Building Resilience and Confidence in Youth

Resilience Isn’t Taught in Theory – It’s Built Through Lived Experience 

At Award Canada, we believe that resilience, confidence, and leadership are not developed in the abstract, they are built through lived experiences. Our position paper, Delivering Youth Development Outcomes the Award Canada Way, explores this idea in depth, drawing on a broad base of global research and evidence to reinforce a simple, powerful insight: young people grow through doing. 

The paper synthesizes findings from international studies, academic literature, and sector-wide reports, showing that when young people are given the opportunity to take on meaningful, real-world challenges, they become more adaptable, capable, and confident. This is the core of experiential learning—and it’s at the heart of the Award. 

Evidence-Informed Impact: 

Research consistently shows that when young people engage in tangible challenges, they build essential life skills. For example, the paper references findings where: 

• 88% of Award participants report increased confidence in overcoming obstacles. 

• 81% feel a deeper sense of purpose through their Award journey. 

• Participants demonstrate a 30% improvement in emotional regulation and adaptability compared to peers not involved in experiential learning. 

These outcomes reflect the powerful role of self-efficacy through success, when young people set personal goals, face setbacks, and learn that perseverance leads to growth. 

Our 2024 Annual Report further illustrates this impact: 

• 79% of participants report increased self-confidence and agency. 

• Over 11,000 young people contributed more than 1 million hours to experiential learning activities last year alone. 

• Youth dedicated over 41,000 hours to community service, with nearly half of these projects focused on sustainability and climate action. 

• Adventurous Journeys accounted for more than 46,000 hours, building leadership, teamwork, and resilience. 

Real-World Impact: 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when many supports for youth were disrupted, the Award’s adaptability was put to the test. Through our Virtual Award Centre (VAC), young people continued their Award journeys, adjusting their activities to new realities. This real-time adaptation wasn’t just a workaround; it was a demonstration of the kind of resilience and creativity the Award is designed to build. 

Building Resilience for Tomorrow’s Leaders 

In today’s rapidly evolving world, resilience, leadership, and goal-setting aren’t just desirable skills – they are essential. Young people face significant mental health challenges, economic uncertainty, and a constantly changing job market. Award Canada’s research strongly supports the idea that framework models which provide youth with real-world challenges and the opportunity to overcome them are key to producing the adaptable, capable leaders our world needs. 

Explore the full position paper to see how experiential learning frameworks like the Award empower young people to build the skills they need to thrive as tomorrow’s leaders, innovators, and changemakers. 

Read the full Position paper here

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