25th World Scout Jamboree

Within the Scout Association a Jamboree is a large gathering of Scouts who come together to continue and share their Scouting Journey through adventure, pioneering, service and community. Jamborees occur at both a national and international level and enable Scouts to gain a greater insight and appreciation into the largest youth organisation on planet Earth.

A World Jamboree brings young people from all over the world together for a common cause ... Scouting.

A World Jamboree is an exceptional experience where youth live as one without prejudice, colour, language, race, economic background, religion, borders or names. It's an experience dominated by acceptance, laughter, happiness and freedom. A world where there is only one currency, badge swapping and youth have the freedom to move from country to country through the community of campsites.

 

 

 

 

Farewell ... Bon Voyage

The journey to a World Jamboree, while exciting, is long. Full of excitement, planning, fundraising, dreaming and eventually packing. It is a journey over a couple of years from the decision to go to actually going whereby youth are challenged to prepare themselves, catch up with their Patrol, promote their adventure to younger Sections as well as their local community and research the World Jamboree host country to help them understand the local culture, traditions, customs, language, food and currency.

Seoul, South Korea

Arriving in Seoul, South Korea was an awesome experience. It was hot & humid and completely different and unique to Ballan. With a population greater than Australia, Seoul is a mega-city offering a huge variety of opportunities to explore and discover and that is exactly what our Venturers did during their first few days in Seoul. Hitting the streets of Seoul allowed our Venturers to truly experience the city as they explored the museums, monuments, sites, transportation systems and food of Seoul. It was amazing to see our Venturers accept the challenge and fully enjoy their time on the streets of Seoul.

Seoul Tower

However, the Australians were not the only one's on the street exploring the city of Seoul ... there were Scouts from all over the World in Seoul, just as eager to explore the city as well as connect with other Scouts. On occasions it was difficult to get anywhere, as everywhere you went you would meet Scouts from another Country ....

Hello. Where are you from?

England

Austria

Norway

Brazil

Japan

America

... and what followed was an amazing exchange on the streets of Seoul ...

What do you have to trade?

This one question initiated an amazing exchange between youth from all over the world who would simply begin swapping badges, scarves, hats, pins, souvenirs as well as contact details. Language was no barrier, Location was no barrier. Weather was no barrier. Wearing a Scout Scarf was an international symbol for safety, peace, friendship and unity. It was simply an open invitation to engage in conversation knowing that you all had something in common ... Scouting.

While in Seoul the Venturers had an opportunity to catch up as an Australian Contingent, where they had the spent time talking to friends, sharing experiences and finalising their preparations for arrival at Saemangeum, the sight of the 25th World Scout Jamboree.

When travelling it is always wonderful to fully immerse yourself in the local customs, traditions, activities and experiences on offered and while exploring Seoul our Venturers didn't hold back as they explored and enjoyed ....

Photo Booth

Dinner

Karaoke

Then finally after years of preparation, promotion and hard work and days of enjoying the streets of Seoul, our Venturers were finally ...

World Jamboree Bound

 

 

 

 

World Jamboree Tent Pitching

Opening Ceremony

 

 

After being encouraged and inspired by youth to write a book for them, challenging youth through the practical application of skills outlined in the book and constantly refining a structure that today defines the largest youth organisation planet earth has ever seen, Lord Robert Baden-Powell had a vision, a vision that grew to see youth all over the world united through one cause, one movement, one purpose. That purpose is for youth to grow into active citizens that make a positive contribution to the world locally, nationally and globally. No where else is this purpose showcased more than at a World Jamboree.

 

 

South Korean Airforce

JAMBOREE ACTIVITIES

Water Slide

Organising a World Scout Jamboree that brings over 50,000 youth & adults together from 158 countries is no small task, but to watch the youth take ownership of the implementation is truly inspiring, resulting in the creation of a unique world. A world where everyone is free. A world where everyone is safe. A world where everyone can simply be themselves, laugh, smile, relax and enjoy the experience that is a World Jamboree.

Swimming at Gosap Beach – Byeonsanbando National Park

It was an honour to go to South Korea and have the chance to represent our country in a global community. People were so excited to meet us and learn about our Australian culture. We loved sharing our culture with people from many countries. Meeting people from a range of different countries made us appreciate and love our country for its uniqueness and diversity.

High Ropes

Our international adventure left permanent marks on our hearts. We wish all Ballan scouts and youth in the broader scouting community will eventually have the opportunity to experience similar personal growth that we gained from the World Scout Jamboree. In sharing our unique stories, we hope to encourage the younger sections to take on their own unique adventures. The attitude and mindset 43,000 youth have achieved at the Jamboree is one that I hope each and every one of us maintains and applies to our community. The constant excitement and joy observed created an overwhelming sense of positivity which is definitely a factor of our journey that we would like to bring to our daily lives and our Group. Additionally, the bravery and persistence shown frequently by scouts from the initial application to the fundraising and then the Jamboree is outstanding and incredibly motivating to ourselves and hopefully the other 1st Ballan scouting sections.

 

 

 

 

Friends

Before going to the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea, none of us knew what to expect. Some of us had never travelled outside of Australia and we were all excited to travel to an unfamiliar country and experience Korean culture. We had also never been to an event with over 40,000 like minded youth our age and had no idea what kind of challenges we would have to face. However, we all left with an open mindset. We wanted to meet people from all over the world and share stories from our own country. We wanted to make international friendships and learn new things about our world to broaden our minds and make us better global citizens. As scouts that have been to smaller National Jamborees before, we knew this journey would not be easy and we expected to further develop our resilience, our creativity and our confidence. The World Scout Jamboree certainly pushed us to our limits, but we came back as more resilient, capable and motivated scouts.

UNIT 15

Korean Sunrise

Korean Sunset

 

 

INCHEON

The view from the Hotel Room

Korean BBQ

Teddy Bear Twins

Shopping

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Closing Ceremony - K-Pop Super Live Concert

A World Jamboree is the vision of the World Organisation of the Scout Movement (WOSM) in action and is a positive experience where youth grow and develop into the influential adults and global citizens they are all destined to be.

Farewell South Korea

Hello Post Tour

Scouting is an incredible, worldwide organisation that creates young leaders and inspires youth all around the world. Throughout a scouting journey you are provided with unique opportunities, designed to help you grow as an individual, help you learn and develop leadership, respect, kindness, intelligence and above all, friendship. Scouting can take you outdoors, rock-climbing, hiking, scuba diving, caving, and skiing. Or you can make new friends, in your community, interstate, or even globally, through camps run in your community, state or even a different country. Scouting has led people to be politicians, engineers, scientists, world leaders, even astronauts. Scouts can take you to any place or career imaginable. Any idea, dream, goal or ambition you’ve had, scouting can make that dream a reality. You can help your local community, build lifelong friendships and connections around the world, and above all, grow and develop into the young leaders of tomorrow. Scouting has a place for everyone, and each group is waiting for you to join, so what are you waiting for, join scouts today!

Farewell South Korea

Our Unit 15 Leaders