RJ Young – Life Scout:My name is RJ Young, I am a Life Scout with Troop 2 in Corvallis, Oregon. When I first learned about the World Scout Jamboree, I pictured the event as a large summer camp with troops from around the world, but I underestimated how big it would actually be. When I got off the plane in Korea, I saw a huge sign saying “Welcome Scouts to South Korea”, during our tours before World Scout Jamboree we saw signs saying “Welcome Scouts” to the temple or the museum. During our pre-Jamboree tours we had the opportunity to talk with small groups of Scouts from other countries. When we arrived to the World Jamboree site in Saemangeum, we finally saw how big it really was. Looking in every direction we could see thousands of tents spread out as far as the eye could see. I was able to meet so many cool and interesting Scouts from all over the world and learn about their culture and their Scouting experience in their country. On the third night we received the news that we had to leave the World Scout Jamboree. This came as a shock to all of us! All of the American Scouts were disappointed but that changed quickly when Scouts from different counties started coming over to our campsite to trade patches, play games and overall have as much fun as possible in a short amount of time. Although we might have only known the international Scouts for a few days, I can confidently call them now my friends.
Keaton Davis – Life Scout:My name is Keaton Davis and I’m a Life Scout from Troop 2 in Corvallis, Oregon. It was always a dream of mine to get to go to a World Scout Jamboree. I made that happen this summer with a lifelong friend of mine, RJ Young. On the first day, my dad and I drove up to Seattle to meet RJ and the rest of our troop which we got to know remotely. We arrived at the airport and there are 40 kids from different troops across the Midwest and in Washington. We had to make friends quickly. After a 10 and ½ hour plane ride, we arrived in Incheon the hub in Korea. For the next few days, we explored around Seoul including malls, castles, and palaces. We stayed in hostels with 4-7 other boys and there was much new culture to experience. We were told our campsite wasn’t ready and were delayed so we stayed at Camp Humphreys, the largest US military base in Korea. It was nothing special, cots in a gym and MRE’s (Meals Ready to Eat). When we made it to the site the next day it was about 5 pm and we had to be at closing ceremony at 8 pm. We set up our stuff quickly and went off. The ceremony was cool, it had fireworks, a drone show, and K-pop dancers. The next day was open for activities. There were small problems here and there but nothing that wasn’t normal and couldn’t be fixed. RJ and I explored while staying plenty hydrated and rockin out to music. We met so many new people all over the camp. It was so easy to talk to them because you had one thing in common, Scouting. Scouting is different in each country which made it so fun to talk about ours and nothing else so you could relate to them but have much to talk about because they live a different life in a different country. We went to see Joshua Dick many times who is RJ’s step dad and also was staffing in Guest Services. That meant we got to meet some very cool people like the Secretary General of the UN and the Retired Secretary General of WOSM (Would Organization of the Scout Movement). After two days of fun at WJ around 10 pm, RJ and I got wind that the UK was pulling out due to living conditions and recent weather updates. We talked to our Scoutmasters and they said that there was no chance that would happen to us. RJ and I took a shower and almost immediately a meeting was held telling us that the US is pulling out of the World Jamboree, we had just arrived! We left the next day after breaking camp. We were heading back to Camp Humphreys. I was so upset I had to leave my new friends. We set up our cots in the gym and thankfully didn’t have to eat MRE’s again. There were some cool activities like going to malls, a super cool baseball game where big water cannons would shower us with water when people scored or got hits. We went to a water park and saw some more folk villages and palaces. I was really bummed when we had to leave the World Jamboree site, but it was a very cool experience nonetheless. We parted ways with our troop and flew back to Seattle. All in all, this was still a once in a lifetime experience and I don’t regret a thing!
Maxfield Young – Eagle Scout / ASM:I am Maxfield Young, an Eagle Scout and an Assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 2 in Corvallis, Oregon. I was fortunate enough to participate as a Scout in the 24th quadrennial World Scout Jamboree in West Virginia in 2019. This past July/August, I staffed the 25th World Scout Jamboree in Saemangeum, South Korea as a member of the International Service Team (IST) in Guest Services. I spent 12 days camping, 11 days living in a hotel, learning and making new friends in Korea. I attended expecting it to be similar to the 2019 World Scout Jamboree but I was sorely mistaken. While in 2019 there were issues like thievery and sickness spreading entire countries of campsites, nothing compared to the problems at the Korean World Scout Jamboree. But you can read all about that in the news, what I can tell you is that as an IST I had a blast and had one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I made so many friends from different countries and cultures and for those patch traders out there, I traded for dozens of international patches and neckerchiefs. You also get to experience what it means to be a Scout every day. I had challenges that I had to work through, while learning a new job, trying to understand what was being asked of me when there was a language barrier, problems solving issues with limited resources and trying to sleep in a very hot tent were just a few of my daily challenges. All of these helped me grow as a Scouter, as a student, and as a person. With the incoming typhoon, BSA pulling out of the World Scout Jamboree and eventual closing of the jamboree site, I experienced a huge challenge of what to do next. Adding to the overall challenge of the World Scout Jamboree, the BSA IST’s were given limited assistance with locating a place to stay and getting around Korea. My Scout skills got me through all of the challenges and my time at the World Scout Jamboree was a life-changing experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything.
Pictures from the 2023 World Jamboree:
