Jamboree (Scouting)

File:20th World Scout Jamboree closing ceremony.jpg

Closing ceremony of the 20th World Scout Jamboree, held in Thailand in 2002/2003

In Scouting, a jamboree is a large gathering of Scouts who rally at a national or international level.

The 1st World Scout Jamboree was held in 1920, and was hosted by the United Kingdom. Since then, there have been twenty one World Scout Jamborees, hosted in various countries, generally every four years.

There are also national and continental jamborees held around the world with varying frequency. Many of these events will invite and attract Scouts from overseas.

Etymology

The etymology of this term has several possible origins, ranging from Hindi to Swahili to Native American dialects. It may also be related to corroboree, an Australian Aboriginal term for any noisy, late-night gathering or disturbance.

Baden-Powell chose the name as rally, meeting and gathering did not fully capture the spirit of this then-new concept. The name is thought to be derived from the Swahili for hello, jambo, as a result of the considerable amount of time he spent in the region. At the first world jamboree at Olympia in 1920, Lord Baden-Powell said "People give different meanings for this word, but from this year on, jamboree will take a specific meaning. It will be associated to the largest gathering of youth that ever took place."

Olave, Lady Baden-Powell, coined the term jamborese to refer to the lingua franca used between Scouts of different languages and cultural habits, that develops when diverse Scouts meet, that fosters friendship and understanding between Scouts of the world. Sometimes the word jamborette is used to denote smaller, either local or international, gatherings.

Girl Guides rarely use the term jamboree for their gatherings. Girl Scouts, however, do use the word.

International jamborees

• World Scout Jamboree, a gathering of Scouts from all over the world
• World Deaf Scout Jamboree, a gathering of deaf Scouts from all over the world
• World Scout Jamboree on the Air (JOTA)
• World Scout Jamboree on the Internet (JOTI)
• Jamboree on the Trail (JOTT) is an international day of hiking
• Asia-Pacific Scout Jamboree
• Caribbean Scout Jamboree, a gathering of Scouts from the Caribbean
• Central European Jamboree, a gathering of Scouts from Central Europe
• European Scout Jamboree, a gathering of Scouts from all over Europe
• Arab Scout Jamboree
• All-Africa Scout Jamboree
• Pan-American Scout Jamboree, a gathering of Scouts from the Western Hemisphere
• Essex International Jamboree, a gathering of 7,000-9,000 Scouts and Guides from all over the world
• World Federation of Independent Scouts World Jamboree, a gathering of Scouts of the World Federation of Independent Scouts
• Jamboree 2008 (Northumberland), a celebration of the 1908 Humshaugh camp
• Homenetmen General Jamboree, a gathering of Scouts of the Homenetmen

National jamborees

• National Scout jamboree, Boy Scouts of America
• Canadian Scout Jamboree, a gathering of Scouts from Canada.
• Australian Scout Jamboree, a gathering of Scouts from Australia and the Asia-Pacific Region.
• Nippon Jamboree, a gathering of Scouts from Japan.
• Nawaka, a gathering of Sea Scouts in the Netherlands
• Irish Jamboree 2008
• Blue Summer- national gathering of Det Danske Speijderkorps (The Blue Scouts) in Denmark.

See also

• Camporee
• World Camp (Guiding)

External links

• Klíč 2008 - Czech national jamboree in Pilsen
• Flamboree - Flemish National Jamboree in Belgium
• Lithuanian Scouts Jamboree
• C-Jam 2008 - New Zealand National Jamboree in Christchurch
• BSA 2010 100th Anniversary Jamboree