How much did the Jamboree Impact the local program????

[Basementdweller]

Having taken my webelos to Summer camp while the jamboree was in session, I will say that the Jamboree had a HUGE negative impact on the local program.

 

The camp we attended said they lost 70% of their staff to the Jamboree as either participants or staff. As a result several of the Stations were self serve with a 13 year old CIT acting as the Camp rep.

 

I have read on several other blogs about units that did not go to summer camp this year because the Adult troop leadership were too heavily involved in the Jamboree.

 

What was your experience and any thoughts on getting it resolved????

[King Ding Dong]

Due to time and travel costs I suspect it had a greater impact the closer you are to WV. I have not seen any issues in MO.

[Bando]

Honestly, can you find anything about this Jamboree that you won't complain about? The negativity is really grating.

 

From nearly all accounts, this Jamboree seemed to go on without any of the major hitches the naysayers were ranting about in the years leading up to the event. The facility looks beautiful, the staffing issues everyone worried about seemed not to have been a problem, and people even dealt with having a cold shower or three! Of course there will be an impact on local programs when a few hundred older scouts and adult volunteers per council are going off to the Summit for a couple of weeks, but you can't blame kids for wanting to take the opportunity to participate in what for many of them will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And even at that, it shouldn't wipe out the entire eligible counselor/staff base for local camps. Not everyone goes to Jamboree. If the folks at home aren't picking up the slack, whose fault is it, really?

 

Long story short, Jamboree is a major scouting event. It only happens every four years. It has incredible appeal and offers once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for nearly all involved. And if local programs can't find ways to get around the absence of a small portion of the larger scouting base in their regions to do things like staff camps and take kids to summer camp, seems to me that's the local folks' fault, not the Jamboree.

[PA Scoutmaster]

I don't think Jamboree had any impact on our local program. We had 6 boys from our troop go to Jamboree, and 4 of them attended Summer Camp as well. Finished camp on Sunday, went home and showered, re-packed and left for Jamboree. I imagine the next week (or 2) in camp may have had lower attendance since it coincided with Jamboree.

[Twocubdad]

We had a few older guys chose jambo vs. summer camp. Not an unreasonable decision. Other than that, nothing.

 

Sounds to me that you WRC director is making excuses.

[Basementdweller]

Honestly, can you find anything about this Jamboree that you won't complain about? The negativity is really grating.

 

From nearly all accounts, this Jamboree seemed to go on without any of the major hitches the naysayers were ranting about in the years leading up to the event. The facility looks beautiful, the staffing issues everyone worried about seemed not to have been a problem, and people even dealt with having a cold shower or three! Of course there will be an impact on local programs when a few hundred older scouts and adult volunteers per council are going off to the Summit for a couple of weeks, but you can't blame kids for wanting to take the opportunity to participate in what for many of them will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And even at that, it shouldn't wipe out the entire eligible counselor/staff base for local camps. Not everyone goes to Jamboree. If the folks at home aren't picking up the slack, whose fault is it, really?

 

Long story short, Jamboree is a major scouting event. It only happens every four years. It has incredible appeal and offers once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for nearly all involved. And if local programs can't find ways to get around the absence of a small portion of the larger scouting base in their regions to do things like staff camps and take kids to summer camp, seems to me that's the local folks' fault, not the Jamboree.

Glad your enjoying my concern......

 

We live fairly close to the jambo site.....I added that to my camp review that my scouts were penalized by the camps poor planning.....

 

learned a lesson that I will make sure not to plan to attend any camps during the next one.

[jpstodwftexas]

None.. We only run 1 week of Summer camp and that was over about 1.5 weeks before Jambo. I think we had 34 scouts go to Jambo

[qwazse]

Went to camp last month. The only impact was a couple of boys on staff at cub world coming over to ask if I had any patches I'd like to trade.

[WAKWIB]

Maybe it would be better to blame, not the Jamboree, but poor planning on the part of the camp director and the like. Going to Jambo is not some snap decision that the volunteers made the day before your webelos came to camp. It was known way in advance of anything with plenty of opportunity to fill in the gaps. It would be the same thing with a Troop. Although the Jambo may have been a feature event for SOME of the leaders and scouts to focus on, they rest need to have the usual program in place and functioning. None of this is impossible. I think you did the right thing, BD in bringing up in your camp evaluation so they won't needlessly drop the ball next time.

[oldisnewagain1]

There was a jamboree? (With tongue in cheek)

 

We had one boy go to the last Jamboree but this year wanted to go to Philmont instead

[Scouter99]

The PLC cancelled our troop meeting for the second Monday of Jambo--it was horrible.

 

As for summer camp, things seemed a little more crowded than usual, which was the opposite of what we expected. So, we figure maybe they over-booked base camp to try and compensate for the loss of older adventure program campers to jambo.

[5yearscouter]

We only had one boy in our troop attend Jamboree.

But oldest usually works at summer camp in N. AZ. This year we was not going to work at all but he was begged to please work the last 3 weeks of camp in July because they were short staffed due to staff leaving to work or participate in Jamboree. They also wanted my 13 year old to go up as CIT even though they aren't supposed to take youth as CIT <13 years old because they were so short staffed and camp staff knows him from years he's gone up as a camp commissioner's kid.

[le Voyageur]

Would have to say yes. Numbers were down in all program areas .... way down. However, it's been said tounge in cheek that our Council has been too successful in the Gorge, and National wanted a piece of the action.

 

[Eagle92]

I don't know about this jambo, but the last time I worked summer camp during a jambo year, 2001, we had a 20+% drop in summer camp attendance. We also lost staff, but don't know the stats. If memory serves, our Boy Scout camp was over, and we were doing Sheriff's Camp during that time.