Junior has returned from the Jamboree

[ADCmohegan]

Well, junior has returned from the Jamboree, with a renewed purpose. He is almost 16 and has done nothing to finish Eagle in over a year. Last night on the drive home he said, I have to talk to Mr. Harrison about finishing Personal Management, it is my last Eagle Required Merit badge. Interestingly enough, the hard part for most kids, the 13 week budget, was finished last year. He also discussed several potential Eagle Projects that his school, a non-profit school for High School Aged Students with learning disabilities, might just let him do. He wrote an E-mail to the head master last night at 10:00 asking him for a meeting to discuss it.

 

To quote my son, It was an Epic Awesome Time, I think that means he enjoyed himself.

 

The only real downer for him was the theft of all of his patches Tuesday Night. Some person, or persons unknown, raided his troops campsite baggage, sometime after dinner. They stole the bags of patches from about a 2 dozen scouts in his troop. This wasnt discovered until they were loading the bus to come home Wednesday Morning. I dont think there is any real solution to this, except to spend a fortune on E-bay in the coming weeks, to replace them.

 

[dg98adams]

I visited my son during the jamboree and saw some marked changes as well concerning OA and his own Eagle progress.

 

I was also surprised to hear from one of our Troops Jamboree ASM's about "camp raiding"... it even went on during staff week. Typically 1 of the 4 ASM's had to stay in camp for security at all times.

 

I think next time around, each tent should make a 1'x 1'x 1' plywood lock-box chained to a cot using a combo pad lock to hold patches/money/electronics.

 

 

[scouts-a-lot]

Great to hear the news about the fire to finish! Sucks to hear the news about the patches. It makes my stomach turn to hear about Scouts stealing. I am not quite sure how I would react if I caught someone in the act of doing it.

 

My son brought home extras from our council. Private message me your address and I will send your son some of those.

 

I also challenge everyone else to do the same!

[Eagle92]

STEALING PATCHES AND SHIRTS SUCKS! I would send home ANYONE caught in stealing as it violates every principle of the Scout Oath and Law.

[SR540Beaver]

Sadly, a few will spoil things for many. This was my second Jambo as an ASM. We always leave two adults in camp at all times. Along with a duffle bag and daypack, we provide a plastic footlocker and require the boys to buy a combination lock to lock them. Combination so we can get the numbers in case they forget them. Now, we can't make them secure their belongings, but we give them the means to do so. Both Jambos, I have acted as the "bank". I have a locking bank bag that is always in my posession. For those who want to, they can deposit money with me before elaving for Jambo and then make withdrawls while there. There is nothing worse than having a 12 or 13 year old kid crying to you because he lost $200 out of his pocket.

 

One of the biggest problems we had in both 2005 and here in 2010 was kids trashing the latrines and showers. Our subcamp was luck enough to get air conditioned trailer flush toilets this jambo instead of portajohns. A few kids proceeded to trash them and they got locked. The company contracted to clean them refused to clean them because it exceeded their contract. Staff had to clean them and then they were converted to adult only latrines. The boys had to walk down the road to the portajohns. There were also kids who decided to have bowel movements in the nice trailer showers that were provided to our subcamp. Those did not get shut down, but we had to devise a SM/ASM volunteer shower monitor squad. Kids had to drop their name tags with the monitor and were limited to 5 minutes. What a shame.

[trogers17]

From what I've heard during my visits and on several online forums and FB, patch thefts occurred on a large scale. It's sad that there are some kids out there so greedy that they ruin the experience for others. On the other end, shame on the contingents for not requiring the kids to lock up their gear. I remember when I attended as a youth in 1993 that we were required to have footlockers and bring combination locks for them. I like one posters suggestion about having a secondary lock attach to a cot to make it even harder to just carry a locked footlocker away. It's disheartening to see that some of our youth don't share the values of Scouting and the first point of the scout law. Hopefully those affected by the theft still got a lot out of the rest of the Jamboree experience.

[Ohio_Scouter]

If you like, you can PM me, ADCmohegan, and I'll send your boys an extra U.S. Coast Guard patch I have from Jamboree.

 

[Eagle92]

talking to one of my friends at RT tonite, and I found out the thefts were rampant. Hi son had his entire patch collection at jambo stolen. This so ticks me off as we are suppose to be SCOUTS.

[insanescouter]

Wow I had not heard about this problem from Jambo in other social media forms ... Make you wonder what some units teach and why in some circles Eagle is losing some meaning ... Still I wish I could have gone to Jambo myself, but unemployment is killing me

 

Scott Robertson

http://insanescouter.org

http://twitter.com/insanescouter

[shortridge]

Is it possible that the thieves may have been adults?

