Youth Awards
Youth Awards in National Parks
National Parks host and run an amazing programme of youth awards. A range of awards are available to help young people discover themselves in the outdoors, gain invaluable skills, confidence and resilience, and build a greater connection with nature.
The Duke Of Edinburgh Award
The DofE charity works with organisations across the UK to help young people gain essential skills, experience, confidence and resilience, to successfully navigate adult life. National Parks have played a starring role in the DofE experience of thousands of young people since the award was created.
There are four main sections of a DofE programme: Volunteering, Physical, Skills, and Expedition. At Gold level participants will also complete a Residential section.
National Parks are are perfect locations to complete any of the different sections of your award: not just the Expedition.
Contact your local National Park to find out more about DofE, or visit the Duke of Edinburgh Award website.
The John Muir Award
The John Muir Award encourages people to connect with, enjoy and care for wild places. It is an environmental award scheme for groups, schools, families and individuals of all backgrounds. It is non-competitive, inclusive and accessible.
A number of the UK’s National Parks partner with the scheme to encourage participants to care for their natural environment in a spirit of fun, adventure and exploration.
Completing a John Muir Award involves meeting four challenges; Discovering a wild place, Exploring wilderness and increasing awareness of it, Conserving and caring, and Sharing your experiences. John Muir is considered to be the founding father of National Park systems and the conservation movement.
Find out more about John Muir Award in your National Park and visit John Muir Award website.
The National Outdoor Learning Award (NOLA)
The National Outdoor Learning Award (NOLA) Captures and celebrates personal development in any outdoor learning experience.
The award focuses on personal development skills which stem from six core values using self-assessment through reflective practice. Developing reflective practice in learners supports a lifelong skill. NOLA was created by Dr Roger Hopper, an educator on Dartmoor.
The award has proved to be effective in a number of different outdoor learning contexts (schools, residential centres, National Park Junior Ranger and Youth Ranger groups). It is suitable for different ages, needs, outdoor environments (on-site, woodland, hill, sea etc.), activities (adventure, field) and with single and multiple session programmes.
NOLA has been formally adopted and endorsed by the Institute of Outdoor Learning. Find out more about NOLA.
