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TRUST Award

Venturing · Award

Printable worksheet (PDF)

The TRUST Award helps you explore your own faith, understand others' beliefs and cultures, and serve your community. It's about building respect and peace in a diverse world. It's a meaningful way to grow as a person and a leader.

Why it's worth it

The TRUST Award helps you understand what you believe and why, and to understand people who believe differently. You'll explore your own faith, learn about religious freedom and the faiths and cultures in your community, serve, and practice conflict resolution and peace-building. In a world full of division, being someone who can listen across differences is one of the most useful things you can be.

Start this week

  1. Talk with your family and your faith leader about the religious emblem for your faith and what earning it involves.
  2. List the places of worship near your home and pick one or two you know little about.
  3. Ask a parent, grandparent, or other relative about your family's history and traditions to start on requirement 4.
  4. Ask your Advisor if the crew could plan a service project together with a community agency for requirement 5.

Requirements · 6

Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab).

  1. Requirement 1

    TRUST essentials. Choose 9 of 11

    Tips for this section: Choose nine of the eleven essentials (1a–1k). Several take months, like volunteering for three months (1d) or helping with a children's class (1j), so start those early.

    1. Requirement 1a

      Earn your faith's religious emblem for Venturing-age youth (details in Duty to God brochure No. 512-879)

      Tip: Talk with your faith leader about your religious journey and the emblem for your faith. Set a plan to earn it.

      For example: Work with your faith leader on your religion's emblem program, and keep a short journal of questions you're wrestling with and what helps you think them through.

    2. Requirement 1b

      Cultural diversity (1b1 and 1b2, or 1b3 and 1b4)

      1. Requirement 1b1

        Learn about cultural diversity

      2. Requirement 1b2

        Use what you learned in 1b1 to give a presentation or set up a tabletop display

      3. Requirement 1b3

        Invite a guest whose cultural background differs from yours and most of your crew's to present on a topic they choose, and introduce them

      4. Requirement 1b4

        With your crew, a Sunday school class, or another group, join a discussion of cultural diversity

    3. Requirement 1c

      Plan and lead a service project, for example working on a Habitat for Humanity house, a community cleanup, or fix-up work at a nursing home or nursery

    4. Requirement 1d

      Volunteer service

      1. Requirement 1d1

        Volunteer for at least three months at your place of worship or another nonprofit

      2. Requirement 1d2

        Keep a personal journal entry for every time you volunteer

      3. Requirement 1d3

        Once you've volunteered three months or more, tell others about your service and how you feel about it

    5. Requirement 1e

      Go on a religious retreat or religious trek of two or more days

    6. Requirement 1f

      Produce or act in a play, puppet show, concert, or similar show with an ethical or religious theme, performed for a group such as children, a retirement home, a homeless shelter, or a Cub Scout or Scouts BSA unit

    7. Requirement 1g

      Lead your youth group or Sunday school class as its president, leader, or an officer

    8. Requirement 1h

      Pass a standard first aid course, or a higher-level or equal course

    9. Requirement 1i

      Ethical controversies

      1. Requirement 1i1

        Take part in two or more ethical controversy activities

      2. Requirement 1i2

        Act as facilitator for two or more ethical controversy activities with a group such as your crew, another crew, a school class, or a Scouts BSA troop

      3. Requirement 1i3

        Lead or help staff an ethics forum at your place of worship, for your crew, or for a school class

    10. Requirement 1j

      For three months or more, teach or assist with a children's Sunday school class, or volunteer at a children's program at a church or synagogue such as vacation Bible school (must be separate from 1d)

    11. Requirement 1k

      Meet with your minister, rabbi, or other faith leader to learn what their work involves, how they prepared to become a leader, and what they see as the most important part of the job

  2. Requirement 2

    Tending your beliefs

    Tips for this section: Before you meet with your religious leader, jot down what you believe and the questions you're still working through. Your essay and presentation can grow out of that conversation.

