World Scout Jamboree

The World Scout Jamboree is a Scouting jamboree of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, typically attended by several tens of thousands of Scouts from around the world, aged 14 to 17.

The first World Scout Jamboree was organized by The Boy Scout Association in London. With exceptions for the war years, it has been organized approximately every four years, in the more recent years by the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM), in different locations over the world. The 21st World Scout Jamboree in 2007 was held in Hylands Park, Essex, United Kingdom, and celebrated the Centenary of Scouting. The 22nd World Scout Jamboree was at Rinkaby in Sweden from 27 July 2011 to 8 August 2011.^[1] The 23rd World Scout Jamboree was at Kirara-hama, Yamaguchi City in Japan. It opened on 28 July 2015, and closed 8 August 2015.^[2]

Terminology

In lexicography, "Jamboree" is considered an Americanism that traces back to 1860–65 and refers to a joyful, noisy gathering.^[3] The term is believed to originate from the words jabber (rapid, indistinct talk) and shivaree (noisy celebration), with "m" from jam (crowd).^[4]

History

While World Scout Jamboree is the expression used by the World Organization of the Scout Movement,^[5] other organizations held events called "jamborees" for their members.

The Scouting program became an international success following its founding by Robert Baden-Powell in 1907. With its continuing growth, the founder of the movement saw a need for a gathering of representatives of Scouting from all around the world. The general aim was to foster a worldwide brotherhood, and to help the young Scouts in the movement learn about other peoples and nations by direct interaction with them.

The idea of organizing such periodical international gatherings was originally conveyed to Baden-Powell by the General Chief of the Scouts of Greece, Konstantinos ("Kokos") Melas, during the 1918 international Scout meeting, in England.^[6][7] Captain Melas proposed the gatherings should repeat every four years, in the same way Olympic Games were held in Ancient Greece. The suggestion was accepted with enthusiasm by Baden-Powell, who named the gatherings "Jamborees".

It was in 1920 that the first World Scout Jamboree was realized, held in the Olympia halls in Kensington, London. Symbolically, the Jamboree site bore the name of the birthplace of the Olympic Games, Olympia. 8,000 Scouts from 34 countries attended the event.

Cartoon in Punch, published in 1929 for the 3rd World Scout Jamboree

Thereafter, a Jamboree has been held every four years. There are two exceptions to this: no Jamboree was held between 1937 and 1947 because of the Second World War, and the 1979 Jamboree, which was to be held in Iran, was cancelled due to the political upheaval in the region at that time. The Jamboree has been held in different countries around the world. The first seven Jamborees were held in Europe. The eighth World Jamboree was held in North America where the tradition of moving the Jamboree among the continents began. As yet, Africa has not hosted a jamboree.

To replace the cancelled event of 1979, the World Scout Committee determined that an alternative celebration, the World Jamboree Year should take place. Several regional camps took place, such as the 12th Australian/4th Asia-Pacific Jamboree, held in Perth, Western Australia, along with countless Join-in-Jamboree activities — designed to allow Scouts from around the world to participate in an activity that thousands of other Scouts around the world were also participating in at the same time. This Join-in programme was reproduced again as part of the Scouting 2007 Centenary celebrations.

So far, the greatest attendance of all Jamborees was in 1929, where over 50,000 members from around the world descended upon Birkenhead in the north-west of England. This number represented the permanent contingent who remained for the entire event. They were joined by hundreds of thousands of visiting Scouts who participated on a day basis.

The first Jamboree was more akin to an exhibition of Scouting, allowing visitors to see how things were done in other parts of the world. The Second Jamboree was conducted on a camp basis and each successive Jamboree has developed on this format where the programme is typically more activity oriented, with plenty of time for Scouts from different nations to interact and learn about each other in less formal ways than an exhibition would allow.

The 2007 Jamboree coincided with the Scouting Centenary celebrations. Because of this, the honour of hosting the event was again bestowed upon the United Kingdom, as the birthplace of Scouting. Over 40,000 young people camped in August at Hylands Park in Chelmsford, Essex. Hundreds of thousands of day visitors attended events in the south-east of England as part of the Jamboree.

The following Jamboree was held at Rinkaby in Sweden, opening on 27 July 2011, followed in 2015 by Japan, and the Jamboree in 2019 will be at The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve in West Virginia.

