Digital Badges
Digital Badges
At West Sussex Music we’re continuously looking at ways to maximise the experience for young people who get involved with any of our music programme.
With that in mind, we are excited to offer Digital Badges as a way of recognising and celebrating your musical journey whilst acknowledging the value of your creative skills and experiences, and unlock opportunities to develop your portfolio further.
They serve as a modern credentialing tool, allowing individuals to showcase their accomplishments across platforms, enhancing credibility and engagement. By delving into the world of digital badges, users can gain ultimate recognition for their learning journeys, making their skills more visible to employers and peers alike.
Why do we offer them?
We feel it’s important to recognise the time and effort put in by young people to the various musical endeavours they get involved in at every stage of their musical development. That’s why the digital badges have been created at four different levels:
- Engage – which recognises the first steps to getting involved, such as attending an open day, or watching a performance
- Participate – which celebrates active music making, such as being a member of a band, or attending a holiday activity
- Demonstrate – which to is awarded to those that have deepened their involvement and commitment and is an example to others
- Lead – for young people who have shown great leadership skills, such as being a member of the Youth Advisory Board.
What is a digital badge?
- A smart and simple way of showing what you’re learning from creative experiences.
- A visual tool to connect you to an organisation and proudly display on your website, email signature, LinkedIn profile, CV and more.
- A way to reflect on your experience, explain your strengths, and stand out from the crowd with a professional portfolio of work.
- An example of the language you can use in applications and interviews to explain the skills you’ve gained.
Digital Badges are more than just a picture to share. The visual part includes a logo and the badge name, but they also contain metadata that contains your name and what you did to earn it, plus it shares more about the organisation who gave it to you.
Here’s an example of a digital badge:
Who can earn a digital badge?
Anyone in Key Stage 3 upwards, who takes part in any of the West Sussex Music activities designated as being relevant for a Digital Badge.
How do you earn them?
You earn them by taking part in events and activities such as holiday activities, Orchestras Inc, Youth Advisory Board, attending work experience, and many more. Following one of these activities, you’ll receive an invitation to claim your digital badge in an email from West Sussex Music. Just click on the link!
How can you show others?
My Skills Backpack is a place for storing and managing your badges and creating digital CVs. The platform is free to access and you can build a shareable profile. You’ll have options to export your badge collection as a PDF for an easy CV, or you can simply use My Skills Backpack to remind yourself what you’ve done and reflect on your achievements!
Any further questions?