![20th World Scout Jamboree closing ceremony](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/20th_World_Scout_Jamboree_closing_ceremony.jpg)
In
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...
, a jamboree is a large gathering of
Scouts
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...
who rally at a national or international level.
History
The
1st World Scout Jamboree was held in 1920, and was hosted by the United Kingdom. Since then, there have been twenty-three other
World Scout Jamboree
The World Scout Jamboree is a Scouting jamboree of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, typically attended by several tens of thousands of Scouts from around the world, aged 14 to 17.
The first World Scout Jamboree was organized by T ...
s, hosted in various countries, generally every four years. The 25th World Jamboree is to be held in Korea in 2023.
There are also national and continental jamborees held around the world with varying frequency. Many of these events will invite and attract Scouts from overseas.
Other gatherings
With the birth of the Jamboree concept, other large gatherings are also organized by national Scout organizations, geared towards a particular group of Scouts. Examples of these large gatherings include:
*
Moot
Moot may refer to:
* Mootness, in American law: a point where further proceedings have lost practical significance; whereas in British law: the issue remains debatable
* Moot court, an activity in many law schools where participants take part in s ...
- a camp or a gathering of Rovers
*
Venture
Venture may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
*The Ventures, an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958
*"A Venture", 1971 song by the band Yes
*''Venture'', a 2010 EP by AJR
Games
* ''Venture'' (video game), a 1981 arcade gam ...
- a gathering of young people in the Venture (Senior Scout) section
*
Indaba
An indaba (; ) is an important conference held by the izinDuna (principal men) of the Zulu and Xhosa peoples of South Africa. (Such meetings are also practiced by the Swazi, who refer to them using the close cognate '.) Indabas may include only ...
- a camp or a gathering of Adult Scout leaders
*
Agoonoree
Agoonoree is a Scouting jamboree for young people with special needs.
History
In 1949, Netherlands Scouts organised an international camp at Lunteren for Scouts with disabilities called "Agoon", after the Greek language word ''agṓn'' ( ''ἀ ...
- a camp of Scouts with special needs
*
COMDECA - acronym for Community Development Camp, a large gathering of young people, implementing community development projects
Etymology
The origin of the word jamboree is not well understood. This is reflected in many dictionary entries. For example, according to the ''
Canadian Oxford Dictionary
The ''Canadian Oxford Dictionary'' is a dictionary of Canadian English. First published by Oxford University Press Canada in 1998, it became a well-known reference for Canadian English.
The second edition, published in 2004, contains about 300 ...
'', the etymology is "19th century, origin unknown". The
Oxford English Dictionary (OED) identifies it as coming from American slang, identifying a use in the New York Herald in 1868 and in Irish writing later in the 19th century.
It is popularly believed within the Scouting Movement that the word was coined by Baden-Powell, but there is no written documentation by either Powell or Scouting publications, and the word was in use decades earlier.
Use prior to Scouting
Baden-Powell
Lieutenant-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, ( ; (Commonly pronounced by others as ) 22 February 1857 – 8 January 1941) was a British Army officer, writer, founder and first Chief Scout of the worl ...
was once asked why he chose "jamboree". He replied, "What else would you call it?" Other than a light-hearted retort, one way his response could have made sense is if the word had already had a specific meaning.
Other writers used "jamboree" in the early 20th century, prior to its use in Scouting, to refer to "a lavish or boisterous celebration or party".
Poet
Robert W. Service
Robert William Service (January 16, 1874 – September 11, 1958) was a British-Canadian poet and writer, often called "the Bard of the Yukon". The middle name 'William' was in honour of a rich uncle. When that uncle neglected to provide for hi ...
used the term in a poem, ''Athabaska Dick,'' published in 1912: "They are all a-glee for the jamboree, and they make the Landing ring".
Lucy Maud Montgomery
Lucy Maud Montgomery (November 30, 1874 – April 24, 1942), published as L. M. Montgomery, was a Canadian author best known for a collection of novels, essays, short stories, and poetry beginning in 1908 with '' Anne of Green Gables''. She ...
used the term three times in 1915 in ''
Anne of the Island
''Anne of the Island'' is the third book in the ''Anne of Green Gables'' series, written by Lucy Maud Montgomery about Anne Shirley.
''Anne Of the Island'' is the third book of the eight-book sequels written by L. M. Montgomery, about Anne Shirley ...
'', a book set in the 1880s. For example "There was quite a bewildering succession of drives, dances, picnics and boating parties, all expressively lumped together by Phil under the head of “jamborees”.
Robert Graves
Captain Robert von Ranke Graves (24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985) was a British poet, historical novelist and critic. His father was Alfred Perceval Graves, a celebrated Irish poet and figure in the Gaelic revival; they were both Celtic ...
suggested in 1954 that Baden-Powell might have known the word through his regiment's Irish links, rather than from U.S. slang.
