COVID-19 & Award USA: Information and Resources

Yes! We encourage Participants to continue working on their Award. Award USA remains open and available to help. We will continue to share updates and resources with Award Leaders and Participants via email and through our website.

Not necessarily. Even if the section goal or activity was something that the Participant was working on outside of the home or with a group, there might be a creative way to still work on it. If there is a similar activity that can be done at home, this would be the best course of action. Participants should talk to their Award Leaders about continuing with their current SMART goals.

For example, if a Participant was working to improve their conversational Spanish skills by meeting up with a tutor once a week, they might now meet with their tutor by phone or video call, or work on their language skills independently or online if their tutor is no longer available. Their Assessor will be an important resource in helping to make these adjustments.

If both the Participant and Award Leader agree that the activity is no longer feasible in any way, Award USA will allow the Participant to start a new activity and still receive credit for the hours already completed. Participants and Award Leaders should communicate to determine a new activity, SMART goal, and Assessor. If the Award Leader is not available at this time to approve a Participant’s new activity, they may directly contact the Program Officer that works with their Award Center.

In each Award section, there is an option in the “Overview” tab to “Add Additional Activity.” Select this option.

There will be a popup that says, “If you are selecting more than one activity, please discuss this with your Award Leader first.” If you have already received your Award Leader’s approval to add a new activity, you will be able to select “Add Activity” at the bottom of the popup. If you have not, select “Cancel” at the bottom of the popup and get in touch with your Award Leader.

Once you select “Add Activity,” you will enter the activity information. Remember to make your goal SMART. Start logging under your new activity.

Set a SMART goal: The setting of realistic and achievable goals is essential to undertake a purposeful and challenging activity. Goals should be set in consultation with a relevant subject matter expert, normally the Assessor.

Specific: Be specific about your goals.

Measurable: Is your goal measurable?

Achievable: Is it achievable?

Realistic: Is it realistic?

Time: How much time will it take?

For many Participants, they should be able to continue working on their SMART goals with few to no modifications. The main thing that might change is how they go about achieving their goal. If an Assessor is no longer able to witness a Participant engaging in their Award activity, the Participant should provide updates by phone or email. They should also take pictures or create other forms of evidence to share with Assessors to demonstrate continued progress.

Whenever possible, Assessors should not be family members. It may be anyone that knows the subject better than the Participant. In some cases, an Award Leader may be able to act as an Assessor.

Many of our Award Centers have transitioned to distance learning or are otherwise staying in touch with Participants remotely. We encourage Award Leaders and Participants to remain in contact via email, phone/video call, or any other communication platform typically employed by their school or organization.

Additionally, in-person contact with Assessors is likely not occurring at the moment. If Participants are continuing with their activities from home, they should provide updates by phone or email, and take pictures or create other forms of evidence to share with Assessors to demonstrate continued progress.

Yes! We held a virtual Award Ceremony in October 2020 to recognize participants at all of our Award Centers. Many Participants are slated to complete their Award by the end of the school year and receive their certificates and medals. It is our hope that they will still be able to complete their Award in this time frame, but depending on the Award Center, it might not be possible to hold any local Award Ceremonies. We have resources available to Award Centers hoping to host virtual ceremonies, and hope that they will again be able to hold in-person ceremonies in the future.

If a Participant is continuing with their Award Center past this spring/summer, we anticipate that they can participate in a future Award Ceremony there. If a Participant is moving, graduating, etc., we will collect this information from Award Leaders and ensure that we have the correct address on file to which we can mail the Participant their certificate and medal.

No matter what a Participant’s physical recreation goal is, there are ways to stay on track through strength training, skill building and refinement, cardiovascular exercise, and a variety of other activities! Below are some resources that might help Participants continue working on this section. Be sure to check in with Assessors for advice specific to your activity.

If Participants (or Award Leaders!) want some extra motivation, listen to Award USA’s Motivational Playlist while you get active!