    1. Requirement 2a

      Talk with your religious leader about what you believe and why, and compare your beliefs with your religion's official teachings. Then write an essay on your beliefs, have your religious leader and crew Advisor go over it with you, and give a 15- to 20-minute presentation (talk, video, slideshow, or similar) about them to your crew or another youth group

    2. Requirement 2b

      Say what the Scout Oath and Scout Law mean to you, using your own words, and explain how they shape your daily life, your life goals, and the way you live in your community

  3. Requirement 3

    Respecting the beliefs of others

    Tips for this section: Visit places of worship different from your own, with permission, and learn about religious freedom.

    Example for this section: With a parent or your Advisor, visit a service at a place of worship different from your own. Afterward, compare: what surprised you, what felt familiar, and how does the First Amendment protect both communities?

    1. Requirement 3a

      Talk with a history or social studies teacher, a lawyer or legal professional, or another informed adult about the Bill of Rights and freedom of religion: what it meant to the founders, what it means now, what limits apply, and what happens when it clashes with free speech. Then hold a discussion (not a debate) on religious freedom with your crew

    2. Requirement 3b

      Find out which religious groups worship in your community and whether they are long-established or fairly new there. Ask at least five local adults how different religions affect your community, and report back to your crew

    3. Requirement 3c

      Learning about another faith. Choose 1 of 5

      1. Requirement 3c1

        Research a religion from the TRUST chapter that isn't yours in depth, and report to your crew or another youth group on its history, key historical events, how it is practiced today, and where and how people commonly practice it

      2. Requirement 3c2

        With a parent, Advisor, or religious professional, attend a service, gathering, or festival of a religion other than yours; write about the experience and how it reflects that religion's ideas and practices, and compare its core beliefs with your own

      3. Requirement 3c3

        Meet two young people (in Scouting, Girl Scouts, or another youth group) who are earning an approved religious emblem of a faith not your own, and talk with them about their religious journey

      4. Requirement 3c4

        Contact an official of an interfaith group (such as an interfaith coalition or council of churches) and discuss why religious tolerance matters locally and globally

      5. Requirement 3c5

        Go to an interfaith festival, talk with two people of another religion about how your faiths are alike and different, and report what you learned to your religious leader

  4. Requirement 4

    Understanding other cultures

    Tips for this section: Start close to home by asking relatives about your family's history and culture. Then attend events from two other cultures and compare them with your own, and pick the 4c option that interests you most.

    Example for this section: You might go to two cultural festivals in your area, read about how each community lives today, and compare both with your own family's traditions. For 4c, studying one group in depth could mean tracing an immigrant community in your state: why families came, where they settled, and which traditions continue.

    1. Requirement 4a

      Explore the culture you feel closest to by asking relatives or other knowledgeable people about your family's history and your cultural and family identity

    2. Requirement 4b

      Attend events from two different cultures that show each one's history and uniqueness; research each culture today, compare both with your own, and report to your crew or a youth group. Then have a youth and an adult of another culture speak to your crew, or interview two people born abroad who moved nearby (exchange students count) on why they came and how life differs. Outside the U.S., adapt it

    3. Requirement 4c

      Deeper study of cultures. Choose 1 of 4

      1. Requirement 4c1

        Take and pass a course that covers cultural diversity

      2. Requirement 4c2

        Research and present on a past or present conflict between religions or cultures somewhere in the world: how it began and (if over) ended, its causes and effects including today's, and background on every culture and religion involved

      3. Requirement 4c3

        Study a cultural group not your own that helped shape the U.S. melting pot: when they began arriving, how they have influenced the country and your community, and where they mainly settled and why; report to your crew or youth group

      4. Requirement 4c4

        Meet with your council's all-markets executive: find out which of those programs are used nearby and why, and learn about Scouting resources built for particular cultural groups and how they differ from the ones you know

  5. Requirement 5

    Serving your community

    Tips for this section: Partner with a community service agency on a project with at least five other youth, using the Summit service project workbook to plan it. For 5c, pick ongoing service you'll stick with, like six months in a service club.

    Example for this section: For 5a, your crew might team up with a food bank to start a weekend food-pack program for a local school. For 5b, ask a city council member how zoning decisions get made, then lead a crew discussion on one idea to improve your town.

