What are the Saltire Awards?
The Saltire Awards are the Scottish Government’s way of celebrating, recognising and rewarding the commitment, contribution and achievements of young volunteers in Scotland, aged between 11 and 25.
Young people gain nationally recognised certificates, signed by Scottish Government Ministers, for the different amounts of volunteering they do.
What is volunteering?
The Saltire Awards recognise volunteering that meets the following three clear characteristics:
- It is a free will activity. This means you are doing it because you want to, and no one is forcing you to do it.
- It is not done for financial gain. Volunteering is not a job and you cannot be paid; however, you may have any reasonable expenses covered.
- It is for the benefit of the community, society at large or an individual
Why you might want to volunteer?
- Gain new skills and experience that will look great on your CV and could help you at school and/or work
- Meet new people and make new friends and connections
- Make a difference to individual people, communities and the environment
- Have fun! You will have the chance to get involved in variety of activities that might not have done before
There are many organisations, groups and schools that support young people to take part in a range of volunteering activities in the community. Whilst it is important for young people to be supported and encouraged to sign up for a My Saltire account and to take ownership of their own volunteering, we do recognise that this is not possible for all young people. A Group Administration function has been developed to help you support your young volunteers gain the recognition they deserve.
What is Group Administration?
A Group Administrator account allows all volunteer involving organisations (VIOs) and schools to request and print Saltire Awards certificates on behalf of the young people they support.
Why use Group Administration?
- Request Saltire Awards certificates on behalf of the young people you support
- Easy way to manage certificate requests
- Have PDF copies of certificates to share with young person and save to file
- Be able to print certificates as and when required
- Ensure your young volunteers are recognised and celebrated for all the great things they do
Before you become a Group Administrator
There are a few things to think about before you become a group administrator. Have a look at the checklist below to ensure you can meet these requirements before proceeding.
- Your organisation demonstrates good practice around youth volunteering
- Your organisation has a clear understanding of volunteering and the criteria The Saltire Awards recognises
- Your organisation can keep its own accurate records of young people’s volunteering hours
- Your organisation is committed to encouraging and supporting young people to create their own My Saltire account (where possible)
