The Wood Badge
Find out about the future of the Wood Badge and how completing it will become optional
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The Wood Badge is an international award dating back to 1919. It shows a volunteer's personal commitment to learning and development with Scouts.
In our new approach to learning, completing the award will be optional and volunteers can choose to work towards it as part of their ongoing development.
After research and talking to our members, we are re-developing what the award should look like today and plan to release a new Wood Badge framework in the future.
Moving to the new Wood Badge framework
When the My Learning digital tool launches, the new Wood Badge framework won’t be available. However, we’ll continue to deliver the current Wood Badge, with some changes.
For existing volunteers working towards an additional Wood Badge
If you‘re in the middle of working towards a Wood Badge when the new digital tools go live:
- If it’s in addition to Wood Badge(s) you already have, you won't be able to earn another. But the learning you've done towards it will be on your record in the new My Learning digital tool.
- If it’s your first Wood Badge, the learning you’ve had validated on Compass will be visible on the new learning tool. You can then continue to complete the modules you need to earn a Wood Badge.
As part of our new approach to learning, there'll no longer be a system for multiple Wood Badges for each of your roles. But if you’ve already got more than one, they’ll carry across and show as awards on your record.
Two versions of the Wood Badge
Until the new Wood Badge framework is ready, there'll be two clear versions of the Wood Badge available to do. One will be a Section Wood Badge focused on helping those delivering our programme. The other will be a Managers and Supporters Wood Badge focused on helping those in a role that involves leading or supporting volunteers.
Anyone can do either of these versions and you'll no longer need a Personal Learning Plan developed with a Training Advisor.
The content for the Section Wood Badge will be a mixture of Growing Roots learning where relevant and continuing modules from the Adult Training Scheme:
- Safe Scouting
- Data protection in Scouts
- Who we are and what we do
- Creating inclusion*
- Delivering a great programme*
- Module 8 - Skills of leadership
- Module 9 - Working with adults
- Module 11 - Admin
- Module 13 - Growing the section
- Module 16 - Residential
- Module 18 - Practical skills
- Module 19 - International
*To gain the Section Wood Badge, you'll still need to do this learning even if you have an automatic sign-off of Growing Roots learning on joining the new digital system.
The content for the Managers and Supporters Wood Badge will be a mixture of Growing Roots learning where relevant and continuing modules from the Adult Training Scheme:
- Safe Scouting
- Data protection in Scouts
- Who we are and what we do
- Creating inclusion*
- Leading Scout volunteers*
- Module 11 - Admin
- All current Manager and Supporter skills courses
*To gain the Managers and Supporters Wood Badge, you'll still need to do this learning even if you have an automatic sign-off of Growing Roots learning on joining the new digital system.
Growing Roots
Find out about the learning you have to do as a volunteer new to a role and what this will mean for current volunteers.
Find out more about Growing Roots