    1. Requirement 5a

      Plan and carry out a service project with an established community service agency that makes your local community better. Involve five or more other Venturers or youth, make it well planned with lasting effects, and let the Summit Award Service Project workbook guide you

    2. Requirement 5b

      Meet a local government official to learn how your community handles matters like taxes, zoning, religion, education, and acceptable behavior; share what you found with your crew or another youth group, and lead or join a discussion about ideas to improve your community

    3. Requirement 5c

      Ongoing community service. Choose 1 of 5

      1. Requirement 5c1

        Organize a community safety program, such as a neighborhood watch or latchkey program (it must be a different project from 5a)

      2. Requirement 5c2

        Work with your local Alpha Phi Omega chapter for a semester, taking part in a large share of its service, and talk with its advisor about building more cooperation with your Scouting council and with other student groups at your college

      3. Requirement 5c3

        Be an active member of a high school or college service club for six months, joining a large share of its projects; look for ways to grow its service and membership, and report on how it helps the community

      4. Requirement 5c4

        Volunteer as a first aid or swimming instructor or aide with the Red Cross or a similar group, teaching at least four times over six months; learn about its other volunteer roles, then report on your experience and how the group and your service help the community

      5. Requirement 5c5

        Volunteer actively for six months with another community service agency your Advisor approves (for example therapy or guide dogs, a food pantry, or hospital aide work), then report on your experience and how the agency and your service help the community

  6. Requirement 6

    Transforming our society

    Tips for this section: Practice listening and conflict resolution skills with your crew. Think about how they can bring peace in daily life.

    Example for this section: Practice conflict resolution with a role-play: two crew members want different trips. Each restates the other's view before giving their own, then the group looks for an option that meets both needs.

    1. Requirement 6a

      Complete eight or more hours of counseling skills training, such as peer counseling or hotline or first-contact training from a local agency or government office; then explain to your crew the main lessons and your plan to put them to use

    2. Requirement 6b

      Through research or talks with teachers or community leaders, find out which addictions (such as alcohol, drugs, tobacco, gambling, or pornography) are hurting your community. Choose one, learn what local help exists, talk with a counselor who works on it, and tell your crew how it affects your community

    3. Requirement 6c

      Lead or actively join four or more ethical controversies within six months, at the crew, district, or council level or at a youth event shared by several faith communities

    4. Requirement 6d

      Conflict, counseling, and peace. Choose 1 of 4

      1. Requirement 6d1

        Go to a public meeting of your school board, city or community council, or a court session; pick an issue causing disagreement, watch how it's handled through to resolution (even over several meetings), and present to your crew or another youth group how the conflict was settled

      2. Requirement 6d2

        Tour a correctional facility and talk with its chaplain about their duties and experiences, including stories of people who turned their lives around and became contributing members of society after release

      3. Requirement 6d3

        Compare counseling degree programs at four colleges or universities, including one large public university and one small religious college; look at the degrees, the required courses, and especially their religious content

      4. Requirement 6d4

        Study the World Organization of the Scout Movement's 'Scouts and Peace' document, lead a crew discussion on it and how Scouts can help build world peace, then give a 10-minute presentation on it to a Scouts BSA or Girl Scout troop

Places to visit

Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.

  • A place of worship different from your own

    Seeing a service and talking with members helps you understand beliefs and traditions firsthand.

    How: Have your Advisor or a parent contact the office first to ask when visitors are welcome and what to expect. Go with your crew or family.

  • A cultural center or heritage museum

    Exhibits and events show the history and traditions of a community in its own words.

    How: Check the website for exhibits, festivals, or group visits, and go with your crew or family.

Ask yourself

  • What questions about your own beliefs are you working through right now?
  • What surprised you when you learned about another faith or culture?
  • When have you seen a disagreement handled with respect, and what made it work?
  • How has serving others shaped what you believe?
  • What would peace-building look like in your school or community?

Good questions to ask a faith or community leader

  • What do people most often misunderstand about your community?
  • How does your community work with people of other faiths or cultures?
  • What does religious freedom mean to you in daily life?
  • Can you share a time you helped people resolve a conflict?

Helpful reads

For leaders & parents

  • Arrange visits to places of worship or cultural centers with respectful guidance.
  • Invite community leaders to talk about cultures, faiths, and peace-building.

People & places that can help

Pairs well with

Helps you earn

Into this? Explore more

Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.