RESOURCES

• Orangetheory at Home
• Gold’s Gym Digital Workouts
• Online Yoga Classes for Swimmers
• CorePower Yoga on Demand
• Yoga with Adrienne
• 6 Beginner Bodyweight Exercises for New Runners
• Build Strength at Home with this Simple Dumbbell Workout (Use canned goods or water bottles if you don’t have dumbbells!)
• 6 Soccer Drills for Every Athlete
• Basketball Drills You Can Do Inside Your House
• Is it safe to run outside during the coronavirus outbreak?
• Martial Arts
• Breakdancing
• Strength Training & Body Building
• Rumble (Boxing)
• 305 Fitness (Dance)
• Lululemon Home Workouts
• Peloton 
• YMCA 360
• Life Time
• Blink Fitness

For many participants, it is the strategy for achieving their Skills goal that will need to be adjusted at the present time rather than the goal itself. Whether Participants are looking for remote instruction opportunities or need to find a new activity for this section, several online learning platforms are offering free or low-cost courses through partner universities that might be a great option.

RESOURCES

• Coursera offers courses in Art, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Programming, Chinese, Korean, Graphic Design, Game Theory, Robotics, Philosophy, Psychology, and many more.
• Harvard University offers courses like Game Design, Mobile App Development, Programming with Python and Javascript, Science & Cooking, Meteorology, and many more.
• Udemy offers Photography, Emotional Intelligence, Meditation, Organic Gardening, Vocal Training, Guitar, Hindi, Latin, Survival Skills and many more.
• Online Driver’s Education could be used for your Skills section.
• Learning to meditate could count towards your Skills section. See the last section of this page for online meditation resources
• The New Zealand Department of Conservation offers a range of courses in field skills, bird observation, and other topics.
• The Open Culture Website lists a wide range of free online university courses, including courses specific to learning a new language.
• The Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award (iDEA) is an international program that helps you develop digital, enterprise, and employability skills for free.
• Learn a new language for free with Duolingo.

We recommend checking in with the organizations Participants volunteer with to see if there are ways to support their mission and operations remotely. Do they need help running their social media accounts? Are there resources Participants can create to support their work? Are there fundraising projects Participants can put together?

If this is not feasible, Award USA will accept volunteer hours spent supporting Participants’ families and communities at this challenging time, including but not limited to:

• Fundraising for a local food bank or health organization
• Coordinating a collection of food and supplies to donate to a local food bank or to neighbors unable to leave their homes (conducted with appropriate social distancing measures in place)
• Train to become a crisis counselor (over age 18 only)
• Train to be an online listener for those in distress
• Make face masks for local health organizations or neighbors
• Become a Decoder with Amnesty International
• Serve as a Digital Volunteer with the Smithsonian Institute
• Serve as a sighted volunteer with Be My Eyes
• Be a virtual volunteer with American Cancer Society
• If you have a second language, volunteer with Translators Without Borders
• Be a Digital Advocate with the American Red Cross
• Get involved with Meals on Wheels     
• Contribute to important research projects that expand our knowledge and understanding of essential subjects
• Join Operation Gratitude in virtual volunteerism opportunities
• Look up volunteer opportunities specific to your state in response to COVID-19. For example, California has a compilation of opportunities here.
• Help put the world’s most vulnerable people on the map with Missing Maps.
• Volunteer from home with All for Good.

Many of our Award Centers and Participants have had to cancel their Adventurous Journeys. We recognize how difficult this is. We hope that it will be possible to reschedule these trips once travel and group activities become safe once again.

In the meantime, Participant teams can discuss alternative locations and routes if necessary and continue to increase their preparedness remotely with the guidance of their Adventurous Journey Supervisors. They might consider the adaptations to the AJ section described in more detail below and plan a different AJ experience.

For Participants that have not yet started working on this section, this is a great time to dig into the Training and Preparation section. Look through the list of topics in the Training and Preparation section of the AJ in the ORB and make sure that AJ teams feel fully trained and ready for their trips when the time comes! Below are some training resources:

• The National Park Service has a variety of informative articles about trails and hiking, biking, camping, watching wildlife, and health and safety.
• REI provides great guidance to backpacking beginners and has videos featuring a wide variety of instructive material.
• Our friends at Outward Bound have also shared this Beginners Guide to the Backcountry.
• AJ Training Resources from Lupine Adventure Co-op
• First Aid Course Materials from St. John’s Ambulance
• New Zealand Mountain Safety Council “Get Outdoors!” series

We want to ensure that all Participants experience an Adventurous Journey that is safe and allows for the learning outcomes of the section to be achieved. Whenever possible, we advise our Award Centers and Participants to delay their journeys until they are able to make them in alignment with the 15 Conditions of an Adventurous Journey.

