How to Find a Congressional Award Advisor (and a Validator)

When we talk to students who started the Congressional Award and quit, the most common reason is not the hours. It is that they could not find an adult to be their Advisor, or they found one who stopped answering emails.

This guide covers what an Advisor does, who can be one, how to ask, and how Validators are different.

What an Advisor does

You have one Advisor for the whole award. Your Advisor:

• Helps you set a goal in each of the four areas
• Helps you pick activities and Validators for each goal
• Checks in with you from time to time while you work
• Reviews your Record Book at the end and signs a validation form that says you met every requirement

That last part is the important one. Your Advisor signs off last, after all of your Validators.

The program wants your Advisor to agree before you register. So find your Advisor first.

Who can be your Advisor

Any adult who knows you and is not family. Good choices:

• A teacher you get along with
• A coach
• A school counselor
• A club sponsor or Scout leader
• A neighbor or family friend
• A volunteer coordinator at a place where you serve

Who cannot be your Advisor: your parents, any relative, or a friend your own age.

How to ask

Teachers and coaches are busy, and "will you be my Advisor?" sounds like a big job. Make it small and specific. Here is a message you can copy:

Hi Ms. Rivera, I am starting the Congressional Award, which is an award from Congress for young people who set goals in service, personal development, and fitness. I need an adult Advisor. It means helping me set my goals at the start, checking in every couple of months, and signing one online form at the end. It would mean a lot to me if you were my Advisor. Could we talk for 10 minutes this week?

Then bring a printed copy of your draft goals to that meeting. Adults say yes to students who already did the thinking.

What a Validator does

A Validator confirms the hours for one goal. You need one for each goal, and it should be someone who saw that work. Your coach can validate your fitness goal. Your piano teacher can validate your personal development goal. The volunteer coordinator where you serve can validate your service goal.

Send the validation form only after you finish the activities for that goal. If you add hours later, you have to send it again.

If you did most of a goal on your own and no one else fits, your Advisor can also be the Validator for that goal.

Pick an Advisor who will last

The Silver Medal takes at least 12 months, and the Gold Medal takes at least 24. Before you ask, think about whether this person will still be around. A senior-year teacher is a risky pick if you are a freshman going for Gold. A coach you will have all four years is safer. You can change Advisors later, but it adds work.

Make your Advisor's job easy

The best thing you can do for your Advisor is keep a clean record. Use our free Congressional Award hour tracker to show them where you stand when you check in.

For the service area, choose an activity where the hours are already tracked for you. If you tutor with Learn To Be, every session is logged automatically.

Going for Silver or Gold? We can help

If you tutor with Learn To Be and you are going for the Silver or Gold Medal, we act as your Advisor for the service part. We help you set your service goal, check in with you as you go, and sign off on your service hours when you finish. Your tutoring sessions are already logged, so there is nothing extra to track.

For the other three areas, you still need an adult who knows that work, like a coach for fitness. Email hello@learntobe.org when you start, and we will help you plan it.

Ready to start? Apply to be a volunteer tutor.