So we didn’t make any records this time out, gang. That’s okay…it gives us something to strive for for the NEXT National Jamboree at the Summit!!
The following was taken from this morning’s SCOUTING magazine blog as relayed by the senior Editor of that magazine, Bryan Wendell:
“The big number is 30,037 youth and adult participants. That breaks down as 2,782 Scouting adult leaders, 2,118 Venturing participants, 455 Venturing leaders and 24,682 Boy Scout and Varsity Scout youth participants.
In jamboree historical context, 2013′s attendance total was the smallest since 1981, when 29,765 participants attended the first jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill, Va.
Of course, last month’s jamboree was also the first at a new location, so it’s an apt comparison. As it did for each subsequent jamboree at A.P. Hill, the attendance number for Summit jamborees should climb every four years. We’re off to a nice start.”
And I agree. Still, we were higher than the first AP Hil Jamboree, but okay…not by much. Now that Scouts and Scouters will have opportunities to share what the Summit is REALLY about (and not rely on glossy papers or YouTube(tm) to tell the story), we should see an appreciative uptick by the time the next Jamboree is held four years from now!
“The jamboree was hosted by the Boy Scouts of America, but all Scouts worldwide were welcome. In the end, 326 participants from 18 different countries helped us officially open the Summit last month.”
A BIG DROP from the last four Jamborees. Some of my International friends said that they are holding out for the World Jamboree to be held on the same site in a few short years.
Staff:
“Only in Scouting would 6,224 people use their precious vacation days and hard-earned cash to work for two weeks straight. Servant leadership at its finest.”
But not enough to sustain the Jamboree. The planning numbers were 12,843 staff members. I’m not much of a math whiz — several of you know this — but just looking at the numbers I can figure out that we had roughly HALF of the staff to attend this go-around. Clearly, we have to do a better job in promoting the Jamboree and getting the staffing we need to sustain this event over a 16 day period. The “half a Jamboree” idea was a great one, allowing those who could not attend the entire Jamboree to participate in either the first or second half of the “great game.” We need to further encourage this. There’s already a lot of talk about a reduced Jamboree fee if people would commit far enough in advance (I’ve already asked my boss for the Jamboree period off four years from now — I may be retired from the Air Force by then, but it doesn’t hurt to have it down on paper otherwise that I’m gonna be back at the Summit — if the BSA accepts me)!
Visitors: “The Summit tried a different model for visitors this time, offering lots more activities and experiences for visitors but also charging an admission fee.
A total of 12,192 men, women and children walked through the gates and into history, able to say they were there at the first Summit jamboree.”
That truly, excuse my language, SUCKED! Even on the first Jamboree at AP Hill, the BSA had more than 63,000 visitors to come through and take a look at what the BSA is doing at that Army installation for two weeks (and before that, building the primary infrastructure over two months prior).
If the BSA wants to get the public behind them and what Scouting is truly all about, they’ve GOT to do a better job of publicizing the Jamboree to the public. One suggestion (I’m full of them — or full of *something* today *heheheehehee*) is to offer local Councils a bus tour to the Jamboree from hubs in the East and West coasts (of course the West coasts would have to fly into, say St. Louis, Dallas or Memphis), drop them off, let them visit the Jamboree and get back on the busses and head back home.
Hey — it works GREAT for the Mall of America and while there’s no airport nearby, there are larger airports within a few hundred miles of the Jamboree site to make this a possibility!
12K over 9 days…that’s roughly what, a thousand visitors a day? We had that many Scouts and Scouters to go through some of the National exhibits areas each day!!
Service hours:
“Also new this year was the ultimate service project. Scouts and Venturers ventured off the Summit property to give back to West Virginia communities. They painted fences, built trails, erected bat houses, constructed wheelchair ramps and more. The best part: Several Scouts I asked said their favorite jamboree experience was this day of service.
Grand total: 148,800 service hours through the Messengers of Peace Day of Service. I’d wager we’ll see this successful, meaningful program return in 2017.”
Let’s NOT — at least not as a total Jamboree project. First, if this was something that the Summit will be doing EVERY SUMMER, then I can see it. But *to me*, this is akin to “community workers” coming into the “slums” to “fix things up and get the hell outta town before the sun sets.” Mountain people are proud people — I learned this during my brief Paraprofessional stint. They don’t want people “helicoptering in” to do things and “fly back out”; they are looking for people to partner with them over a LONG TERM basis. I don’t think the BSA is ready for this, although the service rendered DID make a lot of Scouts and Scouters think twice about what’s going on in THEIR OWN “neck of the woods” back home and how they can help.
I would want to see the return of the “Wide Game” concept and if individual Troops and Crews desire to offer their hands, minds and feet toward “helping other people…”, then they should do so either enroute (another one of my “full of it!” ideas I submitted after I returned) to/from the Jamboree or do so before their departed their home towns.
To put it bluntly: the people of West Virginia need money, not charity — even if that charity came in a form of a Scout teeshirt or hat.
Still, for a first time — we did well but we need to improve oh so much to make the next Jamboree EVEN BETTER!
Settummanque!
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