Prepared for...World Jamboree
Written by Nikolas Liepins
On July 27, 17 Northern Star Scouts and Scouters will board a plane bound for South Korea to adventure through the cultural exchange of a lifetime: the 25th World Scout Jamboree hosted by the Korea Scout Association.
Our Scouts will join approximately 50,000 of their fellow Scouters from more than 150 different countries as they descend on SaeManGeum after a tour through Seoul and other parts of Korea on the way to the Jamboree site.
This year’s World Scout Jamboree will include many opportunities to get off the Jamboree site, in contrast to the 2019 Jamboree hosted at Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia. Scouts will have the opportunity to visit Korean cultural landmarks and enjoy Korean food, while also learning a new skill or two (like a bit of taekwondo!) and more.
“I’m very excited to meet Scouts from all over the world, and learn about their cultures. As someone who’s never travelled outside of North America, I can’t wait to tour South Korea. I’m also very eager to learn about how Scouting works in other countries, and to observe how troops from 170 different nations work together.” said Jack Meagher, a Scout out of Northern Star Troop 3062 in Edina, MN and Senior Patrol Leader of World Scout Jamboree Troop 6. "I’m very grateful for this once in a lifetime opportunity, to not only go to the Jamboree, but also to be one of the BSA’s 18 youth leaders representing the United States at this global event. Being elected as the Senior Patrol Leader by my peers is a tremendous honor given the great accomplishments of my fellow Scouts in Troop 6 — they’re awesome guys and we’ve all had a lot of fun getting ready for the Jamboree.”
The United States Contingent units are formed of Scouts from around the country, so many of them may meet for the first time when they land in Korea.
Units participate in a pre-tour from July 27 to July 30, which helps the Contingent get to know the country many Scouts may be visiting for the first time. Scouts will arrive at the Jamboree on August 1, the event’s first official day, and depart on July 12. In addition to sending nine youth participants and three adult leaders, Northern Star Scouting is represented by two International Service Team members who will serve alongside their global Scouting community as the hands to make the Jamboree possible. Northern Star also has three members on the U.S. Contingent Management team which makes our council represented at all levels of the Contingent.
Keep up with Northern Star social media and the U.S. Contingent(wsj2023.us) for more stories of Scouts Drawing their Dream in Korea.