JOTA, JOTI and JOTT

JOTA/JOTI 2006 Logo

Jamboree on the Air

Jamboree on the Air, known by its acronym JOTA, is an international Scouting and Guiding activity held annually on the third full weekend in October. The event was first held in conjunction with the fiftieth anniversary of Scouting in 1957, and was devised by a radio amateur with the callsign G3BHK. It is now considered the largest event scheduled by the WOSM annually.^[8]

Scouts talking on the radio during Jamboree On The Air

Amateur radio operators from all over the world participate with over 500,000 Scouts and Guides^[9] to teach them about radio and to assist them to contact their fellow Scouts and Guides by means of amateur radio and since 2004, by the VOIP-based Echolink.^[8] Scouts and Guides are also encouraged to send paper or electronic confirmations known as "QSL cards" (Or "eQSL's^[10]" when they are sent electronically.) This provides the Scouts and Guides with a means of learning about fellow Scouts and Guides from around the world. It is an adjunct to the World Scout Jamboree.

The event is recognized as one of international participation by the various Scout and Guide organisations, and supports several awards which are a part of Scouting and Guiding programmes.

Jamboree on the Internet

Scouts at their computers during Jamboree On The Internet

Jamboree on the Internet, known by its acronym JOTI, is an international Scouting activity held annually. Participants, through the use of designated Chats from all over the world, can contact their fellow Scouts by means of the Internet. Common communication methods include ScoutLink (IRC), e-mail, and VOIP. This provides the Scouts with a means of learning about fellow Scouts from around the world. JOTI operates alongside JOTA (Jamboree On The Air) and is an official event of the World Organization of the Scout Movement.

JOTI was pioneered in 1995 by Queanbeyan Rovers whilst one Rover, Norvan Vogt was on a student exchange in the Netherlands, with the home crew in Australia co-ordinated by Brett Sheffield. They connected Putten, Netherlands and Queanbeyan, Australia with dedicated IRC servers.^[11] In November 1996 the World Scout Committee, noting that Scouting already had a considerable presence on the Internet, and that there was already an informal and rapidly growing Jamboree on the Internet, decided that JOTI should become an official international Scouting event, and that it should be held on the same weekend as the Jamboree on the Air (JOTA).

2011 saw the first ever 'JOTI Radio' station, a broadcast internet radio station based in the UK to provide entertainment for the JOTI weekend, which had live interviews from Scouts all over the world, in its initial year organised by Scout Radio (scoutradio.org.uk) the National Broadcast Radio team for the UK in conjunction with local scouters who later formed Avon Scout Radio (avonscoutradio.org.uk) who now run Joti Radio with the support of Scout Radio. JOTI Radio is now part of the annual JOTA / JOTI weekend.

Further information on JOTI is available at www.world-jotajoti.info

Jamboree on the Trail

JOTT 2006 logo

Following on the idea of the Join-in events from the World Jamboree Year, Jamboree on the Trail (or JOTT),^[12] is a co-ordinated event where Scouts around the world simultaneously participate in local hikes. It takes place on an annual basis on the 2nd Saturday in May.

This type of event allows Scouts to take part in activities at the same time as other Scouts, promoting the idea of the Scouting brotherhood. Participants are awarded a JOTT badge as a recognition of having participated in this worldwide event.

Smaller events

There are up to ten smaller Jamboree (or Jamborette) events held each year around the world. This includes Regional Jamborees, which are held every three years in their areas of the world. Scouts from outside these regions are invited, but attendance is generally lower (for example, the EuroJam 2005 event hosted 10,000 Scouts, mostly from Europe).

National associations, and sub-national groups, also organise a number of events, such as the WINGS event and KIJ, which is organised by a County level body.

