The Grand Lodge of the State of New York, through the Masonic Youth Committee , approved two new awards at their December meeting: The Excellence in Youth Group Service Award and the Grand Master’s Award for Mentorship Excellence.
The Excellence in Youth Group Service Award may be earned by either youth or adult and is a very handsome lapel pin with all three youth groups connected to the square and compasses.
A youth may qualify if they are a member in good standing of their youth group:
(A) Brought in a minimum of two new members for their youth group.
(B) Performed 50 hours of community service since 1/1/2020.
(C) Supported or attended an event for one other youth group. (For example, a Rainbow Girl attending a DeMolay Installation, a DeMolay attending a Triangle Girl Fundraiser, a Triangle Girl attending a Rainbow Girl social event)
An adult may qualify if they are an adult volunteer in good standing with their youth group:
(A) Brought in two other adults to serve as a youth group leader since January 1, 2020.
(B) Have provided fifty hours of service to their youth group since 1/1/2020
(C) Have served a minimum of two years as an adult volunteer for their organization
The form and application may be found here.
The Grand Master’s Award for Mentorship Excellence is geared towards recognizing those adults who have given of their time and talent to help strengthen Masonic Youth. In addition to those recognized directly by the Grand Master, each youth group may have two granted via nomination.
Nominees must:
(A) Have provided a minimum of five years of service to one of the three Masonic Youth Organizations. (Need not be continuous)
(B) Be an adult volunteer in good standing at the time of the nomination.
(C) Have rendered exceptional service and mentorship on behalf of youth
(D) Have a total of five letters of support in addition to the nomination:
(i) Nomination not to exceed 500 words
(ii) Seconder letter not to exceed 500 words
(iii) A letter of support from an active member of the youth group
(iv) A letter from a local level adult volunteer
(v) A letter from the state level leadership
(vi) and one from a masonic organization.
The nomination forms may be found here. Deadline for nominations is January 31, 2021.