Scouts enjoy experience of a lifetime despite disaster-hit World Jamboree

LOCAL scouts were amongst the 40,000 scouts who had to be evacuated from the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea earlier this month due to the extreme heat, sanitation problems and the threat of a tropical typhoon. But the group still said it was an ‘experience of a lifetime’.

Melksham scout leader Christine Broom was joined by four scouts from West Wiltshire at the Jamboree on 1st to 12th August in Saemangeum on South Korea’s West Coast – Sophie Williamson, 1st Hilperton; Emily Gunning, 6th Trowbridge; and Kate Howard and Sam Church, Warminster.

Due to conditions onsite – that Christine said were causing a public health concern, including many falling ill from heat exhaustion – and a predicted typhoon forecast, the decision was taken to evacuate UK group to hotels in nearby cities, to continue with the Jamboree festival there. Following this, organisers then evacuated all scout units at the Jamboree.

The experience had been “challenging, rewarding, amazing and overwhelming at times,” said Christine. “The safety and wellbeing of our young people is always the primary concern. The heatwave undoubtedly made for incredibly difficult conditions for those onsite. However, our decision was led by the heat combined with the lack of shelter from the heat plus sanitation and toilet facilities not being kept to a hygienic level for an event of this scale and the duration of the event, which was causing a public health concern. Food provision was also variable and not meeting many of our group’s dietary needs and waste collection was not at a level required to keep everyone safe onsite.”

Despite scout leaders trying to work with organisers to improve the conditions, Christine said it became necessary to evacuate the UK scouts. West Wiltshire scouts went to the city of Seoul.

She said, “There was disappointment for some about the UK leaving the site. We worked hard with the organisers to do everything we could to be comfortable with keeping our contingent onsite. While some areas had improved before we transferred to Seoul, others simply did not show the changes we needed to see.”

Once in Seoul, the groups were able to continue with their Jamboree festivities and took part in various activities around the city, funded by The Scout Association, including learning about the UK contribution to the Korean war; a cultural evening with scouts from Singapore and other international scouts; city bus tours; live interactive sessions with British polar explorer Dwayne Fields; visiting the Han River Water Park; going to local professional league football matches; and visiting the palaces, temples, cultural centres and tourist sites around the city.

Towards the end of their stay, the scout groups from around the world joined together for the final time to celebrate.

“The volunteers in Seoul with the UK contingent worked incredibly hard to rapidly pull together a Jamboree programme that shows off the best that Seoul has to offer and allowed the scouts to continue their international Jamboree experience,” said Christine.

“The Scout Association funded all of the activities that were provided for the rest of the Jamboree experience from the charitable reserves, as well as covering all the accommodation and food for units and volunteers.”

Praising the scouts, who had to fundraise to be able to attend the trip, Christine said, “The young people are amazing and very resilient and embraced all that the city has to offer. Everyone was smiling and always willing to chat.”

It has been reported the cost to The Scout Association to move the UK contingent was around £1million, that the organisation has said will affect The Scout Association for several years to come.

Attended by more than 40,000 young people from 155 countries, the World Scout Jamboree had been marred by illness and criticism of its organisation and facilities from the start.

“This is the first time in more than 100 years of World Scout Jamborees that we have had to face such compounded challenges,” Ahmad Alhendawi of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, said in a statement.