List of events

Year[13]	Event	Location, Country	Theme/Name	Dates	Attendance	Countries Attended
1920	1st World Scout Jamboree	The Olympia, London, England, United Kingdom	Develop World Peace[14]	000000001920-07-30-0000July 30, 1920– 000000001920-08-08-0000August 8, 1920[15][16]	8,000	34
1924	2nd World Scout Jamboree	Ermelunden, Denmark	World Citizenship[14]	000000001924-08-10-0000August 10, 1924– 000000001924-08-17-0000August 17, 1924?[17][18]	4,549	40
1929	3rd World Scout Jamboree	Arrowe Park, Birkenhead, England, United Kingdom	Coming of Age	000000001929-07-31-0000July 31, 1929– 000000001929-08-13-0000August 13, 1929[19][20]	50,000[21]	40
1933	4th World Scout Jamboree	Gödöllő, Hungary	Face New Adventures[14]	000000001933-08-02-0000August 2, 1933– 000000001933-08-15-0000August 15, 1933[22][23]	25,792	46
1937	5th World Scout Jamboree	Bloemendaal,[24] Netherlands	Lead Happy Lives[14]	000000001937-07-31-0000July 31, 1937– 000000001937-08-09-0000August 9, 1937[25][26][27][28]	28,750	54
1947	6th World Scout Jamboree	Moisson, France	Jamboree of Peace	000000001947-08-09-0000August 9, 1947– 000000001947-08-20-0000August 20, 1947[29][30]	24,152	38
1951	7th World Scout Jamboree	Bad Ischl & Salzkammergut, Austria	Jamboree of Simplicity	000000001951-08-03-0000August 3, 1951– 000000001951-08-13-0000August 13, 1951[31]	12,884	41
1955	8th World Scout Jamboree	Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada	New Horizons	000000001955-08-18-0000August 18, 1955– 000000001955-08-28-0000August 28, 1955[32]	11,139	71
1957	9th World Scout Jamboree	Sutton Park, Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom	50th Anniversary of Scouting	000000001957-08-01-0000August 1, 1957– 000000001957-08-12-0000August 12, 1957[33]	30,000	82
1959	10th World Scout Jamboree	Makiling, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines	Building Tomorrow Today	000000001959-07-17-0000July 17, 1959– 000000001959-07-26-0000July 26, 1959[34]	12,203	44
1963	11th World Scout Jamboree	Marathon, Greece	Higher and Wider	000000001963-08-01-0000August 1, 1963– 000000001963-08-11-0000August 11, 1963[35]	14,000	88
1967	12th World Scout Jamboree	Farragut State Park, Idaho, United States	For Friendship	000000001967-08-01-0000August 1, 1967– 000000001967-08-09-0000August 9, 1967[36]	12,011	105
1971	13th World Scout Jamboree	Asagiri, Fujinomiya, Shizuoka, Japan	For Understanding	000000001971-08-02-0000August 2, 1971– 000000001971-08-10-0000August 10, 1971[37]	23,758	87
1975	14th World Scout Jamboree	Lillehammer, Norway ; Co-hosted with Denmark , Finland ,Iceland , and Sweden	Five Fingers, One Hand	000000001975-07-29-0000July 29, 1975– 000000001975-08-05-0000August 5, 1975[38][39][40]	17,259	91
1979	(15th World Scout Jamboree)	Nishapur, Iran		000000001979-07-15-0000July 15, 1979– 000000001979-07-23-0000July 23, 1979[41]	cancelled
1983	15th World Scout Jamboree	Kananaskis County, Alberta, Canada	The Spirit Lives On	000000001983-07-05-0000July 5, 1983– 000000001983-07-15-0000July 15, 1983[14]	14,752	102
1987–1988	16th World Scout Jamboree	Cataract Scout Park, Appin, New South Wales, Australia	Bringing the World Together	000000001987-12-31-0000December 31, 1987– 000000001988-01-07-0000January 7, 1988[39]	14,434	98
1991	17th World Scout Jamboree	Sŏraksan, Kangwon, South Korea	Many Lands, One World	000000001991-08-08-0000August 8, 1991– 000000001991-08-16-0000August 16, 1991[14]	20,000	100
1995	18th World Scout Jamboree	Biddinghuizen (municipality of Dronten), Oostelijk Flevoland, Netherlands	Future is Now	000000001995-08-01-0000August 1, 1995– 000000001995-08-11-0000August 11, 1995[14]	28,960	122
1998–1999	19th World Scout Jamboree	Hacienda Picarquín, Mostazal, Chile	Building Peace Together	000000001998-12-27-0000December 27, 1998– 000000001999-01-06-0000January 6, 1999[39]	31,000	137
2002–2003	20th World Scout Jamboree	Sattahip, Chon Buri, Thailand	Share our World, Share our Cultures	000000002002-12-28-0000December 28, 2002– 000000002003-01-08-0000January 8, 2003[39]	24,000	143
2007	21st World Scout Jamboree	Hylands Park, Chelmsford, Essex, England, United Kingdom	One World, One Promise Scouting Centenary	000000002007-07-28-0000July 28, 2007– 000000002007-08-08-0000August 8, 2007[39]	38,074	158
2011	22nd World Scout Jamboree	Rinkaby, Sweden	Simply Scouting	000000002011-07-27-0000July 27, 2011– 000000002011-08-07-0000August 7, 2011	40,061	169
2015	23rd World Scout Jamboree	Kirarahama, Japan	A Spirit of Unity	000000002015-07-28-0000July 28, 2015– 000000002015-08-08-0000August 8, 2015[42]	33,838	152
2019[43]	24th World Scout Jamboree	The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve, New River Gorge, West Virginia, United States ; to be hosted with Canada and Mexico	Unlock a New World[44]	000000002019-07-22-0000July 22, 2019– 000000002019-08-02-0000August 2, 2019[45]
2023	25th World Scout Jamboree	Bids: Poland ,[46] South Korea

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to World Scout Jamboree.

• World Scout Moot
• World Scout Indaba
• World Camp (Guiding)

References

External links