Completions That Count: How Canadian Schools Are Scaling the Award

As we begin the 2025–2026 school year, we’re taking a moment to celebrate the incredible achievements of young people who completed their Award last year and educators who guided them through success across Canada. Their mentorship, encouragement, and behind-the-scenes coordination helped create conditions for young people to thrive.

Completions that count: How schools are finishing the Award at scale

Across Canada, 2,298 young people completed the Award in the 2024–2025 school year – a 9.9% year‑over‑year increase. This post celebrates those achievements and, more importantly, shows what schools are doing to make completions happen by aligning the Award with curriculum and the Award Canada Way model.

By the numbers (2024–2025)

2,298 completions nationwide – up 9.9% from 2,091 in 2023–2024.
5,427 registrations last year (Bronze 3,691, Silver 1,223, Gold 513).

Why completions matter

Completions signal durable habits, consistent effort, reflection, and community contribution, and they validate the learning outcomes at the heart of the Award Canada Way. Award Leaders also tell us that visible completions boost confidence, strengthen parent buy‑in, and increase continuation to Silver and Gold.

What drives high completion rates

The strongest results we see share seven common moves that align with the Award Canada Way:

Framework in the timetable – Treat the Award as part of your program, not just an add‑on. Build it into regular sessions/meetings/classes so every participant has time to plan and act.

SMART goals with checkpoints – Set goals during program or class time, revisit them on a cadence, and give participants quick wins early.

Youth‑centred choice menus – Offer a curated list of program‑ or partner‑vetted options for Service, Skills, and Physical Recreation so participants can choose quickly and safely.

Purposeful engagement built in – Line up ready‑to‑go volunteering, clubs, or community opportunities. Make the “what should I do?” barrier disappear.

Mentors everywhere – Recruit leaders, staff, and volunteers as Assessors across activities. More adult touchpoints mean more nudges, more logging, and better feedback.

Progressive development by design – Schedule the Adventurous Journey (AJ) early to set the tone and, where possible, offer a second AJ window so participants who miss the first can still finish.

Reflection time, not just homework – Build ORB logging into class or program time. Five minutes in‑session beats twenty minutes of good intentions later.

Case study: Stanstead College

Results at a glance: 42 Grade 9 students registered for Bronze, 38 completed before year‑end. Collectively, students contributed 523+ hours of community service.

What they changed:

Curriculum integration: Bronze is anchored in Physical Education where goal setting, individual challenge, and leadership already live.
Protected time: Students plan and update ORB logs during class. This replaced “find time after school” with “do it now.”
Whole‑school mentorship: More teachers joined in year two as Assessors and supporters.
More Adventurous Journey (AJ) capacity: The school moved from one Bronze AJ in year one to two in year two, with an early Grade 9 trip that sets the tone.
Volunteer pipeline: The school provides service opportunities, so students simply pick and go.

What they are seeing:

Students finishing ahead of schedule in year two.
Some Grade 9s now progressing to Silver quickly, with spring trips doubling as potential Silver practice journeys.
Students who exceeded minimums are continuing to serve, showing that the habits stick.

Educator voice: Monica

“Year two ran smoother with pacing dialed in and more teachers involved, which kept students on track to finish Bronze in Grade 9. The early Grade 9 AJ builds team culture and confidence. The surprise has been how many finished early and kept going, especially in volunteer service.”

Case study: Public education and skilled trades (Greater Essex County District School Board)

Results at a glance: 20 SHSM Construction students registered for Bronze, 19 completed before year‑end. One standout project involved rebuilding the deck at the historic Simcoe Building at the John Freeman Walls Historic Site and Underground Railroad Museum. This effort not only strengthened students’ practical construction skills but also connected them to their community. The project was supported by the Carpenters and Joiners Union Local 494, Milwaukee Tool, and the Walls family, and culminated in a celebration where students were presented their Bronze Award.

What they did: Their Award was supported by educators from the Enhanced Construction Program who integrated the Award into hands-on skilled trades learning through the Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) and English Literature.

Educator voice: Vicki

“In 27 years of teaching across various roles, the Award Canada model integrated with school plans is the best experiential framework I’ve seen to support youth. It enables young people to feel they belong and can achieve their outcomes…. this is such an incredible opportunity for students, every single student and family needs to know about it.”

Educator voice: Paul

“The students deepened their interpersonal connections by planning activities, cooperating, helping each other and taking responsibility for their own experiences and well-being. We will repeat the experience next year with both our Enhanced Construction program carpentry students, and our electrician students.”

The Award Canada Way in action

When schools align to the seven elements of the Award Canada Way – Framework, SMART Goals, Youth‑Centric, Purposeful Engagement, Mentors, Progressive Development, Reflection – completions become an expected outcome rather than a pleasant surprise. The model fits naturally alongside curriculum and school priorities like well‑being, belonging, and employability.

Call to action for Award Centres

If you lead a through a school or community program, consider these quick starts:

Add a 10‑minute weekly Award block for planning and logging.
Recruit 3–5 teacher Assessors beyond PE, Arts, Tech, Languages, Guidance.
Publish a menu of school‑approved activities for Service, Skills, and Physical Recreation.
Lock two AJ windows into your calendar – a fall kick‑off and a spring catch‑up.

Bring the Co‑curricular Approach to your school: www.dukeofed.org/educators

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