Virtual Award Centres (VACs)

The Award was designed to be delivered through Award Centres using Award Leaders to guide participants and groups through the process alongside their peers. We recommend that you undertake your Award through an Award Centre for the most rewarding all-round Award experience. If there is no existing Award Centre in your community, we encourage you to approach your school principal or another community leader to get one started. Check out the Champion an Award Centre section of the Participant Resource Portal for information and resources to get started.

Click here to be a champion

For those who don’t have access to an Award Centre, we have created Virtual Award Centres (VACs) to fulfil our Founder’s vision and ensure that young Canadians from all backgrounds and life circumstances have the opportunity to do the Award. If there are no Award Centres delivering the Award in your area and no appetite currently in place for establishing one, then the VACs may be an option for you.

VAC registrations are now open!

We are delighted to announce the re-opening of the Virtual Award Centre registrations! Please take a moment to review our VAC information below including fees, refund policy, bursaries, and updates.  

The revised VAC model delivers additional benefits, including: 

  • We have hired paid employees as Award Specialists, rather than relying on volunteers and Support Centre employees, to meet demand and ensure high quality support for participants through their Award experience.

  • We are offering courses to teach participants how to start their Award, setting themselves up for success, how parents and guardians can support their participants through their Award experience, as well as masterclasses on Award requirements and skill-shares. 

  • Providing regular, themed office hours where participants can virtually connect with Award Leaders offering guidance and mentoring support. 

  • Delivering a VAC participant newsletter with tips, common questions, an events calendar, grants and opportunities.

  • Running a Francophone Award Centre. 

Virtual Award Centre registration fees

In order to create a sustainable delivery model with paid members of staff in place to support participants through their Award in the VACs, we have increased our participant fees as follows:
bronze Bronze level registration

$250.00

silver Silver level registration

$350.00

gold Gold level registration

$450.00

Accessibility for all

The Award in Canada is proud to be a Service Organization / Payee of Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart Individual Child Grants! If you / your child is under the age of 18 and registering in the Virtual Award Centre, the application is available on their website. Please make sure to read eligibility, requirements, and details carefully before applying. You can also find additional information on their FAQ webpage.

 

Please click here for more information on additional bursaries and grant opportunities.

The Virtual Award Centre registration fees are: 

  • $250.00 for the Bronze level 
  • $350.00 for the Silver level 
  • $450.00 for the Gold level 

The administrative fees are as follows:  

Refunds:   

  • All refunds are subject to a $50.00 administrative fee to cover administrative and account costs. 

Inactive accounts:  

  • Should a participant cease to log activity and does not respond to their Award Leader’s attempt to reach out, the Award will be marked as inactive. Should the participant return to continue activity within 6 months of inactivation, a PayPal invoice will be sent for a $50.00 administration fee to reactivate the Online Record Book account and re-engage.  
  • Should a participant cease to log activity and does not respond to their Award Leader’s attempt to reach out, the Award will be marked as inactive. Should the participant return to continue activity after 6 months of inactivation, a PayPal invoice will be sent for a $100.00 administration fee to reactivate the Online Record Book account and re-engage.  

The transfer fees are as follows:  

Changing levels:  

  • Should a participant choose to change their current level from Bronze to Silver, a PayPal invoice will be sent for the $100.00 difference in registration fees.
  • Should a participant choose to change their current level from Silver to Gold, a PayPal invoice will be sent for the $100.00 difference in registration fees.  
  • Should a participant choose to change their current level from Bronze to Gold, a PayPal invoice will be sent for the $200.00 difference in registration fees.  

There are no additional charges for the account changes. Please contact the Support Centre with your request to change levels 

Transferring a current Award into the VACs:  

Should a participant wish to transfer their existing ORB account, mid Award level, to the Virtual Award Centre, a $50 credit will be applied to the level specific Virtual Award Centre registration fee. Please contact the Support Centre with your request to the transfer.  

Transfer reasons can include:  

  • Choosing to continue your Award in the VACs 
  • Leaving or aging out of your current Award Centre without another Award Centre to transfer to. For example, graduating from middle school to a feeder secondary school without an Award Centre or aging out of a uniformed group.  
  • Moving away from your Award Centre or moving to Canada from another country.  
  • Current Award Centre closing down.  

Registration fees for the Virtual Award Centres and for individual events must be paid in full at time of enrolment.  

If your registration for the Virtual Award Centre is accepted (registration approval date), Award Canada adheres to the standard 30-day refund policy, allowing for refunds within 30 days of an individual’s registration approval date. All refunds are subject to a $50.00 administration fee.  

After 30-days from acceptance, registrations are non-refundable unless: 

  • The Online Record Book account is cancelled by administrators,  
  • If the young person cannot participate within a reasonable amount of time (more than 6 months) due to medical reasons, substantiated by a medical certificate, or extenuating circumstances.  

In these two situations, the refund is still subject to a $50.00 administration fee. 

If your registration is not accepted for any reason, a full refund will be given. Some examples of cancelled or unaccepted registrations are: participants outside of age requirements, incorrect level, duplicate registrations, etc.

There are no refunds for bursary or scholarship paid fees. 

If you would like more information, or you have any questions, please see our FAQ’s below. 

 

Virtual Award Centre FAQ's Register