All the awards in the Olave Program Awards structure involve completing challenges. This section provides an outline for Olaves as to the way in which self and peer assessment works in the Olave Program.
A challenge is a goal or aim that you set for yourself and carry out to the best of your ability. A challenge may involve:
Learning something new, or more about something;
Discovering a better way to do something;
Trying something you dislike or find difficult; or
Improving or adding to skills you already have.
To determine whether an award has been earned, you and your Award Support Group both need to be satisfied that you have completed the challenge(s) to the best of your ability by self and peer assessment.
“I believe that being a part of the Olave Program has helped me trust myself more and aim for more than I thought I could achieve.”
In your self-assessment of challenges, you should be able to address the following questions:
Was it really a challenge for me? Why was it a challenge?
Did I achieve what I set out to do? If you had to adjust your plans along the way, was it still a challenge for you?
What did I learn from this challenge? Can you identify particular areas in which you have improved a skill or learned something new?
What was the most difficult part of this challenge? Did you expect this part to be difficult?
How do I feel about what I have completed? Are you proud of what you have accomplished?
Is there anything I would do differently next time? Can you identify any areas you might change, or did you get any feedback from others?
Peer assessment
Your Award Support Group should have seen, and approved, your original plan of action for the challenge. You then need to keep them up-to-date with how the challenge is progressing, and report back to them once the challenge is completed. The format you use for this is up to you. It may involve a written report, oral presentation, group discussion, and/or the use of photos or videos. Your Award Support Group should have the opportunity to ask questions about your challenge.
In determining whether you have completed the challenge to the best of your ability, your Award Support Group should consider the following questions:
Did she achieve what she set out to do? They should know what you had originally planned, and understand from your report what you actually achieved.
Was it really a challenge for her? They should be aware of your strengths and weaknesses, and have approved your planned activity as a challenge for you. They now need to assess whether you did actually challenge yourself and identify how you have improved or developed yourself in some way.
Did she try her best in this challenge? They should be able to tell whether or not you truly tried your best.
What could she do differently next time? They may be able to identify some areas for improvement, or suggest a different way that things could have been done.
Your Award Support Group should then provide you with their comments or suggestions and let you know if they are satisfied that you have completed the challenge. If they are not satisfied with your challenge, they need to be able to identify specific areas you need to improve or change.
“The Olave Program has enabled me to try many new activities and challenge myself in areas I would have never thought of even participating in.”