WITH THE DIVERSITY AWARD, EVERYONE IN YOUR FAMILY CAN GET INVOLVED!

BY JODY KIMBALL, COUNCIL COMMUNICATION COMMITTEE MEMBER

As you and your family are checking out the wide variety of adventures, merit badges, requirements and electives available, consider this unique award offered to all youth and adults in the Northern Star Council. The Diversity Award was created by the Northern Star Council Diversity Committee to strengthen inclusiveness and create cultural awareness and understanding. The Council’s definition of Diversity is:  The existence of human differences (including but not limited to race, culture, religion, gender, language, family status, economic status, physical and cognitive ability) which affect our relationships, institutions and interactions with others.

Different requirements are available for the Cub Scout, Scouts BSA members under age 14, Scouts BSA members over age 14, Venturers, and adults. Because it can be earned at all age levels, the award creates a continuum that provides a deeper exploration into the subject as the Scout develops in maturity and understanding of the concepts of diversity and culture as well as their own family heritage. The requirements can be found on the Northern Star website, found in the forms section of this page.

The award is a temporary patch which may be worn on the right pocket of a Scout uniform. A single patch design is earned for all levels, and different colored borders are used to distinguish the levels. The symbol on the patch is the mythical Sankofa bird of West Africa. The Sankofa teaches us that we must go back to our roots in order to move forward. That is, we should reach back and gather the best of what our past has to teach us, so that we can achieve our full potential as we move forward. Whatever we have lost, forgotten, forgone, or been stripped of, can be reclaimed, revived, preserved, and perpetuated.