2023 National Jamboree - Cost/Attendance

[qwazse 4342]

2 hours ago, Double Eagle said:

Here's more a question for those familiar with Summitt. I am taking a short drive as a guest visitor to the reserve during the Jamboree.

Need some help identifying the "must see" portions of the reserve/jamboree.  I've attended jamborees at A.P. Hill, but I'm sure it's just not the same.

I have a 6hr pass and want to see the best of the site.

@Double Eagle because the attendance is much different than previous Jamborees, things will likely be configured differently. In any case, guests will have limited access to the facilities. (I'm assuming you're not a guest coming with a seven figure donation check.) So your "must see" will be limited to what you "may see." If the SBR staff have provided you with a list of the areas that guests will be able to visit, others here may be able to tell you what you should make priority.

My impressions (comparing my youth at AP Hill vs. four years ago at SBR): whatever elevation change you recall at AP Hill, quadruple that! I don't think you'll have access to the orienteering course but AP Hill's was dells with holly thickets, and SBR''s was rocks with laurel thickets. The permanent buildings at AP Hill were military drab while those at SBR are almost shrine like.

[RememberSchiff 3662]

https://www.einpresswire.com/article/631676132/the-boy-scouts-of-america-prepares-to-welcome-over-15-000-scouts-and-scouters-to-its-20th-national-jamboree

"The 2023 National Jamboree will be BSA’s first National Jamboree where female Scouts are able to attend as members of Scouts BSA troops. Young women have attended previous Jamborees as part of Scouting’s Venturing and Exploring programs, or they may have attended the 2019 World Scout Jamboree; but this is a landmark event for Scouting, with women representing nearly 20% of the total 2023 Jamboree attendance."

“There are now more than 119,610 young women in Scouting, and 4,613 have attained the rank of Eagle Scout. This is a historic opportunity for BSA’s young women, regardless of their rank, to experience the fun, and adventure of a National Jamboree,” said Tom Pendleton, National Jamboree Director for the BSA.

[qwazse 4342]

10 hours ago, RememberSchiff said:

…."There are now more than 119,610 young women in Scouting, and 4,613 have attained the rank of Eagle Scout. …

So, roughly 10% of youth members are female. Now, why couldn’t Mosby up and say that in the annual report?

[I_like_forks 10]

On 2/8/2023 at 4:46 PM, HashTagScouts said:

Yup. Council is charging $2,900 for Jambo.  

And this is the crux of the issue. I attended Finland's national jamboree last summer, and it was a sad moment when I realized it was cheaper for me to fly over to Finland, attend the jambo (as a participant--Rover age), and fly back than attend our own after transportation costs. Their fee was only about $400. Toss in $1000 for flights and $100 for incidentals and you're only a couple hundred above the registration fee alone for ours. Plus, you know, you get to go to Finland. Heck, just this week I got back from the 1st Africa Rover Moot in Kenya, all in I was about $1600.

Also, $1200 for JST is just insane. $1.2k to work there. This summer I'm ISTing the Lithuanian, Serbian, and Upper Austrian jamborees, and I'm looking at about $1600 with transportation for all three. Austrian jambo didn't even charge a fee to IST. Might just be me, but I think that's a heck of a greater bang-for-your-buck than a camp a few hours drive away.

Obviously international travel might not be feasible for youth (though there is a troop from Tennessee attending the Haarlem Jamborette in the Netherlands this summer), but it still goes to demonstrate how the BSA is quickly turning into a program for the upper-middle class and above instead of for everyone, as was intended.

 

[BAJ 90]

It really is a lot.  My daughter is going and I am an adult leader from our council so between the two of us it was a large total cost.  It will be a different experience for her (and likely her “last big thing” in Scouting since she’s getting into other things as a high schooler now) but it did make me sad that cost was obviously going to be something that kept a lot of people from going.  I did decide that this year my donation to scouting was to the fund to help defray the cost of folks going (though the amount I could donate wasn’t going to even make a huge difference for one person, which was also a sobering thought.)

I’d looked at JST for the last jamboree that was canceled and was really surprised at how much it cost — and if memory serves it is more this time around.  I don’t know what the cost outlay per attendee is for the type of food service, etc. that they are doing, but it would seem really odd if the cost to be on JST is more than the cost to cover their ‘care and feeding.’  There have certainly been rumors that one of the reasons that this is a smaller jamboree than usual is numbers of staff (so not just the cost of attendance reducing the number of scouts with resources to go.). 

I am really hoping that it is a good and memorable experience.  In our contingent troop we’ve got a great set of leaders who I wouldn’t have had a chance to meet otherwise, and a good group of Scouts, so it seems like the most important ingredients are there.  

[RememberSchiff 3662]

"The Coast Guard is looking for volunteers to share their skills and experiences with future leaders during the 2023 National Jamboree hosted by Scouts BSA, July 19-28 at the Bechtel Summit Reserve in Beckley, West Virginia. 

Prior Scouting experience isn’t required, but you must submit a volunteer packet by June 16 to be considered for this community service opportunity.  

The Coast Guard has supported 11 previous Jamborees and previous volunteers have used this community service to stand out from their peers for officer candidate school packages, officer-in-Charge review packages, Gold and Silver Badge packages, and civilian job promotions.  

That said, previous volunteers say the greatest reward was sharing their service stories with emerging leaders.  

“It was really rewarding giving kids a tour of the static displays (trailered small boats) we had on site and answering their questions about the Coast Guard,” said R. Eric Adams, Personnel Security Specialist, Station Cape Charles, Virginia. “I would take small groups from eight to ten people and tell them about the small boat and its missions and then I would turn it into a Q&A session and answer any questions they had about the Coast Guard.” 

This is a permissive orders opportunity and volunteers will be responsible their travel costs, meals and incidental expenses. While you will be berthed onsite in a tent with a provided cot, expect to pay $300-400 for food and lodging. You must also have permission from your first and second level supervisor to volunteer. "

More at Source:

https://www.mycg.uscg.mil/News/Article/3404163/coast-guard-seeks-volunteers-for-2023-national-jamboree-hosted-by-scouts-bsa/

Edited May 24, 2023 by RememberSchiff