Theme Live Scouting's Adventure Date July 19, 2017 (2017-07-19)–July 28, 2017 (2017-07-28) | ||
The 2017 National Scout Jamboree will be the 19th national Scout jamboree held by the Boy Scouts of America from July 19, 2017 to July 28, 2017. It will be the second national Scout jamboree held at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia. The theme of the jamboree is "Live Scouting's Adventure".
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The Summit will also be the venue of the 24th World Scout Jamboree in 2019.
Changes from 2013
After the most recent jamboree in 2013, BSA leadership underwent an extensive feedback process to determine how they could improve on the Summit jamboree experience. As a result, changes from the 2013 model have been announced.
Communication
Seeing communication with staff and participants as one of the program's biggest hurdles, the jamboree leadership has consolidated former forms of media, such as Jamboree Today and Leader's Update, into a single organization, known as JamboLink. JamboLink will cover mass email communication leading up to and during the event, social media, live video streaming, and all exclusive content created for the jamboree.
Wait times for popular program areas, such as ziplining and mountain biking, will be available online in real time. To accommodate a greater need and ability to stay connected, the amount of charging stations at the Summit will double.
Staff experience
Some staff members at the 2013 jamboree complained about unpleasant facets of the volunteer experience. In a Reddit AMA, an Order of the Arrow trek guide recalled very long workdays with no break time, very long walks to program locations, and general understaffing. In response, the BSA has announced changes to make staffing the jamboree more enjoyable. 11 bus routes will carry staff members around the reserve, stopping at the staff base camp, various program areas, and participant base camps. To address complaints about uncomfortably cold ambient showers, staff members will have access to solar-heated showers in their base camp. Staff members will receive the equivalent of a full day off in their work schedules, and have the ability to visit other program areas on a day-to-day basis.