Jamborree Council Costs

[qwazse]

While we're talking $$'s here, if you think the price for you to go is prohibitive, you may want to consider staying at home and sponsoring a young man or woman to serve as staff or adult leaders. (I knew two who went last year, one as an ASM and the other as a climbing instructor, they did awesome work and had a great time.)

 

Jambo fees are half for 16 to 25 year old volunteers, but even that can be prohibitive for a college kid or graduate student. You were just toying with going yourself. Maybe you know a young person who would be a great volunteer for an event like this. He or she might do you the favor of checking in on your son every now and then. All they might need is a little encouragement on the financial end.

 

And he or she would be less likely to load their uni with knots making them look like 3rd world dictators!

[BadenP]

 

As a ASM and a Scoutmaster I went to two jamborees as part of the adult leadership, in both cases we had pre jambo meetings and outings where we got to know the boys and vice versa. When we got to AP Hill we had virtually no problems with discipline, the boys knew that if they acted like adults we would treat them as such, giving them the freedom they wanted. We had assigned meeting times and places and never lost one. I find it hard to believe that any council would let their jamboree contingent go to jamboree without making sure the boys and leaders had ample opportunities to get to know each other well before taking off for two weeks. Maybe we were just lucky.

[SR540Beaver]

Like BP, I attended in 2005 and 2010 as an ASM. You really don't want to meet at the airport for the first time and take off. We had general informational meetings with scouts and parents for everyone going in all 3 contingent troops. Then we had monthly troop meetings, usually on Sunday afternoons for several months leading up to Jambo. Towards the end of May, we would have a shakedown at one of our council properties that was mandatory for the boys and leaders to attend until released on Sunday. By that time all of the purchased equpment like tents, awnings, chairs and table had arrived and the boys got to learn how to set up a troop site within the confines of a standard Jamboree plot. They also erected their gateways they had been building. We would run a typical Jamboree schedule complete with a commisary for them to pick up thier food to cook. While it is still mass chaos once they actually arrive at Jambo, it goes a long way to making it run a little smoother. As far as price, if you can go for $1850, that's a bargain. In 2010, it cost us $3,000 to come from Oklahoma. Keep in mind that any activity like this has a certain percentage that the council adds on to go to their coffers (never admitted to or advertised). Then there is the equipment, air travel, tour bus rental, touring, hotel and restaurant factored in during the DC tour phase. Those items really drive the price up. Our council is one of those that has troop matching daypacks, duffle bags, tshirts, hats, water bottles,, footlockers etc all color coded by troop. It is my understanding that the 2013 Jambo will supply all of that per scout this time and take it out of the council's hands. Cut out touring and you can drive the cost down significantly and make it more affordable to more scouts.

[hadulzo]

First. Make sure your son wants to go. Parents sometimes send their kids when they aren't really that interested.

 

You are not out of line asking what the costs are. That 1850 may be set or a fuzy price they had not knowing what national was supplying. Nothing wrong with finding out who is in charge and getting an itemized budget.

 

There is a minimum age for jambo but the scout needs to be used not having adult supervision and be mature. The boys leave the troop site and are gone for most of the day, with their buddies or patrols doing activities. There are only 4 troop leaders and 36 scouts. If your sons troop is not boy run he will learn fast how that works.