Scout Challenge Awards

Chief Scout’s Gold Award

How to earn your award

  1. Earn six activity or staged activity badges of your choice. They could be badges you gain outside of your normal meetings or ones you’ve achieved through your programme.
  2. Complete the nine challenge awards. These are:
    • World Challenge Award
    • Skills Challenge Award
    • Creative Challenge Award
    • Outdoors Challenge Award
    • Adventure Challenge Award
    • Expedition Challenge Award
    • Teamwork Challenge Award
    • Team Leader Challenge Award
    • Personal Challenge Award

Adventure Challenge Award

How to earn your award

  1. Take part in four different adventurous activities. At least two of these activities should be new to you and you should try to do them on at least two separate occasions. You could try:
    • abseiling
    • bellboating
    • canoeing
    • caving or potholing
    • climbing
    • cycling
    • dragon boating
    • gliding
    • hill walking
    • hiking
    • hovercrafting
    • orienteering
    • paragliding
    • pony trekking or horse riding
    • powered aircraft
    • pulling
    • rafting
    • sailing
    • snowboarding
    • stunt kiting
    • sub-aqua
    • surfing
    • water-skiing
    • windsurfing.
  2. Show how you have developed your skill and expertise in one of these activities. Show that you know the safety issues involved, and that you can use any equipment needed for the activity safely.
  3. Learn about any environmental issues caused by your activity. Take steps to reduce any harm to the environment.
  4. Research other ways you can take part, or develop your skills, in your chosen activities. Follow up your research with action!

Creative Challenge Award

How to earn your award

  1. Over a period of time, take part in at least four creative activities. Some of these should be new to you. You could try:
    • music
    • photography
    • wood or metalwork
    • needlework
    • cooking
    • website design
    • dance.
  2. Show that you have developed your skills in one of these activities. Show that you know how to use any equipment safely.
  3. Use your creative ability to produce something that promotes a Scouting activity or an event.
  4. Construct a model using materials like a plastic kit or recycled items. Alternatively, make a useful item from wood, metal or plastic.
  5. Show how to use social media or the internet in a creative and safe way. Explain why it’s important to use them safely.
  6. Take part in a performance. You could try:
    • magic tricks
    • gymnastics display
    • campfire sketch
    • street dance
    • plays
    • concerts.

Expedition Challenge Award

How to earn your award

  1. Take part in either an expedition or an exploration over two days with
    at least three other Scouts. This should include a night away at a campsite or hostel.
  2. Take an active part in planning the expedition. Do any training you need and be well prepared. Training should include:
    • planning a route, including rest and meal stops. Being able to work out how long it should take you to travel that route.
    • choosing suitable equipment for an expedition. You might consider tents, stoves, rucksacks, walking equipment, emergency equipment, first aid kit, wet weather gear, appropriate food and a
      camera.
    • navigation and using things like maps and timetables for your
      expedition. You might want to brush up on using an Ordnance Survey or similar map, a compass, a GPS device, a street map or A-Z, and rail or bus timetables.
    • knowing what to do in an emergency.
  3. During the expedition or exploration:
    • play a full part in the team
    • use a map or other navigation device to keep track of where you are
    • cook and eat at least one hot meal
    • do a task, investigation or exploration as agreed with your leader.
  4. Produce an individual report or presentation within the three weeks following your expedition. You could present your work as a project,
    performance, video recording, oral presentation, blog or website.

Outdoor Challenge Award

How to earn your award

  1. Take an active part in at least eight nights away as a Scout. Four of the nights should be camping. While you’re away, work with other Scouts do the other tasks on this list.
  2. With others, pitch and strike your tent.
  3. Lead, or help to lead, a group of Scouts to set up a well-organised site. It should include sleeping tents, food and equipment stores, a fire or stove, kitchen and eating area.
  4. Prepare and light an open fire or set up a suitable stove. Use it to prepare, cook and serve a meal safely.
  5. Understand the three points of the Countryside Code. Show what action you can take to follow the code.
  6. Find out why personal and campsite hygiene is important. What should you do to be hygienic?
  7. Using knots that you have learned, build a simple pioneering project, object or camp gadget.
  8. Explore the environment of your camp and make sure you know where everything  is. Respect the environment you are in and, at the end of the camp, leave the site as you found it.
  9. Find out what accidents and incidents can happen outdoors or during your camp. Show how you would deal with them.
  10. Show how to use an axe, saw or knife safely. You can choose any or all of these tools.
  11. Complete at least four of these tasks:
    1. Provide a service commitment to the site for about an hour.
    2. Take part in a wide game.
    3. Take part in a campfire or other entertainment.
    4. Working with others, successfully complete a two-hour activity or project.
    5. Plan a balanced menu for a short camp.
    6. Lead the cooking of a meal for the group.
    7. Show that you know the safety precautions for using lamps and stoves.
    8. Cook a backwoods meal with the group.
    9. Build a bivouac and sleep in it.
    10. Show how to pack a rucksack correctly, with appropriate kit for the camp or event.

