Are you looking for a way to develop skills, improve your confidence and broaden your experience as you prepare to leave school?
The Mark Scott Award combines a residential adventure in the wild with a project back in your community.
It enhances your CV and prepares you for university, an apprenticeship or your first real job.
What's the Award all About?
Over the last 25 years, the Award has equipped over 3,500 school leavers to face the challenges that lie ahead.
If you're an S6 pupil, taking part will help you gain social confidence, improve your communication and organisation skills, develop your resilience, and maintain your own mental wellbeing.
Previous participants tell us that they also felt an increased connection to the outdoors and an appreciation of a healthy lifestyle. And they felt more connected to their community.
What will I do?
There are 2 parts to the Award:
Firstly you will spend five days in nature's playground, heading to our Loch Eil centre near Fort William between August and October.
You'll be climbing rocks and abseiling back down, building rafts, and heading out into the mountains on an expedition.
You'll work together with the rest of your group to take on new challenges. And you'll also learn skills such as presentations, project management and planning.
Expect stunning sunrises, new friendships and skilled instructors encouraging you out of your comfort zone, and to come away with a new skillset, new friends, and an understanding of how much you are really able to achieve.
And this is where the second part comes in:
The unique part of the Award is this:
When you return home, your group will be supported to research, design and implement a community project using all the skills you have learned on residential in real life, so that you can demonstrate your skills to others and grow genuine experience ready for your next step in life.
Employers and interviewers find this genuine experience very valuable, and participants find the projects really uplifting as they help people in ways that are of value to them.
Do any of these sound like you?
• You feel like your social confidence could do with a boost.
• You want your CV and personal statement to show more than just your grades.
• You want to stand out when it comes to applying for jobs, college and university.
• You're not sure what you want to do after school but you'd like to try to find out.
• You're interested in making a difference in your local community.
• You're keen to learn some new skills.
We'd love to hear from you.
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TEACHERS
Thinking about encouraging your S6 pupils to take part?
If you would like to see a copy of our latest evaluation report please get in touch.
The innovative combination of an outdoor learning residential and urban community-based project helps to break down barriers that exist within our communities, supports young people to develop their confidence and provides them with the skills and attributes needed in transition to further education, training and employment.
The costs of delivering The Award are almost entirely met by our generous donors. If you would like to help young people have this opportunity in years to come, please consider supporting us – more information on how to donate is here.
