At the beginning of last month, twenty-six teenaged boys and girls had an opportunity to showcase why they deserved to embark on a trip of a lifetime to the other side of the world. In 2015, the World Scout Jamboree (an international coming together of Scouts from all over the world to exchange cultural values) will be held in Yamaguchi City, Japan. These local Scouts and Explorers were put through a gruelling selection weekend to discover if they were the ones to fill the seven places on offer to the Reigate district.


The camp took place at Jordan Heights on Reigate Hill, and the applicants were told to arrive on Saturday at 11 o’clock sharp – their ability to time keep immediately put to the test!  After the usual administrative formalities, the teenagers were split into four patrols where they introduced themselves. Over the next two days, they rotated around three bases focusing on topics such as Pioneering (the emphasis being on teamwork), Origami – where the value was on learning cultural skills - and World Issues. Following that, they finished the first day by preparing and cooking food over an open fire and entertaining each other around the camp fire.


Sunday started at 8am with a Japanese style breakfast including miso soup, rice and pickles. This was vitally important to see how the candidates would react to trying new foods and experiences. Throughout the weekend, the candidates were continually trying to impress the leaders in three vital areas: self-responsibility, teamwork and enthusiasm. Furthermore, it was important that the leaders knew why they wanted to go on the Jamboree and (a surprise for some) how they were going to fund it. Therefore, over the course of the weekend, each candidate had to undergo a formal ten minute interview with a selection committee – some would say the most difficult aspect of the process. 


As the Scouts departed at midday, exhausted yet enthused, the Leaders stayed behind for a long-lasting discussion to whittle the list down to the final seven. Unfortunately, in every case such as this, there were winners and losers. Indeed, the District Scout Leader running the event, Andrew Bolton, said, “I think the participants enjoyed themselves, it’s just a shame we only have the seven places available”. Nevertheless, seven were chosen; and cue delight and astonishment. Lewis, aged 15, reacted to the positive news with utter joy and disbelief, “Oh my God! That’s brilliant! Of course I want to go”. Leila, an Explorer with the 9th Horley, was equally incredulous, “Really? What me?!”


The seven fortunate Scouts will now spend the next two years meeting their fellow attendees from other parts of Surrey, and raising the required funds to participate. We all look forward to hearing about their experiences in 2015!