Youth Scotland YAA
Youth Scotland Youth Achievement Awards are flexible awards that provides a framework to accredit learning and achievement within your own existing or planned activities. The YAA has been credit rated and levelled by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF).
- Youth Achievement Award is a nationally recognised Scottish Qualification Authority
- customised award for young people, which uses a youth work approach, and
- which provides a means of recording and evidencing their wider learning and achievement through a formal qualification.
- The award is aimed at young people in the Senior Phase of a Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) (S3 and above).
- A Youth Achievement Award is an individual learning award which reflects the values and principles of youth work.
- It is characterised by approaches that start from the interests, hopes and aspirations of the young person.
- The award builds from ‘where a young person is at’. It is person-centred and the focus is on creating an award that is personal, meaningful and appropriate for the individual, making it inclusive and accessible for all.
- The young person and worker are partners in a learning process. The process is empowering and allows a young person to play a full part in shaping their own learning.
- The young person is responsible for planning their own Award. They must choose their Challenge and set themselves personal and meaningful Targets to work towards.
- The young person completes their Challenge, working towards their personal targets, and evidences this in a ‘personal Portfolio of Evidence’.
- The young person reviews and reflects upon their learning and achievements.
- A Youth Achievement Award should capture how a young person has engaged with and benefited from the plan-do review approach to their learning rather than just record the activities they have been involved in.
For a Young Person to gain an award, a completed awards Booklet with a portfolio of evidence of how they have met the criteria of the award is required.
There are four levels of the Youth Achievement Award; Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Young people enter at the level appropriate to their interests and abilities; they are not required to work through the lower levels to access the higher levels.