organisation. To ensure the survival of the programme, the Award Team must therefore continually seek out suitable team members as well as maintain and develop the Award Constitution as an integral part of the organisation’s mission & vision.

The organisation's management ensures that all team members have the necessary tools, competencies, information and empowerment (see box ‘Training Provisions’ and chapter ‘People’).

Size

The number of staff required in the “Criteria for Operating Authorities“ should be understood as a minimum for small Award Units. Since the Expeditions section is the most time-intensive component (see also instructions in the Leader’s Manual), the establishment of an Expedition Team should be a goal right from the beginning, as part of the pilot project.

As long as the workload remains manageable and the quality of programme delivery is not affected, staff members could serve in multiple roles. An Award Unit with only one group of participants could be run by four staff members who at the same time take on management responsibilities, supervise participants and are involved in the Expeditions section.

Before the number of participants is raised or the Award extended to Silver or even Gold level, the team must also be expanded. This expansion needs careful planning through the Development Plan and must involve appropriate training for staff members.

A larger team not only spreads the workload, it also benefits from the input and ideas from a wider range of people. This improves quality and sustainability, which in turn strengthens the Award’s reputation and eases its delivery.

Also, a larger team means greater presence of the programme within the organisation. The staff members are the vital link between Award work and the mission and vision of the organisation. The best support that the organisation can lend is to ensure that the workload is spread to an appropriate number of staff members.

Composition

The following groups of people may be part of an Award Team:

1. Staff members of the organisation

2. Student mentors (only in schools)

3. Parents

4. Staff members of cooperating organisations

5. Alumni (for example members of the Gold Network)

6. Other external individuals.

These groups of people are naturally suited for different roles within the Award Team:

1. The Award Coordinator must be a staff member of the organisation. The organisation should also supply the staff involved in Award management.

2. Student mentors can support the Award in many ways. Details can be found in the Leader’s Manual.

3. Parents, alumni and other individuals can take on responsibilities particularly in the Expedition Team. But they could also be given special tasks as part of Award management, such as serving as press representatives.

Expedition Team

An expedition team significantly improves the running of the Expeditions section. Such a team ensures the “four eyes” approach, since it is easier to find an assessor who was not involved in the training of the participants. A team can also help foster a certain ‘synergy’ with other local units through joint expedition events.

The team members primarily serve as trainers, supervisors or assessors. But often they also maintain the equipment, including maps, and support the Award management through exploration of expedition areas with reliable and safe campsites.

Only supervisors and assessors are required to attend the Leaders Course. It is generally not difficult to find suitable adults interested in joining an expedition team, since the tasks involved are more straightforward than for general Award management. Further information can be found in the Leader’s Manual.