National Scout jamboree (Boy Scouts of America)

The National Scout Jamboree is a gathering of thousands of members of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), usually held every four years and organized by the BSA National Council. Referred to as "Jambo", or "the Jamboree", Scouts from all over the world have the opportunity to attend the National Jamboree, considered to be one of several unique experiences that the BSA offers. The Jamboree is held for ten consecutive days and offers many activities for youth participants and visitors. It is considered to be Scouting at its Best. Since 1981, the U.S. Army has allowed the BSA to use Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia as the home of the National Jamboree. The United States military uses the National Jamboree as a large scale training excerise for engineer, military police, and medical units. In addition, the military supports the Jamboree through many different public relations and civilian support functions as well, as well as by teaching merit badges.

The National Scout Jamboree always ends with a spactacular arena show.

Organization

Like the BSA's national organization, the Jamboree is divided into regions - Central, Western, Northeast, and Southern. Each Region has at its disposal five to six subcamps, with twenty in all. Each subcamp has its own latrines, shower facilities, food commissaries, with one action center per region. Each subcamp contains a number of troops, identified by a three or four digit number depending on the location of the subcamp within the encampment. The 2005 Jamboree had 20 subcamps, identified by number and named after famous explorers (e.g.Bob Ballard, Steve Fosset, Joe Kittinger, and Will Steger.)

Troops and Contingents

Scouts from all over the country and the world showed up for the Jamboree.

Going to the National Jamboree is an intensive and expensive process. Considering the logistics of having thousands of youth and their leaders concentrated in one area at one time, the National Office coordinates the entire Jamboree process. A normal Boy Scout troop cannot petition the National Office to attend the Jamboree as participants, instead, the local Council establishes a Jamboree committee who is charged with promoting and facilitating the experience to their members. Local council committees typically have volunteer members responsible for finance, fundraising, training, recruitment, transportation, touring while en route to the Jamboree site, and other functions where appropriate.

Youth members sign up for the Jamboree through an application process to the local council, who then places each boy into the Jamboree troop. Large councils are granted multiple Jamboree troops. Each troop comprises four adults (Scoutmaster, First, Second, and Third Assistant Scoutmasters) and 36 youth in four traditional patrols of eight boys each, plus a leadership corps of four older boys (Senior Patrol Leader, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, Quartermaster, and Scribe). After being assigned a Jamboree troop, members are given their troop numbers, a participant's patch for wear on the Scout's field uniform, and a Jamboree council shoulder patch, or JSP. Training and preparation for the National Jamboree often begins more than a year before the actual Jamboree begins. Most troops require the adult leaders to obtain Basic Scoutmaster training and Wood Badge, an intensive management training course offered by the BSA.

Before the Jamboree begins, many troops visit Washington D.C. and other areas of interest near Fort A.P. Hill.

Staff

Youth and adult volunteer and professional Scouters, plus members of the military and government provide a number of services to the Jamboree by being on staff. Jamboree staff are given a special hat and neckerchief as tokens of their service, plus many of the different staff groups have special patches or pins that are sought after by youth and adult participants. In addition to the regional staff that provide services in subcamps and at the regional activity centers, many other staff members work in areas that serve the entire Jamboree. Staff members arrive a number of days before the Jamboree begins and usually depart on the same day or several days after participants leave, depending on their assignments. Regional staff members often stay within the subcamps, while National staff members stay in barracks locations within the post itself.

List of Jamborees

• 1935: Washington D.C. - Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the BSA - Cancelled due to polio epidemic
• 1937: Washington D.C.
• 1950: Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
• 1953: Irvine Ranch, California
• 1957: Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
• 1960: Colorado Springs, Colorado - Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the BSA
• 1964: Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
• 1969: Farragut State Park, Idaho
• 1973: Farragut State Park, Idaho and Moraine State Park, Pennsylvania
• 1977: Moraine State Park, Pennsylvania
• 1981: Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia
• 1985: Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia - Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the BSA
• 1989: Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia
• 1993: Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia
• 1997: Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia
• 2001: Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia
• 2005: Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia (see 2005 National Scout Jamboree)
• 2010: Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia - Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the BSA

Jamboree traditions

File:Jambogateway.jpg

A simple gateway

A Patch Collection from the 2005 National Jamboree

• Gateways- Each Troop that attends the Jamboree is designated a campsite. In front of the camp site, the troop constructs a gateway to display trademarks of their council or state. Gateways can range from the very simple to the extremely elaborate.

• Patch Trading- Each troop that goes to the National Jamboree has a special patch, or series of patches, made especially for the Jamboree. Once at the Jamboree, Scouts trade their council's patches for patches from across America and even the world. At each Jamboree there are always several hot patches, that everyone seems to want, usually a patch relating to something in pop culture. At the 2005 National Jamboree, popular patches displayed such things as Ron Jon Surf Shop, Master Chief (Halo) from Halo, Star Wars characters, Sobe energy drink, and the fake, yet still sought after, Hooters patches.

Controversy

The National Scout Jamboree is a large gathering of Scouts held once every four years. Historically, National Jamborees were held in state and national parks like other groups' gatherings, but mutual concerns by BSA and the government over the environmental impact of 35,000 Scouts camping in heavily used public places led to a 1978 agreement to use infrequently used military facilities instead. While only registered Scouts and Scouters are allowed to camp at the Jamboree, the exhibits and shows are open for the general public to visit.

Since 1981, the U.S. Army has allowed BSA to use Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia as the home of the National Scout Jamboree, as authorized by Congress in 1972 through 10 U.S.C. 2554. As part of the 1978 agreement, BSA paid for capital improvements at Fort A.P. Hill (water lines, road improvements, amphitheater, etc.) that are used by both the Jamboree and military encampments. BSA uses the facility for four weeks once every four years and it is available to the military (and other youth organizations qualifying under 10 U.S.C. 2554) for the rest of the time. The U.S. military regards the National Scout Jamboree as beneficial for public relations and recruitment, and is a unique training opportunity, particularly in testing operations needed to support large scale military encampments or refugee tent cities.

The U.S. military has supported Jamborees since 1937. Most of the approximately $50 million dollar Jamboree expense is paid for by BSA and its participants during the four weeks of a National Jamboree operation and about 1,500 troops and DOD contractors are involved in training operations supporting it. Defense Department funding for this support averages $2 million a year. A U.S. District Court Judge ruled in June 2005 that providing funding for this support is unconstitutional because "the BSA is a religious organization requiring Scouts to affirm a belief in God."[1]

The U.S. Department of Justice has appealed the ruling on behalf of the Secretary of Defense, arguing that the military’s support for the Jamboree does not violate the separation of church and state on the grounds that BSA is not a religious organization and that the plaintiffs had no legal standing to bring the suit in the first place.(Summary) (DOJ Brief) The Support Our Scouts Act of 2005, enacted December 30, 2005, provides for continued Defense Department support of the Jamboree; however, if the appeal is unsuccessful, the military will not be able to assist future Jamborees, including providing campsites at Fort A.P. Hill.[2]

External links

• Boy Scouts of America
• National Scout Jamboree
• IEEE emeritbadges.org Program