Other theories
The word "jamboree" has several claimed possible origins, ranging from
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
to
Swahili to
Native American languages
Over a thousand indigenous languages are spoken by the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. These languages cannot all be demonstrated to be related to each other and are classified into a hundred or so language families (including a large numbe ...
, which further confuses the meaning used by Baden-Powell.
A guess is that the word "jamboree" is derived from the Swahili for hello, ''
Jambo!
Jambo is a Swahili greeting or salutation. It is similar in meaning to the English word '' Hello''.
Linguistically
Specifically, Jambo is a Swahili language word that belongs to noun classes 5-6 for "collectives". Jambo primarily means 'affair' ...
''. Baden-Powell spent a considerable amount of time in West Africa in the 1880s then again in the late 1890s.
Use in Scouting
The word "jamboree" is used primarily by the Scouting program following the first Boy Scout jamboree in 1920. Baden-Powell deliberately chose the name "jamboree" where attendees were warmly welcomed attending this first Boy Scout rally or meeting with the word "jambo."
The word jamboree in English is used as a borrowed foreign word, with the ending ''-ree''. The word jamboree is both a
noun
A noun () is a word that generally functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, or ideas.Example nouns for:
* Living creatures (including people, alive, d ...
and a
transitive verb
A transitive verb is a verb that accepts one or more objects, for example, 'cleaned' in ''Donald cleaned the window''. This contrasts with intransitive verbs, which do not have objects, for example, 'panicked' in ''Donald panicked''.
Transitiv ...
, with a direct action of the root word jambo. For example, an attendee of a jambo is a jamboree.
Many, at this first "jamboree" or Scout gathering, did not fully capture the spirit of this then-new concept or greeting. At the first World Jamboree at
Olympia, London
Olympia London, sometimes referred to as the Olympia Exhibition Centre, is an exhibition centre, event space and conference centre in West Kensington, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, London, England. A range of international ...
, in 1920, Baden-Powell said:
"People give different meanings for this word, but from this year on, ''jamboree'' will take a specific meaning. It will be associated to the largest gathering of youth that ever took place."
Olave Baden-Powell
Olave St Clair Baden-Powell, Baroness Baden-Powell (''née'' Soames; 22 February 1889 – 25 June 1977) was the first Chief Guide for Britain and the wife of Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting and co-founder o ...
coined the term to refer to the ''lingua franca'' used between Scouts of different languages and cultural habits, that develops when diverse Scouts meet, that fosters friendship and understanding between Scouts of the world. Sometimes the word "jamborette" is used to denote smaller, either local or international, gatherings.
A similarly-used word, "
camporee
A camporee is a local or regional gathering of Scouting units for a period of camping and common activities. Similar to a camporee, a jamboree occurs less often and draws units from the entire nation or world. It should not be confused with the ...
," in the Scouting program is also reflective of the older British use. "Camporee" reflects a local or regional gathering of
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...
units for a period of camping and common activities. Similar to a camporee, a
jamboree
In Scouting, a jamboree is a large gathering of Scouting, Scouts who rally at a national or international level.
History
The 1st World Scout Jamboree was held in 1920, and was hosted by the United Kingdom. Since then, there have been twenty-thre ...
occurs less often and draws units from the entire nation or world.
International jamborees
*
World Scout Jamboree
The World Scout Jamboree is a Scouting jamboree of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, typically attended by several tens of thousands of Scouts from around the world, aged 14 to 17.
The first World Scout Jamboree was organized by T ...
, a gathering of Scouts from all over the world under the
World Organization of the Scout Movement
The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM ) is the largest international Scouting organization. WOSM has 173 members. These members are recognized national Scout organizations, which collectively have around 43 million participants. WOS ...
. Attendance is 30–40,000.
* World Scout
Jamboree on the Air
Jamboree on the Air, known by its acronym JOTA, is an international Scouting and Guiding activity held annually; it is on the third full weekend in October. First held in conjunction with the fiftieth anniversary of Scouting in 1957, it was devis ...
(JOTA) - an amateur radio event linking Scouts across the world
* World Scout
Jamboree on the Internet
Jamboree on the Internet, known by its acronym JOTI, is an international Scouting activity held annually. Participants, through the use of designated Chats from all over the world, can contact their fellow Scouts by means of the Internet. Common c ...
(JOTI)
*
Jamboree on the Trail
Jamboree on the Trail, known by its acronym JOTT, is a co-ordinated international Scouting activity held annually, following on the idea of the ''Join-in'' events from the World Jamboree Year. Scouts from all over the world simultaneously partici ...
