As a homeschooling mom, I am my children's guidance counselor. I have spent hours upon hours researching how to prepare my high schooler for college. One area that has been of concern to me is awards. Let's face it; public schools offer tons of awards that students could take advantage of, but an award I print off is meaningless outside of our household. Therefore I have had to look for resources elsewhere.
Congressional Award- http://www.congressionalaward.org/program/ is open to ALL students ages 13.5 to 24th birthday. Yet last year less than 500 received the gold medal. Students set goals in four areas; Volunteering, Physical Fitness, Personal Development, and Exploration/Expedition (planning trips).
Alex has been working on the Congressional Award Program for almost a year. Our goal is for him to meet the requirements for the Gold Medal by the end of next Summer. The volunteer work Alex did for the Congressional Award qualified him for several other awards that I didn't even know of when we started.
Our city has a Mayor's Honor Roll Award that includes volunteer work. I submitted both kids, but never heard anything back. I will try again next year and the next... it only takes a few minutes.
The Governor's Volunteer Award (to do a search type the Governor's Volunteer Award and your state) now has a youth level for those under 18. Youth can earn this award every year for doing 100 hours of volunteer work in a year. They do need to be submitted by a nonprofit. I'm asking our pastor to submit both Alex and Sabrina for the work they have done with the adult English Second Language Class and Sabrina's help in the nursery.
The President's Volunteer Service Award-
https://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov/the-award has different requirements based on age. For Sabrina it is 75 hours of volunteer work for Gold Level. For Alex it is 100 hours of volunteer work for Gold Level. (Alex received this award for 2018.) This is an award that can be earned every year. You have to be submitted by a certifying organization such as the Prudential Spirit of Community Award, (5th-12th grades).
https://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov/the-award has different requirements based on age. For Sabrina it is 75 hours of volunteer work for Gold Level. For Alex it is 100 hours of volunteer work for Gold Level. (Alex received this award for 2018.) This is an award that can be earned every year. You have to be submitted by a certifying organization such as the Prudential Spirit of Community Award, (5th-12th grades).
The Prudential Spirit of Community Award- https://spirit.prudential.com/ is competitive with a deadline in November. It is based solely on volunteer work from students in grades 5th-12th. I honestly don't think either of my kids has a chance at the National Level, at least not at this point. However, regional or state level is a possibility. Besides they are a certifying organization for the President's Volunteer Service Award so, if they qualify, it is worth it to submit them just for that.
Another option is to start your own club with an award program. I started a Service Club with our homeschool group to get other kids involved in volunteer work, give the kids leadership roles as they plan their own service project ideas, and to give them awards.
I stated that I was guidance counselor to my high schooler, but my 5th grader is the one reaping the most benefits. As I was searching for volunteer opportunities for Alex I purposely sought ones that Sabrina could do too, because I didn't want the hassle of getting a babysitter.
She qualifies for every one of the awards mentioned above, except the Congressional Award because she is too young. Can you imagine how impressive her resume will be for earning the Governor's and President's Volunteer Awards every year from 5th-12th grade? Not to mention the 800 hours of volunteer work that will represent? When you break it down that's only two hours a week.
Marie-Anne
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