The message behind Jambo 2013 advertising

[Callooh! Callay!1428010939]

The Jamboree 2013 website looks like a drive to round up a herd of cool-cattle whose avatar is Joe Look-How-Awesomely-Cool-I-Am on an all terrain skateboard. That's the most prominent image on the Jamboree homepage - cool skate board dude superimposed over what looks like a rock concert at night. Wish it away. Say it's just couple photos that I'm over-interpreting. But those are THE photos carefully selected, arranged, and placed specifically to convey the first impression of what the organizers want folks to know is the spirit of the thing.

 

And the words... "Are you in?" - centered and brighter and bigger than the rest of the text... it's at (https://summit.scouting.org/en/Jamboree2013/Pages/default.aspx ). "Are you in?" in this context translates roughly to "whoop-ee-ti-yi-o get along little dogies." It's a phrase used by drovers to round up folks especially keen to run with a herd.

 

"50,000 of your closest friends?" Yikes! 50 is excessive by far. If 50,000 other adventure seekers are to the east, ceteris paribus, I go west.

 

The video on the webpage shows thrilling activities. To make such activities simultaneously available to 50,000, one suspects it'll be selections from a McAdventure menu... I'll have the #7 Whitewater McRafting with a side order of Mountain McClimbing please... canned familiarization experiences that run from X:30AM until lunch... with time to select another McAdventure from the menu before dinner. That sounds like a lot of fun. But it doesn't sound like high adventure.

 

"It ain't your father's jamboree." Yea sure... your father is from fuddy-duddy days back before cool was invented. You, on the other hand, are so cool that you're going to join us for some "seriously high adventure..." along with 50,000 other cool dudes.

 

Other than the part about making the passage to Hawaii (and back), I like Bart Humphries's thought from another thread: "For that much money, we could all get SCUBA certified, get all our gear, buy an old 30' blue water boat, all the food and water and sail to Hawaii and back." At those prices, scouts do have a lot of options available... particularly if the money is pooled for the big item as in Bart H's scenario... one week of cool-dude McAdventure at Jamboree - or metamorphose you patrol into well equipped Sea-Scouts- or what else can you imagine doing with that budget? To each his own.

 

[shortridge]

That's pretty much always been the challenge and the excitement of Jambo - so many Scouts, the opportunity to meet people from all over the country, etc. Unfortunately, that means logistically it's more like an amusement park than a summer camp. I've never been all that interested. Attended for a day once as a Webelos, and was not very impressed.

 

Let's not lose sight of the big picture, either. Despite all the hooplah and focus, especially now, the Jamboree isn't something that all Scouts can attend, or want to attend. Only about 6 percent of Boy Scouts and Varsity Scouts in the country are able to go. Let's focus instead on the 802,065 boys who don't go to Jambo.

[Callooh! Callay!1428010939]

I agree with all in Shortridge's observation and don't begrudge the 6% the opportunity to enjoy the largeness of this large event that seems too large to enjoy for many of us.

 

Still just a little dismayed at the packaging.

 

The more interesting thing is of course the focus on everyone else - like the idea B. Humphries came up with - it'd be interesting to see a survey of Scouts themselves at a patrol level alone the lines of "OK patrol, you're not going to Jambo but hypothetically speaking the cost of it and travel to it is in your possession and you must use is for scouting - what do you do with it?"

[packsaddle]

You're free to choose between two options: Go....Don't Go.

Personally, I'll "go west". To me "50,000" is a spectre, not something attractive. But how my decision might affect your decision is in your 'fuddy duddy' hands.

[qwazse]

Don't think of it in terms of "for everybody." My jambo experience did two things:

- give me a chance to meet new friends and operate under a different SM. Basically, taught me how to talk to strangers.

- introduce me to minimum impact camping. (Not at our campsite, there was a demonstration of it a footpath somewhere.)

 

Those were two skills that I've been sharing for the rest of my life. Never felt the need to go back.

 

Some folks are born with a real convention mentality. So what if it's only 6%? That may mean just one of your boys is the in that number. Recommend him for Jambo while the rest of you sail to Hawaii!

 

What you don't want is that one kid on your boat in the Pacific whining "I'd rather be mountain-boarding at Jambo now!"

[Basementdweller]

Standing in line, that is what I remember from my jamboree experience...... Every where we went we stood in line......It was darn hot too, I was at the first Jambo at AP Hill....

 

I remember snokeling in a tank on a trailer because there was an issue with the lake...

[Eagle732]

I'd go to Philmont before I'd spend the money on Jambo.

Our council is pushing this hard, must be a lot of money in it for them.

