MANUAL

CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 3
North Star Award
Seeonee Award
Chief Scout's Award
Queen's Venturer Award
Canadian Rover Scout Award
Top Section Awards
As the capstone for each Section, youth have the opportunity to challenge themselves
with the Top Section Award. This award is not a requirement for a youth to move on
to the next Section.
There are four components to achieving the Top Section Award, which are common to
all Sections:
1. A personal progression review
2. Completion of a set number of Outdoor Adventure Skills
3. Completion of a set number of community service hours
4. A service project
The four components of the Top Section Award are to be completed in the last six
months in the Section (though youth should begin accumulating service hours and
Outdoor Adventure Skills before this time). Requirements for the Top Section Award
should be fully completed prior to moving up to the next Section. Timelines for
completion should be created to allow this to happen.
1. Personal progression review
The personal progression review is meant to be fun and to engage youth in
storytelling about their personal journeys. Youth should come away from this process
feeling proud of what they have learned and done on their journey through this
Section. This review is led by a Scouter or (especially in older Sections) the Section
Leadership Team. For the review, use the age-appropriate SPICES questions as well as
references to Program Maps, Personal Development Plans, etc. (as appropriate to the
Section). The discussion will also include looking at what a youth hopes to learn and
explore in the next Section.
2. Outdoor Adventure Skills
As part of the personal progression toward the Top Section Award, youth are
expected to achieve a certain number of Outdoor Adventure Skills stages (the
number of stages depends on the Section; details can be found in Section-specific
chapters). These stages are cumulative from Section to Section. For example, a Cub
Scout who has completed five stages in Beaver Scouts will need to complete five
more stages to achieve the ten stages for the Cub Scout Top Section Award. This
can be accomplished by achieving multiple stages in a few skills or a few stages in
multiple skills. For example, one Cub Scout might complete Stage 3 in Camping,
Trail and Paddling, and Stage 1 in Aquatics to reach the ten stages needed, while
another Cub Scout might complete Stage 6 in Scoutcraft and Stage 4 Vertical
Skills to reach the same number of stages.
The project may be completed
individually or as a group, as
long as everyone is challenged,
contributes meaningfully and has
the opportunity to put a good
effort into the project. The project
plan is approved by the Section
Leadership Team and the Scouters.
In describing the Scouting
movement, Lord Baden-Powell said,
“Yet one more item is needed to
complete success, and that is the
rendering of service to others in the
community. Without this, the mere
satisfaction of selfish desire does
not reach the top notch.”
3. Community Service Hours
Youth are required to complete a certain number of volunteer service hours
(the number of hours depends on the Section; details can be found in Sectionspecific
chapters) during their years in the Section. These hours do not have to be
completed within Scouting and do not have to be completed as part of one activity
or event. Although volunteer service activities completed as part of the Section’s
program do count towards this requirement, youth should be encouraged to find
their own opportunities to give back to the community in a way that has special
meaning to them.
4. The Project
Objective: Complete a challenging project that provides meaningful personal
development for youth and makes a positive difference in the local, national or
global community. The three key components:
• Individually challenging and meaningful
• Involves the interests and abilities of the youth
• Makes a positive difference in the local, national or global community
This project is the youth’s capstone experience in the Section. There are no
set time limits or set requirements other than the above criteria. Scouters or
Section Leadership Teams should provide guidance and support for selecting an
appropriately challenging project that meets the above criteria.
What do we mean by “individually challenging”?
The youth learns something new or furthers a skill he or she already has. The
project should take the youth just out of his or her comfort zone. The project
should not repeat something he or she has done before in the Section, at school
or in another activity group.
• The youth should feel a bit unsure of whether he or she is capable of
accomplishing the project or task. It should be something just beyond what
he or she has tried before. It should not be something that can be easily
accomplished, but neither should it be so difficult that the youth gives up before
he or she starts.
• The project should be something that a year ago the youth was not capable
of accomplishing.
• The project can be adapted along the way, if need be.
• The youth should have a deep sense of accomplishment when the project
is finished.
• The youth should be able to say, “I did this!” and come away with the
knowledge that he or she is capable of much more than he or she imagined.
• The completion of the project should make the transition to the challenges of
the next Section seem less daunting.
60 SCOUTER MANUAL—A SCOUTER’S GUIDE TO THE CANADIAN PATH SCOUTER MANUAL—A SCOUTER’S GUIDE TO THE CANADIAN PATH 61