Personal Challenge Award

How to earn your award

Complete two personal challenges that you agree with your leader.

You should choose one of the challenges and your leader will choose the other.

The challenges must be different from the ones you did for your Beaver and Cub Personal Challenge Awards.

Skills Challenge Award

How to earn your award

  1. Regularly take part in physical activities over a period of four to six
    weeks. Keep a record showing your improvement. Your goal could be to develop in an activity or successfully complete a challenge. Physical activity/challenge suggestions:

    • circuit training
    • football skill training
    • aerobic routine
    • synchronised swimming routine
    • Zumba aerobics
    • tap dancing
    • team sports.
    • charity swim
    • long distance cycle ride
    • incident hike
    • athletic event
    • pool life-saving test
    • dance competition.
  2. Show you understand why eating a sensible diet and getting enough sleep is important.
  3. Do some research so that you can explain the dangers and harmful effects of smoking, alcohol and drugs.
  4. Learn and use at least five of these skills:
    • Mend or customise an item of clothing.
    • Cook and serve a two-course meal, for at least four people.
    • Fix a puncture or a dropped chain on a bike.
    • Wash up after a meal, making sure everything is clean and dry.
    • Use a washing machine to wash a load of clothes.
    • Iron your uniform shirt.
    • Change a lightbulb, in a ceiling light.
    • Set a heating timer and thermostat as needed for the time of year.
    • Clean a toilet, hob or oven.
    • Do another similar home skill.
  5. Take part in at least three activities that require a number of problem solving skills.

Team Leader Challenge Award

To achieve this badge you need to hold the Scout Teamwork Award, and complete these requirements over a period of at least three months:

  1. Successfully lead a Scout team at a camp or all day event. You need to:
    • look after the whole Patrol / team,
    • help individuals in your team if they need it,
    • make sure that your team achieves the goal you have been set.
  2. Help a new Scout to be part of the Troop with an understanding of what is expected of them.
  3. Help another Scout to develop a Scouting skill.
  4. Represent the views of other Scouts (for example at a Patrol Leaders’ Council or something similar) and report back to them afterwards.

Teamwork Challenge Award

How to earn your award

This award should be done over a period of at least three months.

  1. On at least three separate occasions, be part of a Scout team, where you work together to achieve a goal.
  2. Give at least three examples of when you’ve been in different types of teams. Explain your role in those teams.
  3. Take part in at least three teambuilding activities that you have not tried before.
  4. Take an active part in at least four Troop or Patrol Forums. At each forum, express your views on at least one item being discussed.

World Challenge Award

How to earn your award

  1. Choose an aspect of local community life and find out as much as you can about it. You could learn about:
    • local government
    • local history
    • different faiths
    • types of farming found locally.
  2. Work with people or an organisation from a community. Take the chance to find an issue that your Troop could help with. It should be something that helps people and also helps you grow as a person. Plan and carry out the project with your Troop and others in the community. Then share what you learned from the activity with other people. Talk about how it helped other people and what you will do with the skills and experiences you have gained.
  3. Plan, take an active part in and evaluate a local community service. Doing the service should take you at least six hours (not including planning and evaluating).
  4. Take part in an activity that shows you understand your own faith or beliefs.
  5. Take part in an activity that explores different beliefs and attitudes. You could look at fashion, music, sport or disability.
  6. Give several examples of how you have kept your Scout Promise and Scout Laws.
  7. Take an active part in an environmental project.
  8. Investigate and try to make contact with Scouts in another country.
  9. Take part in an activity that explores an international issue.