Our Voyage award is a personal challenge aimed at supporting members to identify their skills, improve on what they know, and learn new ones. It has 3 levels - bronze, silver and gold - and for each level there are challenges to compete designed around 5 key areas.
Although this is a personal challenge, individuals can work as a group to support and encourage each other.
Each level is completed one at a time, in your own time. All levels have a minimum time to complete it within, but no maximum, so you can work at a pace that is best for you. After completing each level, you will be awarded with a certificate and metal pin badge.
Each level has 5 sections that can be worked in any order:
- service
- explore my world
- myself
- teamwork
- skills
Choose an activity, skill, or challenge for each section, and find a mentor who can support you for each one. You can find out more about the role of the mentor on the downloadable guide.
When you sign up for your bronze award you will receive a record book in the post. Use this record book to record your hours and achievements.
If you'd like to find out more we have a handy guide with lots of examples of activities. We also have frequently asked questions at the bottom of the page.
The Voyage award is only available for members of Trefoil Guild in the UK and TGIFC, and we can only send badges and record books to members who are registered with us.
How to apply
Each level of the Voyage award costs just £6. You can apply for your silver once your bronze has been signed off, and your gold once your silver level has been signed off. To apply for any level, use the link below.
Sign up
If you can't apply online, please use our form, and make payment via the details on the form.
Got a question about our Voyage award?
Check out our FAQ's and if you still can't find the answer, contact your country or region Voyage coordinators.
Or you could try asking other members. Have you joined our Trefoil challenges Facebook group? You will need your membership number to join.
Voyage Award FAQs
A metal badge and certificate will be presented to you after you complete a level. You can also purchase cloth versions of our bronze, silver and gold badges if you have completed the relevant level. Speak to your country or region adviser, or purchase them via the Trefoil shop.
Visit shop
In the first instance, you should contact your country or region adviser or coordinator. Their details are in your book, or in the list above. Ensure you are logged in to view this list.
Yes, replacements are £3 each for the books. Certificates and badges are £1 each. Send a payment via BACS for £3 or £1 to the Trefoil Guild office account (details on the voyage application form) with the relevant reference:
membership number+voyagebook
membership number+voyagecert
membership number+metalbadge
Please email us to say what it is for. Alternatively, you can send a cheque and a note to the office address. Cheques are made payable to The Trefoil Guild.
Yes, you can purchase a cloth badge when you have completed your level. The badges are £1 each. You can purchase them from the Trefoil shop or your voyage coordinator may have some for sale.
The first Voyage Award record books were printed in 2013 when Trefoil Guild took on the award nationally after Anglia had run a pilot scheme.
The original record books ran out in late 2014 and some improvements were made to the 2015 version.
If you have the 2013 record books you are expected complete the level you are working on and then to work to the updated 2015 guidelines - see below.
Bronze update 2014
From 2014, the minimum time for completion of the bronze level has been reduced from 12 months to 6 months. Therefore anyone who has been working on their bronze award for more than 6 months may send in their record books in as soon as all sections are completed. There is no change to the minimum 12 months requirement for the silver and gold levels of the Voyage award.
Trefoil Guild Anglia piloted the award and then it was taken over nationally in 2013.
Voyage award is for Trefoil Guild members only. To join, find your local Trefoil today:
You can apply online here.
apply here
If you cannot apply online, please download a form and send payment via the details on the form. Cheques are made payable to ‘The Trefoil Guild’.
The Voyage award record book and welcome letter, then it’s over to you!
The Voyage award is open to all UK Trefoil Guild members, which includes TGIFC members. We are happy to share our award with Trefoil Guilds around the world, but we are unable to administer the award in other countries.
When a participant completes a level of the Voyage award they will be presented with a metal badge and certificate specific to the level that has been completed. There are currently no certificates for individual sections, only whole levels.
If all or even the biggest majority of your members are from one country or region then it would seem sensible to link to the relevant country or region coordinator. If members are spread across the UK then your coordinator will be for the country or region in which you live. For TGIFC members, your coordinator is your county chair.
From 24 October 2014 the minimum time for completion of the bronze Level of the Voyage award was reduced from 12 months to 6 months, however there is no change to the minimum 12 months requirement for the silver and gold levels of the Voyage award.
