Why we’re changing Learning

We want all our volunteers to have the skills and knowledge they need to feel confident to help keep young people safe and help them gain skills for life.

As part of the Transformation System go live on 28th November you’ll have access to the new Learning Tree rather than the Adult Training Scheme. Going forward into 2025 and beyond, we'll be organising learning at Scouts in what we call the Learning Tree. This will be rolled out over the coming months. It'll be made up of Growing Roots, learning that's personalised to you as a volunteer, and Branching Out, the learning you can access to further develop your skills and knowledge (and achieve a wood badge).

Access to this learning and progress tracking will be available within the new Membership System. For any learning which requires assessment follow these handy steps on how to send it for Assessment, here, where one of our Learning Assessor Community will be on hand to check it off.

2025 Learning Calendar

Nottinghamshire Scouts are excited to launch the 2025 learning calendar, packed with training sessions to support and empower adult volunteers. The calendar currently offers essential learning for First Response with Nights Away and Mental Health First Aid courses coming soon. The calendar offers 3 to 6 months forward view of learning opportunities. With a mix of online and in-person options across Nottinghamshire, volunteers can choose flexible training to suit their needs and schedules. 
 
This year’s lineup aims to enhance skills, confidence, and connection among volunteers, creating a stronger, more supportive Scouting community. Visit the Nottinghamshire Scouts Training website (https://training.notts-scouts.org.uk/calendar) to view the calendar and book your place! If you’d like to see a course then register your interest too. 

County Oak Awards

On 27th October, Nottinghamshire Scouts held their annual Oak Awards Recognition event, honouring over 20 volunteers and groups for their exceptional service to the scouting community. The event highlights the dedication of individuals who have played a key role in delivering essential life skills to young people across the county.

Jordan Phillips, County Lead Volunteer, praised the efforts of the volunteers, stating, "The event brings together volunteers across Nottinghamshire Scouts to recognise their contributions to deliver skills for life. It's amazing to see so many people recognised." His words reflected the pride and gratitude felt by the all those that attended.

The Oak Awards celebrate volunteers from various roles, including group leaders, section helpers, and behind-the-scenes supporters, all of whom contribute to the success of the scouting movement. Their work empowers young people to build confidence, resilience, and teamwork skills, preparing them for future challenges.

This year’s recipients represented the diversity and commitment of Nottinghamshire Scouts, with each awardee receiving recognition for their unique contributions. The event was filled with applause, appreciation, and a strong sense of community.

The Oak Awards serve as a reminder of the vital role volunteers play in shaping the lives of young people. In his closing words Jordan went on to say “Never underestimate the massive positive impact your volunteering has on young peoples lives, keep being brilliant”. Through the tireless efforts of many, these individuals help ensure that Scouting continues to thrive, offering invaluable experiences to the next generation. 

Visit Oak Awards - Notts Scouts for the full list of recipients and photo’s. 

Shaping the Future of Scouting

In an exciting move to gather invaluable feedback, Nottinghamshire Scouts has launched the 2025 Volunteer Experience Survey. Open until Christmas Eve (24th December), it is a unique opportunity for adult volunteers to have a direct influence on the future direction of Scouting. Designed to assess how the needs of volunteers can best be met, the survey invites honest feedback in areas crucial to volunteer satisfaction and development.

Start giving your feedback today, https://forms.office.com/e/4QwN3MhTRn

 

Understanding Volunteer Needs Across Key Areas

The 2025 survey is structured to gain insights into several key areas that affect volunteers’ experiences and engagement, including:

By focusing on these areas, Nottinghamshire Scouts aims to create a more supportive, enriching environment where volunteers feel encouraged and empowered.

 

Your Voice Shapes the Future of Scouting

The insights gathered will support Summit25, the national meeting where Scouts volunteers from all over the UK will come together to help shape the next UK Scouting strategy. This is a chance for local voices to be heard, providing an open forum for Nottinghamshire’s volunteers to express what matters most to them. With Summit25 on the horizon, feedback from this survey will be critical in identifying trends, addressing concerns, and planning impactful changes that will support the next generation of Scouts.

 

How to Take Part

Participation is easy and open to all adult volunteers in Nottinghamshire Scouts. By setting aside a few minutes to complete the survey, volunteers can actively contribute to building a brighter, more inclusive, and sustainable future for Scouting. The survey is not only an opportunity to give feedback but also a way to make sure Nottinghamshire’s voice is represented in the future of Scouting in the UK.

 

 

 

Transformation Update

You will have received an email from Headquarters with the dates for the launch of the new Digital Tool. The Nottinghamshire Transformation Team would like to share what we are doing in the County and how the ‘Go Live’ will affect you. 

