Jamboree
In scouting, a jamboree is a large gathering of Scouts who rally at a national or international level.
History
The 1st World Scout Jamboree was held in 1920, and was hosted by the United Kingdom. Since then, there have been twenty-three other World Scout Jamborees, hosted in various countries, generally every four years. The 25th World Jamboree is to be held in Korea in 2023.
The average Scout Life of a boy is a comparatively short one, and it is good for each generation of Scouts to see at least one big rally, since it enables the boy to realize his membership of a really great brotherhood, and at the same time brings him into personal acquaintance with brother Scouts of other districts and other countries. |author=Baden-Powell |
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.
Other gatherings
With the birth of the Jamboree concept, other large gatherings are also organized by national Scout organizations, geared towards a particular group of Scouts. Examples of these large gatherings include:
Etymology
The origin of the word jamboree is not well understood. This is reflected in many dictionary entries. For example, the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) identifies it as coming from American slang, identifying a use in the New York Herald in 1868 and in Irish writing later in the 19th century.
It is popularly believed within the Scouting Movement that the word was coined by Baden-Powell, but there is no written documentation by either B-P or Scouting publications, and the word was in use decades earlier.
Use prior to Scouting
Baden-Powell was once asked why he chose "jamboree". He replied, "What else would you call it?" Other than a light-hearted retort, one way his response could have made sense is if the word had already had a specific meaning.
Other writers used "jamboree" in the early 20th century, prior to its use in Scouting, to refer to "a lavish or boisterous celebration or party". Poet Robert W. Service used the term in a poem, Athabaska Dick, published in 1912: "They are all a-glee for the jamboree, and they make the Landing ring". Lucy Maud Montgomery used the term three times in 1915 in Anne of the Island', a book set in the 1880s. For example "There was quite a bewildering succession of drives, dances, picnics and boating parties, all expressively lumped together by Phil under the head of “jamborees”.
Use in Scouting
The word "jamboree" is used primarily by the Scouting program following the first Boy Scout jamboree in 1920. Baden-Powell deliberately chose the name "jamboree" where attendees were warmly welcomed attending this first Boy Scout rally or meeting with the word "jambo." (Jambo is the Swahili word for Hello!
Many, at this first "jamboree" or Scout gathering, did not fully capture the spirit of this then-new concept or greeting. At the first World Jamboree at Olympia, London, in 1920, 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."
A similarly-used word, "camporee," in the Scouting program is also reflective of the older British use. "Camporee" reflects a local or regional gathering of Scouting units for a period of camping and common activities. Similar to a camporee, a jamboree occurs less often and draws units from the entire nation or world.
International Jamborees
- World Scout Jamboree, a gathering of Scouts from all over the world under the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM). Attendance is 30–40,000.
- Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) - an amateur radio event linking Scouts across the world
- Jamboree on the Internet (JOTI)
- Jamboree on the Trail (JOTT) is an unofficial international day of hiking
- Africa Scout Jamboree
National jamborees
See Also
- World Jamborees - a list of World Jamborees