The Jambo rep. guy wanted to come to our next meeting to sell it, sorry we already have a Fund Our Salaries presentation scheduled.

 

[bacchus]

I'll always be shocked at the price. $2000? Why does the BSA need a $100,000,000 profit? How about reduce price so the average scout can attend.

[Tampa Turtle]

My boy was turned off by (a) lack of uniforms and (b) girl in the ad.

[emb021]

"I'll always be shocked at the price. $2000? Why does the BSA need a $100,000,000 profit? How about reduce price so the average scout can attend."

 

$2000 for a 2 week trip is pretty reasonable.

 

And the cost for the Jamboree is actually about $800. THAT is how much National is charging, and in INCLUDES tent, patrol gear, duffle bag, knapsack, and a t-shirt or two. (all of which in the past was NOT included, and which the councils had to cover with their fee) National is probably LOOSING money on that deal.

 

Anything above that is being charged by YOUR council. That should be for travel to and from the jamboree and any touring. MY council is charging about that much, and the kids will get a lot. The guy in charge (our VP-Program), is hoping to come UNDER budget, and return the surplus to the kids. A neighboring council is charging MORE and is doing LESS. Go figure.

 

Why some councils aren't LOWERING their Jamboree costs from past years, I have no idea, since they now don't have to worry about tents, patrol gear, etc.

 

 

[Basementdweller]

emb....your wondering why they aren't lowering costs???????

 

 

 

[OldGreyEagle]

The COuncil I serve is using the same price for 2013 as was used for 2010, I am not sure that is lowering the price, but its not raising it either.

[Basementdweller]

Our council send three troops to the jambo every time they,the participants, buy new tents, picnic tables and dining flys...... Upon return the tents, tables and flys are divided up among the council camps....

 

I was at Adult leader training and assisted in the semitrailer unload upon return from the last jambo.... According to the camp ranger they had done this for years......We unloaded all of the before mentioned plus patrol boxes and stoves.

 

 

I completely disagree with the jambo participants footing the bill for new tenting at council camps.... We could decrease the cost by $200 per scout easily....

 

I think that the cost should go down by the cost of the tenting and gear.....

 

 

 

 

[emb021]

"emb....your wondering why they aren't lowering costs??????? "

 

I am wondering why COUNCILS aren't lowering their cost for Jamboree, with a good reason for a chunk of their fees (tentage, patrol gear, dinning fly, picnic tables, etc, along with other items that are often also tacked on) is now being covered by the National fee AND this National fee is NOT raising. (its $800 this year, it was $800) last year.

 

Doing this should cut out several hundred dollars in costs.

 

"I completely disagree with the jambo participants footing the bill for new tenting at council camps.... We could decrease the cost by $200 per scout easily....

 

I think that the cost should go down by the cost of the tenting and gear..... "

 

Yup, exactly my point!!!

 

 

[trainerlady]

My Council fees are DOWN about $300 from the last jambo. National fees are $800 or $850 per participant of our $1500 fee. But since the boys are travelling by bus the costs are still higher than we had hoped due to the costs of diesel for the buses. Propane costs for our camps have gone through the roof too. So the 3 shake-down camps at our local camp will cost more than 3 years ago.Council raised weekend rates last fall by $10 a site or cabin to help off set the costs of fuels.

 

Prices are going through the roof around here. Gas, diesel, propane, and food are all a LOT higher than 3 years ago. As I sit here watching the NBC Nightly News they just discussed the real possibility that we (the whole country) could be paying an average of $5.00 a gallon for gas by the time jambo rolls around.

 

If you think the fees are out of line ask for an accounting of them. My council will give one out on request. The biggest cost to everyone is transportation. It is also the factor that the council has the least control over. If diesel goes higher the cost will be passed on to the council by the charter bus company. We are a 12-13 hour drive to the jambo site. With 9 troop and 3 crews going that's a lot of buses and diesel costs.

 

If you are bussing to jambo remember that the bus driver costs for the trip have to be factored into the costs of renting a bus. I think our council is planning to have the buses drop the troops & crews off then come back. That equals 2 round trips for the buses. Which is cheaper than keeping the buses parked in WV for 2 weeks and paying the drivers salary for 2 weeks to do nothing.

 

Sure you can trek Philmont for about $650 a person (last time I looked at fees) but you STILL have to get there. From my area travel to Philmont makes it more expensive than a jambo. Train is $300-$500 person (adult, coach) and 4 days of travel time (round trip). Flying is $500+ and for each you have to add transfers or a rental car. Easily another $200-$400 dollars.

 

So jambo isn't really that bad a deal.