Jamboree (Scouting)
Encyclopedia
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
, a jamboree is a large gathering of Scouts who rally at a national or international level.
The 1st World Scout Jamboree
1st World Scout Jamboree
The 1st World Scout Jamboree was held from July 30, 1920 to August 8, 1920 and was hosted by the United Kingdom at Kensington Olympia in London...
was held in 1920, and was hosted by the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Since then, there have been twenty two World Scout Jamboree
World Scout Jamboree
The World Scout Jamboree is a Scouting jamboree of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, typically attended by several tens of thousands of Scouts from around the world, aged 14 to 17....
s, 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
According to the Canadian Oxford DictionaryCanadian Oxford Dictionary
The Canadian Oxford Dictionary is a dictionary of Canadian English. First published by Oxford University Press Canada in 1998, it quickly became the standard dictionary reference for Canadian English. Until September 2008, Oxford maintained a permanent staff of lexicographers in Canada, led by...
, the etymology is "19th century, origin unknown". Poet Robert W. Service
Robert W. Service
Robert William Service was a poet and writer who has often been called "the Bard of the Yukon".Service is best known for his poems "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" and "The Cremation of Sam McGee", from his first book, Songs of a Sourdough...
used the term well before the first Scouting jamboree. It appears in the poem "Athabaska Dick" in his Rhymes of a Rolling Stone, which was published in 1912. At the time, the word meant a rowdy, boisterous gathering.
Baden-Powell
Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell
Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, Bt, OM, GCMG, GCVO, KCB , also known as B-P or Lord Baden-Powell, was a lieutenant-general in the British Army, writer, and founder of the Scout Movement....
was once asked why he chose "jamboree". He replied, "What else would you call it?", a response that makes sense if the word already means a boisterous gathering.
Nonetheless, it is popularly believed within the Scout Movement that the word was coined by Baden-Powell. It is said that the word has several possible origins, ranging from Hindi to Swahili to Native American dialects. It is also said that the word is related to corroboree
Corroboree
A corroboree is a ceremonial meeting of Australian Aborigines. The word was coined by the European settlers of Australia in imitation of the Aboriginal word caribberie. At a corroboree Aborigines interact with the Dreamtime through dance, music and costume. Many ceremonies act out events from the...
, an Australian Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
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. It is said that the name is 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
Olympia, London
Olympia is an exhibition centre and conference centre in West Kensington, on the boundary between The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham, London, W14 8UX, England. It opened in the 19th century and was originally known as the National Agricultural Hall.Opened in 1886,...
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
Girl Guides
A Guide, Girl Guide or Girl Scout is a member of a section of some Guiding organisations who is between the ages of 10 and 14. Age limits are different in each organisation. It is the female-centred equivalent of the Scouts. The term Girl Scout is used in the United States and several East Asian...
rarely use the term jamboree for their gatherings. Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts of the USA
The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...
, however, do use the word.
International jamborees
- World Scout JamboreeWorld Scout JamboreeThe World Scout Jamboree is a Scouting jamboree of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, typically attended by several tens of thousands of Scouts from around the world, aged 14 to 17....
, a gathering of Scouts from all over the world - World CampWorld CampWorld Camp is a 501 non-profit volunteer organization in the United States and a registered Non-governmental organization in the country of Malawi. World Camp was founded in 2000 by students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and continues to be led, funded, managed, and operated...
- 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 CaribbeanCaribbeanThe Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
- Central European JamboreeCentral European JamboreeThe Central European Jamboree, is a Scouting jamboree for Scouts of Central European nations.-History:In 1931 a camp was held in Prague called Camp of Slavic Scouts, with participants from throughout Europe. Four years later, in 1935, the Central European Jamboree was organised in Spała, Poland...
, a gathering of Scouts from Central EuropeCentral EuropeCentral Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe... - European Scout Jamboree, a gathering of Scouts from all over EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
- Arab Scout Jamboree
- All-Africa Scout Jamboree
- Pan-American Scout Jamboree, a gathering of Scouts from the Western HemisphereWestern HemisphereThe Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions...