If timing does not make that possible, there are a few ways to adjust this section of the Award to still allow for a safe and meaningful experience:

• The requirement for a Bronze practice journey may be waived, or where a practice has already been completed, it may be counted as the qualifying journey. The option to forego the practice journey should only be taken if the AJ Supervisor is confident the group is able to do a qualifying journey based on a thorough health and safety risk assessment of the AJ; the team demonstrating acquisition of the required knowledge and skills and training and preparation; and the team having successfully come together the establish their roles and norms. A previously completed practice journey should only be counted as the qualifying if the AJ Supervisor believes that the 15 Conditions were met and the learning outcomes of the group and individuals were achieved on that trip.
• The Silver practice journey may act as the Bronze qualifying AJ, and the Gold practice journey may act as the Silver qualifying AJ. In this instance, Bronze Participants may continue to their Silver level without the AJ section completed, and they will be awarded their Bronze Award once the Silver practice journey is completed. Same thing goes for Silver Participants moving onto the Gold level.
• AJs may be organized in a familiar environment. If travel to an unfamiliar environment is not currently possible or safe, AJs may be conducted in a local area that is familiar to participants. This option is most likely suited to urban explorations.
• It is permitted for participants to use a home, school gym, etc. as accommodation during the Adventurous Journey, or for a group’s accommodation to be physically separated, e.g. participants all sleep in separate tents of accommodations. This allowance is intended to enable AJs to move forward with social distancing in place. AJ groups may stay in touch with one another electronically and engage in team activities while still maintaining a healthy distance.
• Virtual AJ options are available at both the Bronze and Silver levels. Reach out to your Program Officer for more information.

Like the Adventurous Journey, we know that some Participants have had to cancel plans to complete their Gold Residential Projects or are unsure whether their future plans will soon be cancelled. If you are in this situation, please be in touch with your Award Leader about the status of your Gold Residential Project.

At the core of this Award section is building community with new people in an unfamiliar environment. Our present circumstances eliminate the opportunity to do this in full but we are open to virtual options over a longer period of time that do not require spending the night in an unfamiliar location. Participants can start to research and plan what they may be interested in doing for their Gold Residential Project, reach out to potential locations or interest areas, and work with their Award Leaders to explore alternative options. Participants nearing their 25th birthday may request an extension to complete the Gold Residential Project at a later date.

If a Participant will no longer be with their Award Center after this spring/summer, either because they are graduating or moving, or they are aging out of the Award program, they should share their concerns directly with an Award Leader. The Award Leader will either help to work out a plan to still finish the Award or put the Participant in touch with the National Office to continue working on the Award outside of their current Award Center.

For all Participants due to reach their 25th birthday soon, they may reach out to their Award Leader to inquire about a potential extension to complete their Award.

We understand that many Participants may be experiencing stress and anxiety as the future remains unclear. It is essential that everyone takes care of themselves. Below are some resources with tips and activities that can be helpful in making that a priority.

RESOURCES

• CDC Recommendations for Managing Stress and Anxiety
• The Center for Mindfulness at UC San Diego, together with The Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion and Compassion Institute, is offering daily streams and recordings of mindfulness and compassion sessions to provide resources and online support to those affected by the current situation with COVID-19.
• Headspace is offering a collection of meditations called “Weather the Storm” in their app, free of charge.
• Stop, Breathe & Think has a new section in their app called “Calm Coronavirus Anxiety” to help you feel more safe, centered, and connected. It is free for the next 60 days.
• Coursera is currently offering the popular ‘happiness’ course from Yale University for free.
• Somatic Centering Practice Podcast
• Online Group Meditation
• Range of apps to help guide your meditation practice