 

The most hard-core, cutthroat patch traders and collectors I've known have all been adults, allegedly. Just a thought.

[Nike]

Was any particular sub-camp hit harder? My son was in #18, but he hasn't gotten back to Germany yet (spending another week with relatives).

 

If adults were the primary culprits...well I can't write what I feel. Suffice to say I would ban them permanently from the BSA.

[Lisabob]

My son came back with a new fire, too. He was pretty impressed with whatever OA was doing, which is great to see. I hope that fire will burn long and brightly enough that he decides to do the merit badges he needs to earn Life rank, and to stay connected with scouting at any rate.

 

ADCmohegan, does your son have any particular types of patches he especially likes (OA/JSPs/CSPs/etc.)?

[Thrifty2]

I heard that in 2005 some of the non-Scout support staff were caught stealing Uniform shirts with patches.

[moxieman]

I hate to say it, but theft goes back a lot further than that. I served on the staff of the local scout camp in the mid-80's up here in the Maine Wilderness. My tent mate and I were the only staff members who still had our staff neckerchiefs at the end of the summer. Why? 'Cause we were the only staff members who had footlockers with locks.

 

Scouts may recite the Scout Law, but sadly some don't live-up to the first point.

[Crew21_Adv]

Fellow Jamboree Parents,

 

Greetings!

 

If I may add my own thoughts.

 

The 2010 Jamboree was my second Jamboree. First time was as an ASM in 2005; this second time was w/o my sons and as a Jamboree staff. Of about 48,000 in attendance, I'm told the numbers were approximately 2000 participants and about 500 staff members in each subcamp.

 

With 2500 members in a subcamp area. It only takes a handful of misbehaving Scouts, to ruin it for the entire subcamp. Mischief and theft occurs by maybe a dozen boys (and maybe adults), and all the troops start feeling the souring effects.

 

I've had some great experiences at Jamboree with 48,000 of my best friends; and some downers like ADCmohegan's son experienced(that were caused by a dozen or so, "jerks" wearing a Scout uniform). Trying to look on the positive side, I enjoyed my time with most everyone, and there are a handful of individuals I'd like to take the Boy Scout Handbook to.

 

Even in the staff areas there was some disappointing theft. Jamboree belt buckles being removed from belts, missing program patches taken off pockets, even a laptop computer was stolen, and etc.

 

Unfortunately, this could be a good lesson for future Jamboree Contingents. What did you do last time? and what should the contingent do this time? Although it is every four years (five years last wait and three years this separation) The next contingent troops usually go over lessons learned, to improve on the next trip. Peer to Peer direct advice and feedback to the 12/13 year olds for the 2013 Jamboree.(whom are 9-10 y/o now), coming from an 17 y/o Eagle Scout would drive a point home of locking up valuables and thinking about where you place items, and the buddy system. Reminders could contain topics such as:

 

- Lock up all hats, scarves, and patches in your luggage container.

- Always close your tent flaps.

- Design your campsite with strictly only one entrance/exit for foot traffic.

- SM/ASM team make a good bank. But now Jamboree is offering ATM cards and bracelets.

- For hometown news reporter, use your issued bike lock with your hometown news bike.

 

As per SR540Beaver's comment. I remember Scouts physically breaking and destroying PVC showers and porcelain toilets on a daily bases. In my 2005 subcamp, Jamboree maintenance was delivering new porcelain toilets daily. The showers, well by 1800 every night they would all look like a Las Vegas water fountain show with water shooting 20 feet straight up. All three shower platforms, all 10 pipes, every night, were broken. It was a disappointment to the subcamp; the damaging mischief caused by only a few youth. On the last night of the 2005 Jamboree, I rolled my eyes when I walked past the soda machines, with 18 inch stakes driven into the coin return. Again, this mischief from a small number of youth was difficult for the other 2500 Scouts/Scouters in subcamp.

 

This 2010 Jamboree seemed to have more signs saying conserve water, use chemicals and etc. I do believe 2010 Jamboree had more chemicals out there on site, and had a better contract. Honestly, I found the chemical toilets cleaner than the toilet GP mediums from 2005. And from the road, I noticed some of the shower platforms had steel pipes, instead of PVC.

 

By 2013, We won't do away with the mischief; like human nature and boys fighting, mischief will still be there. But ideally by 2013, troops and individual scouts will be more aware and better prepared. Lock up everything, don't give a thief a reason to steal, and have fun with the other 47, 999 friends. Those Scouts are the real reason Jamboree is fun.

 

Scouting Forever and Venture On!

Crew21 Adv