- Essex International Jamboree, a gathering of 7,000-9,000 Scouts and Guides from all over the world
- World Federation of Independent Scouts World JamboreeWorld Federation of Independent Scouts World JamboreeThe WFIS world jamboree is a Scouting jamboree of the World Federation of Independent Scouts.-Jamborees:-Background:The Jamboree is an international event product of the Scouting as a successful educational movement for peace and youth development....
, a gathering of Scouts of the World Federation of Independent ScoutsWorld Federation of Independent ScoutsThe World Federation of Independent Scouts is the non-governmental international organization which governs 82 affiliated Scout Organizations in 41 countries, with an estimated 200,000 members in 3562 Scout Groups... - Jamboree 2008 (Northumberland)Jamboree 2008 (Northumberland)Jamboree 2008 was developed as "an Inter-organisational & International event" which was intended to "bring 600 young people from Scouting and Guiding together — to develop skills & friendships that will lay the foundations for the next 100 years of Scouting"...
, a celebration of the 1908 Humshaugh camp - Homenetmen General Jamboree, a gathering of Scouts of the HomenetmenHomenetmenHomenetmen is a pan-Armenian diaspora organization devoted to sport and Scouting. The motto of Homenetmen is "Elevate Yourself and Elevate Others with You" .-Foundation:...
National jamborees
- National Scout jamboreeNational Scout jamboree (Boy Scouts of America)The national Scout jamboree is a gathering, or jamboree of thousands of members of the Boy Scouts of America, usually held every four years and organized by the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Referred to as "the Jamboree", "Jambo", or NSJ, Scouts from all over the nation and world...
, Boy Scouts of AmericaBoy Scouts of AmericaThe Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions... - Canadian Scout Jamboree, a gathering of Scouts from CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
- Australian Scout JamboreeAustralian Scout JamboreeThe Australian Scout Jamboree is a jamboree which is held every three years by Scouts Australia. The Jamboree is traditionally held in early January and typically runs for 10 nights....
, a gathering of Scouts from AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and the Asia-Pacific Region - Nippon JamboreeNippon JamboreeThe is a camping festival held by the Scout Association of Japan, and is the largest Scouting event in Japan.Jamborees are held once every four years, and are abbreviated as "NJ", or including the number of the event, as 14NJ for the 14th Nippon Jamboree.- Locations:* 1st Nippon Jamboree August 2...
, a gathering of Scouts from JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... - NawakaNawaka Scout JamboreeNawaka is a National Jamboree for Sea Scouts in The Netherlands. It is organised every five years by Scouting Nederland. Around 6000 scouts, approximately 100 coming outsite of the Netherlands, in the age of 7 to 27 years join this event bringing together about 1000 ships and sailboats.-History:-...
, a gathering of Sea ScoutSea ScoutSea Scouts are members of the international Scouting movement, with a particular emphasis on water-based activities, such as kayaking, canoeing, sailing, and rowing. Depending on the country and the available water these activities are on lakes, rivers or sea in small or large ships. Sea Scouting...
s in the NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... - Irish Jamboree 2008Jamboree 2008 (Ireland)Jamboree 2008 was Scouting Ireland's first international Jamboree that was held from 2 until 10 August 2008. It took place on the grounds of the Punchestown Racecourse, County Kildare, Ireland. The aim of the Jamboree was to celebrate one hundred years of Scouting in Ireland. Over 12,000 Irish and...
- Girl Scout Senior RoundupGirl Scout Senior RoundupThere have been several Girl Scout Senior Roundups held by the Girl Scouts of the USA, gatherings meant to show off the best of Girl Scouting. International Senior Roundups were held every three years from 1956 until 1965; in 1966 the planned 1968 Senior Roundup was canceled and the intent became...