Voluntary public service
Service means giving time, without pay or class credit, to benefit the community at large: tutoring, food banks, hospitals, animal shelters, environmental projects or helping neighbors. Direct service counts in full; indirect work such as planning, training, research and fundraising is capped at a quarter of service hours. Service through a religious organization can count when it serves the wider community and does not involve proselytizing. Students can combine several organizations under one 'umbrella' goal, such as an environmental goal that includes a park clean-up and teaching younger children about recycling. Participants who start their own nonprofit can count that work with a short explanation of its goals.
Personal development
Personal development is about a new skill or real progress in an existing one: an instrument, art, a language, coding, debate, cooking, financial literacy or leadership. Earning Scouting badges counts here, and religious study that does not qualify as service can count here instead. The goal should be measurable and personally challenging. A student may continue an activity they did before registering, as long as the goal pushes them further.
Physical fitness
Any regular physical activity with a measurable goal counts: a school or club sport, running, swimming, cycling, dance, martial arts or a training plan. The goal should describe improvement, such as a faster time, a new level or a distance, rather than simply taking part.
Rules that apply to every area
Only activity after registration counts. An activity and its hours count in one area only. No more than eight hours count per goal per day. Activities with groups such as Scouting, Girl Scouts and 4-H often count, but regular club business meetings do not. Adjustments to the requirements can be made for participants with disabilities, without reducing the challenge.
Writing goals that are approved
Each goal should be specific, measurable and challenging for the student, with a clear end point the Validator can confirm. 'Improve my 5K time from 28 to 24 minutes' is stronger than 'run more'. 'Volunteer weekly at the county food bank and train two new volunteers' is stronger than 'help at the food bank'.
How Tallyhurst helps
We help students turn what they already do into goals the Advisor can approve, spot which activities fit which area, and keep one activity log that records each entry against the right goal. Every goal and every word of the record book is the student's own.
Sources
Questions
Do Scouting activities count toward the Congressional Award?
Often, yes. Scouting service projects can count toward service, personal development or fitness, and earning Scouting badges can count toward personal development, provided each follows the program's guidelines.
Can volunteering through a church or other faith group count?
It can count as service when it benefits the wider community and does not involve spreading faith. Religious activities that do not meet those rules can count toward personal development instead.
Can my teenager count hours from their own nonprofit?
Yes. The program asks for a short explanation of the nonprofit's goals and outreach to check them against its guidelines.
Can an activity my teenager already did before registering be used?
The activity can continue after registration with a goal that pushes further, but only hours completed after registering count.