Popular questions....

The World Scout Jamboree (WSJ) is a Scouting jamboree of the World Organisation of the Scout Movement (often known as WOSM), typically attended by several tens of thousands of Scouts from around the world, aged 14 to 17 at the time of the event.

The first World Scout Jamboree was organised by The Boy Scout Association (UK), now The Scout Association), in London in 1920. With exceptions for the World War years and the Iranian revolution, it has been organised approximately every four years, in different locations over the world.

Scouts from every scouting nation (about 226 countries and territories), attend for an event to share fun, adventure, world issues and friendship. Approximately 30,000 Scouts are expected at the next event to be held in South Korea. The Jamboree lasts for 12 days, and on top of this is sightseeing, and hosted hospitality to form a 3 week expedition. The World Scout Jamboree is seen as a pinnacle event for scouts.

To take part as a unit member you must be born between 00:00 on 22nd July 2005 and 23:59 on 31st July 2009.

These dates are set by WOSM and are out of our control.

The World Scout Jamboree event will be held from 1st to 12th August in 2023 in Saemangeum, Jeollabuk-do Province, South Korea with dates either side for travel and UK contingent events. You can find out more about the site by visiting the Jamboree website at http://www.2023wsjkorea.org/

The Jamboree itself will be held between 1st August to 12th August 2023. However, the UK Contingent may be able to provide Hosted Hospitality and/or a cultural experience either before or after the Jamboree. It also takes a number of days to fly everybody out before, and back afterwards. Therefore, we currently do not know the precise dates that will be required. In total, it is likely to be 3 weeks.

“Draw your Dream!” expresses the desire of the members of the Scout Movement to transform the World Scout Jamboree into their own festival and to grow their dreams through it. Saemangeum, which will be shaped into a spacious recreational ground (10 k㎡), where young scouts from around the world will pursue their dreams throughout the World Scout Jamboree.

The UK contingent is the name for all of the participants, leaders, national management team and adults that attend the jamboree to help run it (known as the International Service Team), who will attend the event from the UK.  The entire contingent will contain about 4,500 people!

A jamboree unit is made up of 40 people:

• 4 leaders
• 36 participants

The unit is also organised into 4 patrols.

The UK contingent will include approx. 90 units.

The Jamboree is not just a huge gathering of Scouts and Guides from all around the World, it is more than that. Scouts from around the world living, working and having fun together. When a member of the United Nations visited the Jamboree in Japan in 2015 he described it as “the way the World should be”. It is truly a special place where Scouts can share their cultural and national backgrounds and words cannot do it justice.

The jamboree unit will leave the UK and Return to the UK as a whole unit. It will not be possible to join late or leave early.

The ethos of the Jamboree is that it should be open and accessible to everyone of the correct age. As a result, every effort will be made in to accommodate young people who are differently abled wherever and whenever reasonable adjustments are possible.  This may be simple physical or environmental changes through to more complex adjustments, including allowing a carer / helper to attend. Whilst these can cover a wide range of requirements, obviously this is a very complex area.  We would suggest that if you have any particular questions relating to personal adjustments then please contact us on jamboree@southlondonscouts.org.uk

Fundamentally, all participants in the Jamboree, young person or leader, must be aware that it is a 3 week expedition, mainly camping overseas, with a wide range of activities.  It is loads of fun, but it will also be very tiring at times and can have an element of stress relating to logistics, cultural differences and time zones. 

A lot dietary requirements can reasonably easily be catered for, as long as you are prepared to be as flexible as possible. Dietary requirements based on religion, and for example vegetarian, vegan, gluten free are routine.

The WSJ itself will be set up for these.  However all participants need to be aware that access to particular foods whilst travelling can be more challenging so a degree of flexibility is appreciated.  Other dietary requirements will need more work to be achieved. If you have any concerns, then please speak to the unit leadership team.

Essentially, ALL. The event is aimed at everywhere in the world that has scouting, and this includes all faiths and cultures. At the jamboree, you could be queuing for an activity and talk to somebody from virtually anywhere in the world. A lot of the activities are aimed at interaction with others. At the WSJ, there will be chances to learn and join in with other faiths and beliefs. With the ethos of the Jamboree being open to all, from all faiths, no faith and cultures.

The participation fee will be published soon.

There may be a few other items such as

1. All participants will require an individual valid passport in their own name with 6 months expiry from date of return to the UK after the WSJ.
2. Visa’s may be required for the countries being visited.
3. Compulsory and voluntary vaccinations may be required for the countries being visited.
4. Some kit will be required (such as sleeping bags, mats, footwear etc.)
5. There are usually options to buy additional UK Contingent kit, and Unit kit (so sometimes extra hoodies, badges, or even an additional item that the unit would like but is not in the budget).
6. Travel and transport to all training events and departure / return airport.

