24th World Scout Jamboree

From the 14th of July to the 4th of August I went on a trip to the USA, and attended the 24th World Scout Jamboree held at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia, along with around 150 other scouts from South Africa. The jamboree was a gathering of 50 000 scouts and adult volunteers from around the world, coming together to celebrate scouting and our different cultures, and it was an honour for us to be able to represent South Africa at such a huge scale. 

The South African contingent’s adventure started at Alpine Scout Camp in New Jersey, after over 24 hours of travelling, where our shakedown camp was held. Here, we got to know our troops and patrols, which were made up of scouts from all over South Africa. Many of the scouts from other provinces I’d never met before, but we became like family by the end.

After the shakedown camp, we spent a day at Six Flags, a theme park with dozens of high adrenaline roller coasters, which was definitely a super fun bonding experience, and a great way to spend one of our first days. 

The next 2 days were spent touring New York in our patrols, where we got to do some shopping and see some amazing sights such as the

intrepid museum, Gugenheim, 9/11 memorial and the iconic New York skyline. We also took a much needed break in the shade of central park, while listening to buskers playing live music, since there was a heatwave in New York at the time, and we walked most places. Both evenings, the contingent met at Times Square, and there we met other scouts from all over the world who were also on their pre-tours. It was really special to be able to meet people before even arriving at the jamboree, and seeing Times Square filled with scouts.

On the 20th of July we started off the day with a cruise past New York, where we go to see the statue of liberty, followed by a 5 hour bus ride to Washington, after which we checked into our hotel and had dinner before settling down for bed. We had a day to explore Washington as a patrol, before a tour of the Capitol building followed by another long bus ride to West Virginia the next day.

We arrived at the Summit at about 9pm, in the pouring rain, only to discover our friendly american neighbours had set up our tents for us. The South African contingent had the immense privilege of performing in the opening ceremony, an opportunity which has never been offered to us before. The next day was spent setting up camp and rehearsing for the opening ceremony, before an incredible ceremony that night, which we got to start. This really inspired and brought together the scouts, and got us all super excited for the next week or so

I can’t even begin to explain everything that the jamboree had to offer. With 45 000 scouts, and 11,400 acres, it was impossible to do everything. This also made it great because every scout could choose what they wanted to do and when. This means that everyone had a completely different experience of the jamboree, and I definitely think I made the most of my time there. My favourite thing at the jamboree were the global village, (a collection of market-like tents, each tent representing a different country, filled with games, traditional foods, and information on the culture), Mt Jack (a mountain that our whole base camp hiked up one day with various traditional scouting games, and a 1 or 2 mile obstacle course), and the more adventurous activities such as rock climbing, a water obstacle course, and white water rafting. White water rafting was particularly memorable for me, because 4 of my friends and I were split from the other South Africans, and put in a group of boats with Vietnamese-americans and mexicans. We all bonded very well, and we quickly formed a strong friendship with 4 vietnamese-American scouts that were in our boat, who we still talk to now. 

Most nights we also had what was called “Basecamp bashes”, which was an event for the scouts of that Basecamp to attend, where a DJ or band played music, and there were carnival games and foam machines to enjoy as well.

Another highlight was the cultural day, where each troop displayed their culture in the most vibrant way possible, and we got to walk around the campsites, visiting different countries and learning about various aspects of their culture.  It was truly amazing to be able to experience these activities with both old friends from South Africa, and new ones from all over the world. 

The jamboree also encouraged modern technology and sustainable living, which was truly inspiring, and I learned things that will definitely positively impact my future. One of the coolest pieces of technology on the jamboree was the Novus system. Each scout was given a wristband called a ‘Novus’, and when clicked near another scout’s Novus, it would exchange contact details, allowing us to stay connected easily with each other even after the jamboree.

Each night, we would also have patrol exchanges, where we’d mix with our neighbouring troops for a meal together.  The most memorable one for me was when my patrol ate with the japanese, because despite the language barrier, we were still able to have a good time, and after eating the troop even showed us traditional dances and games, which we all had lots of fun playing. 

Sadly, after 10 days of incredible fun and friendships, it all had to come to an end, and even this was with the most spectacular closing ceremony. It started off with some inspirational speeches by the ambassadors of the scouting movement, and the UN, followed by the handing over of the management team to the team for the 25th World Scout Jamboree in Korea in 2023. Then the fun really started. First, the Pentatonix, an insanely talented acapella group performed for us, followed by an amazing dance show by Tron LED dancers. The whole crowd’s Nouvs’s lit up different colours, and the atmosphere was truly incredible. It all ended off with the biggest firework and light display I’ve ever seen, leaving everyone in the crowd completely in awe. (I strongly encourage you to look up a video of it on YouTube if you want an idea of the scale of this ceremony.)

The next day was yet another long bus ride back to Washington, followed by our last dinner together as the SA contingent, and some free time to roam the city until our 10:00 curfew. On the 3rd of August, our last day, we woke up early to get to the airport, and had a tiring 14 hour flight to Dubai, after which we sadly had to say goodbye to all our Joburg and Durban friends, followed by a  9 hour flight back to Cape Town.

At the airport, we were met by a whole crowd of purple welcoming us back home, and I was touched by the amount of scouts and parents that had made an effort to come and see us. It was truly heartwarming to be amongst some of my best friends that were on the jamboree with me, and many other friends from throughout my scouting journey, who had come to see us, and I couldn’t have asked for a better way for this life changing experience to end.

Sophia (Year 10)