Put these Key Gang Show Dates in Your Diary

Put these Key Gang Show Dates in Your Diary

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Scott Walker

Gang Show Marketing Lead

The Edinburgh Gang Show 2025 will be held between Tuesday 4th to Saturday 8th November 2025 at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre

The audition dates for the Edinburgh Gang Show 2025 are as follows:

Main Gang Auditions – (Scouts, Guides, Explorer Scouts, Rangers, Network)

Sunday 27 April @ St Anne’s Parish Church, Kaimes Road, Edinburgh

Junior Gang Auditions – (Cub Scouts & Brownies)

Sunday 11 May @ Blackhall, St Columba’s, Columba Road, Edinburgh

Full details about auditions will be in following newsletters.

Regional Uniform Bank

Regional Uniform Bank

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George Brightman

Youth Lead for South East Scotland

We are really excited to launch our new uniform bank as part of our goal to make Scouting more accessible to young people. As a Region, we are opening a Uniform Bank, which will gather and re-distribute uniforms and badges free of charge to young people who need them the most. The uniform bank has been made possible through a grant from the Region’s Inclusion Fund.

Along with the uniform, the young person will also receive the badges they need to begin or continue their journey with us.

George Brightman, Regional Youth Lead said “As a Region it’s essential that we provide support to young people who cannot access Scouting for financial reasons. I am absolutely delighted that the Regional Inclusion Team has agreed to support this initiative from the Youth Team!”

If you have any old uniforms you’d like to donate or want to request a uniform on behalf of a young person, please email: uniform.bank@sesscouts.org.uk

Recognising Our Fellow Volunteers

Recognising Our Fellow Volunteers

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John Bruce

Awards Team Leader

Saying thank you and well done is one of the simplest, but most powerful ways to recognise our fellow volunteers. It really does count for so much. That’s why our award scheme is so important.

Recognising people’s contribution in a meaningful way will leave them feeling valued and motivated. The new membership system makes it easier to nominate someone who deserves to be thanked for their good service. I would encourage you to put people forward for an award and make them feel even more special – beyond a simple word of thanks.

We know you’re busy with Scouts and your other commitments, which is why the nomination process has been made as simple as possible. You should find everything you need below: More Information about the Awards Scheme can be found here and your guide to making a nomination can be found at the Awards page

Congratulations to our John Kennedy

South East Scotland Scouts are delighted that John Kennedy, who was the Edinburgh Area Commissioner when the Region was formed in 2008, has been awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honours List.

John has held a wide variety of roles at local, District and National level, where he is currently the Treasurer for Scouts Scotland.

Over 46 years supporting Scouting, John’s dedication, enthusiasm and leadership have allowed many young people to gain #SkillsForLife and this honour is very well deserved.

 

Congratulations John from all your friends in South East Scotland Scouts.

In addition, congratulations to those members of South East Scotland who have recently received awards for the work they do in supporting Scouting in our Region.

Learning Update – February 2025

Learning Update – February 2025

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Mike Treanor

Volunteer Development Lead

My Learning

We want all our volunteers to have the skills and knowledge they need to feel confident to keep young people safe and help them gain skills for life. We organise learning at Scouts in what we call the Learning Tree. It’s made up of:

Growing Roots: The learning all new volunteers need to do within their first six months. Learn more about Growing Roots

Branching Out: The learning you can choose to do to develop your knowledge further and get accreditations. Learn more about Branching Out

My Learning Digital Tool

This link provides guidance on how to start a new learning, credit skills, check your team’s learning and create a learning report.

New Safety Module

A reminder that all members will need to complete a new Safety Module by 14th July 2025 (or before that if your existing Safety Module expires before that date). The Safety Module can be accessed via My Learning on the membership system. Its takes approximately 45 minutes to complete and you can start the module, save it, and go back to it later to complete it. 

First Response

First Response learning need to be undertaken by adult volunteers in the following roles:

  • Group Lead Volunteers
  • Section Team Members (including those who were previously Sectional Assistants)
  • Section Team Leaders
  • 14-24 Team Leaders 

New volunteers in these roles must undertake First Response within one year and previous Sectional Assistants who are now Team Members, must complete First Response within the next two years.

 

There are three main ways to complete First Response:

  1. Attend a f2f First Response Course (usually 9.30am to 4.30pm) – we have a range of courses available during qtr. 1 – you can register here

  2. Undertake First Response via the Blended Model where you do some online learning (3 hours), attend an online confirmation session (2.5 hours), and then attend a f2f practical session (30 mins). Details of the Blended model can be found here and you can register for the online learning at First Response e-learning 2025

  3. Undertake an External First Response Course e.g. FAW or BASP and/or present your Professional Qualifications as evidence as having the appropriate First Response Skills. You will need to send your course certificate or details of your professional qualifications to firstresponse@sesscouts.org.uk . A Regional First Response Trainer will validate your learning/experience and confirm whether it meets Scouting requirements or whether you need to do some additional learning e.g. Child CPR.
Update on Digital Tools

Update on Digital Tools

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Mike Treanor

Volunteer Development Lead

Signing into the new Membership System

If you have not yet signed into the new Membership System or are having difficulty doing so, you can find out how to gain access via this link

Please note when you register or reset your password, the system sends a verification code to your login email, to verify the account. This verification code doesn’t come from ‘Scouts’, instead from Microsoft on behalf of prodscoutsb2c (msonlineservicesteam@microsoftonline.com), which means it’s going into some people’s spam/junk folder – you may need to check these folders.

Benefits of New System

Many of our adult volunteers are using the new membership system to access their personal profile and learning, to submit Nights Away Notifications, to nominate fellow volunteers for awards and to apply for permits. For many the system is a significant improvement on Compass.

Upgrades to the Digital System

UK Scouts have acknowledged that some improvements are needed especially for those volunteers who lead teams. You can find the latest a) resolved and b) planned updates and interim solutions for known issues within the digital tools here.

  1. Resolved issues
  2. Digital system updates

If you are having any difficulties or have any questions about the new digital tools, please speak to your team leader or email transformation@sesscouts.org.uk

Regional Mindfulness Day 8th March 2025

Join us for an inspiring day dedicated to mindfulness and well-being!

The South East Scotland Scouts Regional Mindfulness Day is open to Scouts and Explorers alike. It offers a unique opportunity to explore ourselves and nature to enhance mental health.

Where and When?

It will be held at Bonaly Scout Centre 9.30am to 4pm on Saturday 8th March 2025

What to Expect

  • Workshops led by professionals from Edinburgh University. Gain insights and practical tips on subjects like, depression anxiety, mental health, social media, digital footprint, perfect image and more! 
  • Engaging outdoor activities. Discover how connecting with nature can boost your mental well-being. 
  • A special closing ceremony and campfire. End the day on a high note with a shared moment around the fire.

Who Can Attend?

Participants: 50 Scouts and 50 Explorers (100 participants in total).

Leaders: Free entry for leaders accompanying the groups.

Cost

Entry Fee: £2.50 per participant. 

Don’t miss this chance to learn, grow, and connect with others while experiencing the transformative impact of mindfulness and nature. Reserve Your Spot Today!

Leaders should register below, indicating the number of spaces you would like to reserve by 28th February. Spaces are limited to 100 participants, so book early to secure your place. We will confirm whether your booking has been successful no later than the end of January and provide further details including payment details.  

Regional Mindfulness Day

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