What are the Dynamic Youth Awards?
The Dynamic Youth Awards have been designed to enable young people to measure their own and each other’s achievements against benchmarks of responsibility and distance travelled.
Through positive group work in existing programme of activities, they provide; 
- a quality framework for your work with the 10 to 14 age group
- qualifications authority certification for young people’s achievement
- support for young people to self assess and peer assess each other’s achievement
They demonstrate attainment of community learning and development quality indicators and provide a user-friendly structure for young people and for those who work with them.
Process
The process is more important than the outcome.
Young people plan, do and review their activity through recording, reflecting and evidencing their participation and involvement. The young people then work towards achieving their Award through peer assessment from other members in their Award group.
Plan – young people (sometimes with the help of youth workers) plan the ‘activities’ or ‘challenges’ that they want to take part in. They then record the steps that they will take to complete their Challenge.
Do – the young people complete their ‘challenges’ gathering evidence as they go.
Review – young people reflect on what they have done and self assess whether they have achieved the personal targets they have set for themselves. They look at things they may have learned or skills they may have gained as a result of taking part in the activity or ‘challenge’
Recognise – young people gain recognition for their achievements by receiving a Nationally Accredited Award.
LEVELS
Dynamic Youth Awards recognise;
three levels of commitment:
One Star 5-15 hours
Two Star up to 30 hours
Three Star over 30 hours
four levels of responsibility:
- Taking part in an activity organised by others
- Helping to organise an activity with others
- Organising and leading an activity for others
- Helping others to learn new skills
WHAT PEOPLE HAVE SAID
What young people have said:
"What I like about the Award is having choice and responsibility."
"We were learning and having fun!"
Dynamic Youth Award recipients, Glasgow
"My Dynamic Youth Award helped me get my place at College."
Dynamic Youth Award recipient, Falkirk
What workers have said:
"The Award at the end of it sounds good and I think they were working towards that, but I think they were actually enjoying the experience – I think that was more important."
DYA Pilot Project Worker, Glasgow
DYNAMIC YOUTH AWARDS and national policy objectives
Dynamic Youth Awards provide a quality framework for youth work for the 10 to 14 age group and portable recognition for their achievements. They encourage young people to self assess and then peer assess each other's achievements in existing programmes. They demonstrate attainment of Community Learning and Development quality indicators as well as formal education national priorities and are designed to provide structure, be user friendly and fun for young people and youth workers and teaching staff.
The Awards also provide an introduction and an access route into the Youth Achievement Awards for the 14+ age group. Please contact Youth Scotland if you would like further information about the Youth Achievement Awards.
