From: MAJ) Mike Walton (settummanque, the blackeagle (blackeagle@SCOUTER.NET)
Date: Thu Nov 25 1999 - 00:47:45 CST
Hi Jim!
You asked a great set of questions about this time of year:
>Does anyone know how the reservations for the National Jamboree are going
>to be processed. My son just got a flyer in the mail today from our
>local council about an organizing meeting to be held on 12/16. They say
>they are going to be sending 4 troops, which means 144 scouts are able to
>attend. All of the leaders have already been assigned according to this
>flyer.
Yep. By now, ALL Councils should be gearing up their selection of the four,
eight, twelve or sixteen (depending on number of Troops; in your Council's
case, Jim, it's twelve adults and twelve "alternates", selected by your
Council's Jamboree or Camping Committee and should be representative of all
of the Districts in your Council and all of its adult membeship) and getting
ready to start getting those Jamboree Troops organized.
Official participation in the National Scout Jamboree is through Council
contigent. Each Council is "allocated" X number of Troops depending on their
size, the number of Scouts they were able to "fill" the previous Jamboree,
and the number of units residing in their Council as of December 31, last
year (this is why the end of the year is "make or break" times for ALL
professionals and many of us volunteers!).
When your son fills out a "reservation form" (found in _Boys_Life_ or
_Scouting_, as well as through local Council newsletters and publications),
it goes to the Council's Jamboree Committee. They have the responsibility
of selecting the 144 boys to represent their Council to this event. In most
Council's cases, it's "first come, first served"; in others, they actually
have a "process" in which the best 40 or 20 or so are selected to attend.
Everyone else becomes an alternate, ready to be "plugged in" if a Scout or
his family doesn't come up with the deposit and/or the rest of the Jamboree
fees...or decides that "Hey, I'm going to be in Scouting for FOUR MORE
YEARS...I'll wait until 2005!"
>My question is, are all reservations being done at the council level, or
>can individual troops make their own arrangements.
No. Individual Troops can NOT participate as "official contingents" They
can, however, make their own arrangements and VISIT the Jamboree, but be
looking for some rather DIFFERENT application of those "visitation rules"
with this Jamboree.
Things are going to change a little bit with regard to visitors to the 2001
Jamboree.
If you are interested in having your Troop to witness the Jamboree, you
should have really started the planning about a year ago...but no time is
better than the present to start doing that planning. Expect a two-day stay
maximum...there won't be truly enough stuff for your Scouts to do and see
past that 48 hour period of time.
Also, with the concerns about places to stay enroute and during the Jamboree
(you cannot camp on the Jamboree ground nor the parking areas, nor for a
significant wide circle of mileage distance encompassing the Jamboree site),
one overnight someplace will have to do it for most.
>What about us other adult leaders who would also like to attend?
Other registered adults wanting to participate in the Jamboree can apply to
serve on one of the Jamboree's various staffs or as a Provisional
Scoutmaster or Assistant Scoutmaster for the Jamboree's youth staff Troops.
There will be six provisional Troops from what I understand -- one per
Region, along with an OA Service Corps and a Varsity/Venturing "group"
(offically, my understanding is that no Venturers will be allowed to serve
on staff; unofficially, with the popularity and promotion that Venturing has
and will receive over the next year, I expect that to change and all of a
sudden toward the "last minute," the Venturing Division is going to be
asking for participants! So to *me*, they should just get over it and offer
it now -- and save! *heheheehehehee*) Each Troop will have a Wood Badge-
trained and experienced Scoutmaster, a Wood Badge-trained and
not-so-experienced First Assistant Scoutmaster, a Scoutmaster -Fundamentals
and experienced Second Assistant Scoutmaster and a Scoutmaster-Fundamentals
and relatively new Third Assistant Scoutmaster. Each provisional Troop will
also be led by its own Senior Patrol Leader and other elected and appointed
youth officers, just like in the Troop back home.
Likewise, a Scout can volunteer to serve on the Youth Staff of the Jamboree,
either in a specific program area or within the OA Service Corps. Those
applications for youth and adult staff have already been sent to local
Councils; there will be another "mailout" come close to Feburary of next
year. Many of the staff members have likewise been chosen by the staff
directors or advisors to those areas for the previous Jamboree; but there's
always openings even past Opening Day. That's how I got to serve on staff
twice.
>The cost per scout is also $875 with a reservation fee of $100. Is this
regulation or >are other councils handling it differently
Every Council handles the cost of the Jamboree differently, Jim. There's a
set cost per Scout and depending on where the Council is located, their mode
of travel to and from the Jamboree, the number of overnights, and the number
of youth and adults participating (anticipating participating), that cost
can rise into the thousands.
Even those serving on staff must pay the standard Jamboree fee, with a
deposit of one half to one-third due at the time of application or close to
it. Everyone, to include the professionals selected to attend, must pay the
Jamboree fee (and the Region's Jamboree fees to cover the costs of Regional
Jamboree items and activities).
There is a separate list which carries on daily discussions on the Jamboree.
Hey Doug Gentry, would you please do the honors and remind us where Jambo01
is located?? Thanks!
Settummanque!
-----
(MAJ) Mike L. Walton (settummanque, the blackeagle)
http://www.mninter.net/~blkeagle
personal inquiries via kyblkeagle@aol.com,
blackeagle@SCOUTER.net or blkeagles@hotmail.com
professional inquiries via waltonmi@usarc-emh2.army.mil
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