What are the dates for launch? 

In Nottinghamshire the new system will be launched on 28th November (‘Go Live Date’) In order to transfer data across (personal details, training records and permits) Compass will ‘freeze’ from 7th November.

Compass Data Freeze 

From 7th November Compass will ‘freeze’ and data cannot be changed or accessed – you will not be able to add any new members, change roles or update training or DBS. A spreadsheet of key information (password protected) will be sent from HQ to all District Lead Volunteers to still allow for essential work e.g. approving NAN forms.  

For DBS’s that expire during November and December we are asking you to complete them early, a full list will be available if you are affected. 

What is being replaced? 

The new Digital System is replacing ‘Compass’ which is the adult database. 

The new database will be the location for the following: 

From the launch of the new database all essential learning e.g. safety and safeguarding will be carried out on the new system, which will update records automatically. 

What is not being changing? 

How do I log into the new system? 

Around 2 weeks before ‘Go Live date’ every member will get a personalised email with the login details for the new system. The login will be via the Scouts.org.uk website. 

What happens to Compass? 

All data from Compass will migrate across to the new system. Compass will be accessible to HQ staff after Go Live date to correct any errors or omissions. 

What do I need to do? 

Very little as most of the work is happening in the background.  

What about my training record 

What you need to do for your role will be changing as we move from training to learning. The learning you need for your role will be on the new digital system with it automatically recorded when completed. 

For section and group assistants you will become members of the group or section leadership team and as such will be required to complete the learning for all members as above.   

What support is the available for the ‘Go Live’?: 

Best wishes, 

Nottinghamshire Transformation Team. 

Running Safe Nights Away Experiences - Webinar

Success in Ruddington

Three of our fantastic members from 1st Ruddington have recently won awards at the Rudd Awards. This event showcases those who have gone the extra mile in the local community in Ruddington.

Dan Clifford won in the Champion Volunteer category, joint with Sally Bears (a local Guide leader). Dan has poured hours of his time into Scouting over the years, supporting the 140 young people in his group through adventurous activities such as canoeing and camping.

Dan said “When I found out I had been nominated, I was really taken aback. It’s really nice to be recognised for the things we do, not that that’s the reason anybody would do them. There’s a big team of us, not just me”.

Young Leaders Ottollie & Emmeline Jones also jointly received a Rudd Award, this time in the Young Star award. This amazing pair are twin sisters that volunteer in the Beaver section, and have helped young people develop skills and confidence through the group — just as they did when they were younger!

The pair said “We grew up going to Parkrun, Cubs and Scouts. It was something we looked forward to each week, and so we hope that it’s doing the same thing for the kids that come to Beavers”.

“We’ve been from Beavers all the way through to Explorers, and we know that it’s such a great group, so it’s really nice to provide the support that our leaders did.”

You can view the award video featuring Dan here, and the award video featuring Ottillie & Emmeline here.

New County Lead Volunteer

As many of you may be aware we have recently completed the search for a new County Lead Volunteer for Nottinghamshire, after an extensive and comprehensive national volunteer appointment process, I am pleased to announce that Jordan Phillips has accepted the role of County Lead Volunteer for Nottinghamshire Scout County effective from 14th June 2024.

For those of you who do not know Jordan, he has been involved in Scouting as a young person, achieving his Queen’s Scout Award, and began his volunteer journey as a leader with the Scout section. Since then, he has gone on to take on numerous other roles, such as Nottinghamshire’s first county youth commissioner, county trainer and training adviser and a member of the county trustee board. He has a real passion for adventure and holds several adventurous activity permits as well as being an assessor for archery. More recently, Jordan has been part of the core team organising the Big Weekend. In his professional life he is a team lead at London Stock Exchange, managing a team of automation software developers based all around the world. He is responsible for delivering a quality product, which is something that I know he also strives for when volunteering with Scouts.

I am sure that you will all support Jordan in his new role as he continues to lead the development of Nottinghamshire with the county and district teams to continue to grow and develop especially with the Transformation journey we have embarked on as a Movement sharing our ambition of supporting more young people to gain #skillsforlife.

I would also like to thank Steven for all the hard work in supporting the delivery of quality scouting in the county and the enthusiasm he has shown in the role over the last six years, to take Nottinghamshire to where it is now. Steven has been relentless in supporting young people’s opportunities and enabling adults alike. Steven will now work with Jordan on a handover until 14th June.

I look forward to seeing Nottinghamshire Scouting continue to flourish and I am sure you will join me in wishing both Steven and Jordan well in their next scouting adventures.

Paula Evans
Regional Lead Volunteer
East Midlands