We feel there is no rush or pressure for you to rush through the levels. We know some of you are very enthusiastic members and are so keen to get on with the sections however we want you to enjoy the award by spreading the time across a minimum of 6 months (bronze) and 12 months (silver or gold). This also gives those who do not have as much time as long as they like to complete the award.
Once you have completed a level, send your record book to your country or region coordinator. They will sign it off and return it to you after which you can apply online or send in a registration form for the next level.
Take precaution when sending your book. You can always use recorded delivery and we do recommend keeping copies of your work in case your book gets lost in the post.
We ask members to register and pay for each level to inform us that you have completed one level and moved on to the next. It also helps us ensure your details are up to date. The £6 fee for each level covers the costs associated with taking part in the Voyage award such as postage, badges and certificates.
The folder is to keep anything and everything that you have for your award – this could include correspondence, photos, leaflets, samples of work and so on. You are to keep a folder of evidence that you can show to your mentor about what you have done – it is also quite nice to show others in your Trefoil, county or region as an example of what they could achieve by completing the Voyage award.
The record book is a short summary of what you have done throughout your award. The record book is the only thing you send into the local programme and development adviser when you have completed all the sections of your award, therefore the advisers only need enough information in your book to see that you have completed all sections with the required hours and that your mentor is satisfied with your evidence and progress.
You can summarise the activity, include the hours completed on the record page and ask your mentor to sign it off. Your mentor will have looked at your evidence file and could write more in there if wanted.
No, the activities for your sections must start once you have registered for each level of the Voyage award.
Anyone who has an interest or good knowledge of whatever you are doing i.e. the leader of the unit you are helping with or a tutor in IT if you are taking a course on computing. It can be a Trefoil member if they are appropriate for the role.
The activities are only suggestions so you don’t have to do any of these. There are plenty of other things you can do, as long as you challenge yourself.
You may choose any section – perhaps choose the one for which you are short of hours. Remember, you can’t use one activity in more than one section!
Hours spent travelling to a venue where your activity or service takes place cannot be counted in your totals. However, where appropriate, times can include planning and preparation for the event, activity or service.
No, you may wish to do all your activities at the same time – but this may not be the best idea as it is a lot of work to complete at once, plus you have a minimum of 6 months (bronze) or 12 months (silver or gold) after your date of registration to complete the award so there really is no reason to rush through it.
As with everything in guiding the challenge should be to do the best one can. This is why the mentor is so important, they should be discussing plans with the participant and encouraging them to stretch themselves. Therefore if the mentor is happy then the section can be signed off.
As long as the whole award level takes you the minimum 6 months (bronze) or 12 months (silver or gold) then this is okay. However it is your mentor’s role to agree your plan and ensure that you carry out the activity to the best of your ability in the best amount of time. You only have to record your activity for the required number of hours. If you choose to continue with the activity then that’s great and you can write about this in your evidence file.
If you are able to complete the full amount of hours on 1 activity then that if preferable, as you are then making a considerable difference to others as well as yourself. However if this isn't possible then it can be spread over more than one activity.
The suggested activities are merely divided into categories to make it clear what kind of activities you can do. The only section that you must do an activity from both categories is teamwork, where you must plan and participate in an event, however you don’t have to use the suggestions in the book, you could plan and participate in any event.
If you would like to continue with an activity you have been taking part in for the bronze level of the Voyage award to complete the silver level, the skills and knowledge must be extended and this must be documented in your evidence file and acknowledged by your mentor.
It is the mentor’s role to agree your plan, discuss your progress, offer advice and see that you carry out your chosen activity to the best of your ability in the best amount of time.
If the planned activity covers the hours required or more, but takes less than 6 months (bronze) or 12 months (silver or gold), this is acceptable. However each level has to cover at least 6 months (bronze) or 12 months (silver or gold) and the Certificate and Badge cannot be applied for before 6 months (bronze) or 12 months (silver or gold) has elapsed.
You can download our handy guide here to share with other members. You can also make a presentation about your own Voyage award to encourage others. We have a PowerPoint template for members in our info and resources section.
The handy guide mentioned above gives information and outlines of each section and what is required.