Absolutely, we would encourage you to fundraise to help raise your Jamboree fee, this can be an important part of your Jamboree journey. In the past many participants have fundraised their entire Jamboree fee. However, fundraising may be more difficult in the aftermath of Covid. Essentially, if you work hard at your fundraising, you are more likely to raise more. If you sit back and let others do it, you are less likely to raise the money. Fundraising can be done individually, in small groups, as part of an Explorer Unit / District.

The main role of the jamboree leaders is to form the jamboree unit and help the unit bond and prepare for the expedition. They will help with fund raising ideas and will encourage the unit to talk and chat about what is working, and what is not working for the members of the unit. The leaders may also be offered fund raising activities that they then share out to the unit, and of course, the leaders also need to raise their own funds as well. However, the leaders are NOT responsible to fundraise for you, or to organise any fundraising. Ultimately, this is down to you.

Hosted hospitality took over from home hospitality in 2019, and is a unique opportunity to stay with a foreign scout group / scout district in another country. Essentially, the whole unit stays together, but undertakes activities with the host group / district. This is a real privilege to see the country through the eyes of people who live there. At this stage we do not know if Hosted Hospitality will be available to units or where it may be (typically it is in countries close to the jamboree country).

You may not know many people at the start of the journey. However in the build up to the jamboree you will have a number of training events to get to know your unit and many scouts tell us that by the time they go to a jamboree their unit become like a second family.

Whilst it is not necessary, you will get the most out of the unit team building by joining in on social media. The unit will normally decide on one social media platform to use (can be a Facebook group, Whats App group etc.). Normally, there will be one social media channel which is supervised / monitored by the leader team. Participants then usually setup their own independent channels which are not monitored. Official communication will be via email and/or the one monitored channel.

No, it will be down to yourself to travel to / from the training weekends, but (subject to Covid restrictions lifting), sharing of transport is encouraged.

We will always try very hard to fill the place, however, this may be very difficult – especially at short notice. Depending on the reason for withdrawal, there may be insurance cover (for instance, a broken bone or a major illness / death in immediate family). However, we reserve the right to insist on payment in full, even if you do not attend. Please see our terms and conditions of participation for for details.

The jamboree does not qualify for gift aid, and therefore, no gift aid can be claimed / reclaimed for jamboree payments / fundraising.

Yes, there are a range of funds and grants that can be applied for.

1. It is always worth approaching your Group / Explorer Unit / District, as they may have funds in place for this type of event.
2. UK HQ have a Jamboree support fund
3. Other private trusts and organisations – Lesley Sale Trust, Round Table, Rotary Club etc.

Some of the above are open to all, some can have restrictions (such as location, purpose, financial situation) etc.

You don’t have to, but it might be good to tell your leaders. As part of our checks, we will notify all District Commissioners of the applicants from their District, and after selection and participant notification, the results.

Yes – you must be an active member of a scout group or explorer scout unit in South London to be a member of our jamboree units. If you leave scouting or stop being an active member of your scout group or explorer unit, your place will be withdrawn.

The UK contingent organise the insurance for the expedition (usually through the insurance arm of The Scout Association – Unity). When we have details, we will forward this on to you.

The WSJ is over 2 years away, we are continuing on the basis that issues caused by Coronavirus will dissipate over the next 2 years. However, we are not able to predict the future and Covid may become an issue again. We will have to wait to see what Insurance can be put into place, but we think it would be fair to say it is unlikely that insurance for a Covid cancellation would be possible. If Covid were to become an issue, and withdrawal / cancellation occurs, then you will need to expect that it may not be possible to refund some or all of your monies paid due to factors outside of the direct control of South London Scouts / uninsurable situations. Please see our terms and conditions of participation for more information. 

Quite possibly yes. You will need to have any vaccinations which are compulsory for the countries we are visiting, or mandated by the Jamboree organisers. Unfortunately, we don’t know what these are at present. It is recommended (subject to your doctors advice) to have your normal UK range of vaccinations.

South Korea is a modern, advanced nation, and has recently held a successful winter olympics. There is a low ongoing risk of conflict between North and South Korea, since the two countries are still technically at war, but the current armistice has been stable for the past 60 years.

All places in the our jamboree units are granted by permission of the South London County Commissioner. At any time, and for any reason, an individual’s place may be withdrawn by the County Commissioner. The financial consequences of this, will follow the

Deposits are not refundable