award certficiates

Encouraging teens to develop leadership skills and rewarding them for their efforts

by Presenta Plaque | on Feb 16, 2014 | No Comments

Here in the United States, we value leadership skills greatly. Unfortunately, we don’t do as well as we could at encouraging young people to develop these skills and rewarding them for their efforts.

Colleges emphasize leadership, we read books and watch movies about leaders and job descriptions seek strong leaders, but, surprisingly, employers are still reporting gaps in leadership abilities. Of the approximately 100 skills surveyed in The Partnership for 32st Century Skills survey, leadership ranked in the top 10. But, leadership turns out to be the second largest skill deficit in recent college graduates with about 28% of graduates are described as “deficient”.

The reason leadership skills may still be lacking is likely because good leadership requires practice and there are very few opportunities for young people to practice leading. One reason it’s difficult to practice leadership is because, obviously, only one person can lead at a time, so it’s difficult to create opportunities for every young person to practice the skills. Another problem is that many people see leadership as an inherited trait rather than a set of learned skills.

But, we believe leading is more about acquiring specific skills than possessing inherent qualities. With this mindset, successful leaders are developed by honing specific skills through practice.

There are several great ways for young people develop leadership skills. Summer camp is one great place because young people can get training on leadership from camp professionals and can practice leading younger children. Success is rewarded with happy children working together and can also be rewarded at the end of the camp session with award plaques which remind young people of the progress they have made as leaders.

Other places young people can develop leadership skills include:

  • Coaching a sports team of younger children
  • Volunteering at a YMCA or Boys and Girls Club
  • Teaching or assisting younger children at a place of worship

Note that an excellent way for teens to develop leadership skills is to work with younger children while observing older leaders and how they interact with the children.

Overall, any young person who wants to can develop his/her leadership skills. S/he should seek out opportunities to practice his/ehr skills and should be rewarded with praise, success and even award certificates to recognize developed skills.

How Award Plaques Can Benefit Disabled People

by Presenta Plaque | on Jun 19, 2013 | No Comments

Why are goals so important to us? They are points to strive toward in the future. Tasks that seem impossible or endless feel attainable when there are smaller goals in place and we can reward ourselves along the journey. When we receive awards for meeting goals, the tokens eventually form a physical record of the progress made. An athlete collects trophies, a student collects report cards and diplomas. The satisfaction becomes sweeter and the sense of recognition is greater when an award can be proudly displayed.

Awards are common in mainstream education and athletics, but Presenta Plaque knows awards can be expanded to other areas of achievement. For example, award certificates could be extremely beneficial to the physically disabled. Physical therapy and rehabilitation can be a grueling process depending on the extent of the disability. People who were gravely injured in an accident, military duty, etc. have an especially difficult rehab. These people are often fighting to regain the ability to walk, an action that was routine before. Since progress is so slow, award plaques can provide feelings of accomplishment and motivation throughout therapy. Perhaps a person learning to walk again could be awarded for standing without assistance, then for taking a step forward, then walking the length of a room, so on. Another benefit of award plaques is that all ages can benefit from this type of award. Eventually the recipient can look back at his/her collection of plaques proudly, physical proof that s/he overcame the seemingly impossible.

The mentally disabled can benefit from award certificates as well. They strive toward goals with the same energy as a person working to achieve a physical goal. It can be extremely discouraging and frustrating to the mentally disabled when they do not meet the same milestones as their peers. For example, many high schools have small classes of high-functioning autistic children. Traditionally, students graduate within four years, but commonly the autistic children are required to stay several extra years to prepare for higher education or a career. Award plaques give these students a greater sense of self-worth during a time when self-esteem is fragile and feelings of incompetence are common. People of all ages and mental capacities deserve to feel significant and accomplished.

All too often, awards are given for a few specific types of achievements. But, the physically and mentally disabled deserve reassurance of their achievements too. Award certificates validate hard work. Quite simply, plaques make people feel good about themselves. Presenta Plaque proudly produces awards for every achievement and encourages the implementation of award programs in unexpected places.