Daventry Scout embarks on a 6,000-mile trip to South Korea

25th World Scout Jamboree in South Korea is taking place from August 1st – 12th 2023. 4,500 Scouts from the UK will join with 40,000 others from around the world

One lucky Scout from Daventry arrived at Heathrow Airport to begin their journey to South Korea for the 25th World Scout Jamboree. Scouts from nearly every country on the planet come together once every four years to promote unity, community and togetherness.

This year the event will be hosted in Gunsan-si, South Korea and it is the second time the country has hosted the event, the 17th World Scout Jamboree was held in the country in 1991. The Scouts who are aged 14 – 18 will learn new skills, experience new cultures, and make international bonds with fellow scouts who may not share the same mother tongue, but hold the same values as one another.

The Scouts heading to the Jamboree will also have the amazing opportunity of exploring Seoul for three days and also visit the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) – where they will see the original demarcation line between North Korea and South Korea, placed at the end of World War II.

Scouts from Northamptonshire and 4,500 others from across the UK, will join over 45,000 others from almost every country in the world this year. Many Scouts spend years looking forward to this event as only Scouts ages 14- to 17 are eligible to apply for the Jamboree. Participants are selected two years ahead of the event so the Scouts can focus on their fundraising skills to fund their trip.

Eliza Dickson, 14 from Daventry said "I’m really cool with being one of the younger team members. The water sports look amazing; it is going to be very hot there so I’m glad that these activities are located near our base as we will be able to cool off having fun.

"The horse riding is very appealing for a nice steady day in the heat, and it can be fun exploring on horseback. We get to do a culture dress up day, where we get to dress in traditional Korea clothes and learn what their traditional day to day life is like. I hope to bring back an Australian hat and a Mexican necker.’”

Chief Scout Bear Grylls said “Scouts from all corners of the UK are travelling over 12 hours to South Korea for the 25th World Scouts Jamboree.

"This year 4,500 young people from the UK and 40,000 others from nearly every country on the planet are coming together to take on new adventures, make lifelong friendships and experience this once in a life time opportunity.

"The theme of the Jamboree this year is to "Draw your Dream", representing our willingness to accept young people's ideas and opinions, and create an opportunity for them to make their Jamboree dreams come true. I’m so proud to be a part of a movement that puts young people first by helping almost half a million people develop skills for life.”