(JOTT) is an international day of hiking
*
Africa Scout Jamboree
The Africa Scout Region of the World Organization of the Scout Movement has run or sponsored region-wide Africa Scout Jamborees in its member countries. List of Africa Scout Jamborees
The 6th Africa Scout Jamboree (or Africa Jamboree 2012) to ...
*
Arab Scout Jamboree
*
Asia-Pacific Scout Jamboree
*
Caribbean Scout Jamboree, a gathering of Scouts from the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
*
Central European Jamboree, a gathering of Scouts from Central Europe
*
European Scout Jamboree
The European Scout Jamboree (or EuroJam) is an international Scouting jamboree, which is organized at irregular times by the European Scout Region of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM).
So far, two European Scout Jamborees h ...
, a gathering of Scouts from all over Europe
*
Interamerican Scout Jamboree
The Interamerican Scout Jamboree is the biggest event of the Interamerican Scout Region. It is held every four years in a different country of the region. The host country is elected during the Interamerican Scout Conference. Ecuador was announced ...
, a gathering of Scouts from the
Interamerican Scout Region
*
Essex International Jamboree, a gathering of 7,000-9,000 Scouts and Guides from all over the world, held since 1927
*
World Federation of Independent Scouts World Jamboree, a gathering of Scouts of the
World Federation of Independent Scouts
The World Federation of Independent Scouts (WFIS) is a non-governmental international Scouting organization with over 7 million members in 151 affiliated Scout organizations in 65 countries. WFIS was formed in Laubach, Germany, in 1996 by Lawrie ...
*
Jamboree 2008 (Northumberland), a celebration of the 1908 Humshaugh camp
* Homenetmen General Jamboree, a gathering of Scouts of the Homenetmen
*
ISIS
Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingd ...
Muon
A muon ( ; from the Greek letter mu (μ) used to represent it) is an elementary particle similar to the electron, with an electric charge of −1 '' e'' and a spin of , but with a much greater mass. It is classified as a lepton. As wi ...
Jamboree
*
International Cultural Jamboree
National jamborees
*
National Scout jamboree
In Scouting, a jamboree is a large gathering of Scouts who rally at a national or international level.
History
The 1st World Scout Jamboree was held in 1920, and was hosted by the United Kingdom. Since then, there have been twenty-three other W ...
,
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...
*
Canadian Scout Jamboree
The Canadian Scout Jamboree or CJ is a jamboree run by Scouts Canada for members of the Scout and Venturer sections. The Jamboree also includes groups from other countries attending, most notable from the United States.
History
CJ'07
(CJ'07) ...
, a gathering of Scouts from Canada
*
Australian Scout Jamboree
The Australian Scout Jamboree is a jamboree which is held every three years by Scouts Australia. The Jamboree is traditionally held in early January and typically runs for ten nights.
The first, in 1934, was held in Frankston, Victoria and was ...
, a gathering of Scouts from Australia and the
Asia-Pacific Region
*
Nippon Jamboree
The is a Jamboree (Scouting), Scouting Jamboree held by the Scout Association of Japan, and is the largest Scouting event in Japan. "Scout" was added to the name beginning in 2018.
Jamborees are held once every four years, and are abbreviated ...
, a gathering of Scouts from Japan
*
Nawaka, a gathering of
Sea Scout
Sea Scouts are a part of the Scout movement, with a particular emphasis on boating and other water-based activities on the sea, rivers or lakes (canoeing, rafting, scuba, sailboarding). Sea Scouts can provide a chance to sail, cruise on boats, ...
s in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
*
Irish Scout Jamborees
Scouting in Ireland has hosted many jamborees and jamborettes since Scouting started there in 1908.
List
Cancelled jamborees
* 2001: ''Causeway 2001'' was planned by The Scout Association to be held in Co. Antrim. It was cancelled due to th ...
*
New Zealand Scout Jamboree
*
Girl Scout Senior Roundup
*
See also
*
Agoonoree
Agoonoree is a Scouting jamboree for young people with special needs.
History
In 1949, Netherlands Scouts organised an international camp at Lunteren for Scouts with disabilities called "Agoon", after the Greek language word ''agṓn'' ( ''ἀ ...
*
Camporee
A camporee is a local or regional gathering of Scouting units for a period of camping and common activities. Similar to a camporee, a jamboree occurs less often and draws units from the entire nation or world. It should not be confused with the ...
*
Indaba
An indaba (; ) is an important conference held by the izinDuna (principal men) of the Zulu and Xhosa peoples of South Africa. (Such meetings are also practiced by the Swazi, who refer to them using the close cognate '.) Indabas may include only ...
*
World Camp (Guiding)
There have been several World Camps held by the Girl Guide, Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, first held in 1924. Organized by the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, unlike World Scout Jamborees, World Camps are not named with an Ordinal ...
References
External links
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{{Authority control
Scouting events