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At this intermediate level candidates are expected to add new skills to those acquired at Bronze Award. In addition, they are expected to select and apply skills in a variety of straightforward navigational situations. Competence has to be demonstrated in the following areas:-
- The ability to ‘break down’ a navigational stage into coarse and fine navigation i.e. the coarse section could easily involve easy handrail navigation along a path while the fine section could demand accurate map reading and use of compass to execute a subtle route where no clear linear feature exists.
- The ability to choose an appropriate attack point as an obvious starting point for the fine sections of a stage and to use clear features en route to check that the navigator is on course.
- Understanding the use of navigational strategies, like aiming off to hit a chosen point on a linear feature [e.g. bridge over a stream] or traffic light system [green section-easy: orange section- be careful: red- extreme concentration and care.] to adjust concentration levels to the difficulty of the navigation.
- Understanding the physical and navigational factors affecting the choice of a route e.g. height gain or loss, [as in Naismith’s rule]. Severity of terrain or vegetation, degree of difficulty of map reading and execution, and the ability to decide on an effective route in the light of the experience and navigational experience of the participants.
- The ability to judge distance accurately [e.g. by step-counting between given points.]
- The ability to plan a safe walk or course involving Silver Award skills and strategies as listed-recording details on a route card. This plan may be used for assessment purposes if appropriate.
- Understanding the practice of simple relocation strategies when lost [e.g. making for the nearest known point for precise location or choosing a safe route to a linear feature].
- The ability to use a compass for accurate bearings and the checking of footpath direction, including an introduction to different types of compasses and their workings.
- Understanding of the effects of fatigue and physical discomfort brought on by navigational activity in open countryside and/or extreme weather conditions, including recognition of the symptoms of hypothermia and hyperthermia and their treatment. Attention should be paid to demands on equipment and effects on decision making as well as basic physiological and psychological considerations.
- An understanding of the formal and de facto rules governing access to the countryside as for the Silver Award
SILVER NNAS AWARD -Assessment Procedures
Assessment will be made on a continuous course [or courses] in open countryside or forest which turns frequently, includes uphill and downhill sections and tests the ability to use attack points at the end of line feature routes in order to reach subtle location points. As for Level 1 any type of accurate map can be used and locations can be indicated by circles or grid references. The length of course will depend on age and fitness of participants as well as map scale, but will normally be between 5 and 8 km depending on roughness of the terrain.
Participants will be monitored for the frequency with which they check the accuracy of their chosen routes with reference to checkpoints (e.g. path junctions, field boundaries), their close attention to the map, and their decisiveness at times when they are unsure or lost.
Practical assessment will be supplemented by oral and/or written examination as for the Bronze and Gold Awards.
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