A Scout from Connecticut Yankee Council is excited to arrive at the most recent National Jamboree.
The 2023 National Jamboree will be a landmark event as its first where female Scouts are able to attend as members of Scouts BSA troops. Archery is just one of the dozens of activities Scouts will be able to participate in.
During the National Jamboree, Scouts will take part in a massive service project by assembling 5,000 Flood Bucket cleaning kits to help those affected by floods begin the overwhelming job of cleaning up.
The Sustainability Treehouse is a living education center for visitors to the Summit Bechtel Reserve, a former coal mine which serves as a training, Scouting, and adventure center for the millions of youth and anyone who loves the outdoors.
General Stanley McChrystal – Former commander of US and International Forces in Afghanistan, is one of 18 nationally known leaders speaking at the 2023 National Jamboree
Jamboree’s Jam-Packed Agenda Reflects Scouting’s Commitment to Fun, Friendship, Outdoor Adventure, Service, Personal Development, Diversity, and Leadership
— Brad Tilden, Incoming 39th National Chairman of the Boy Scouts of America
MOUNT HOPE, WV, UNITED STATES, July 18, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ — More than 15,000 Scouts, Venturers, Explorers, staff, volunteers, and local community members are moving their Scouting adventure forward at the Boy Scouts of America’s (BSA’s) 20th National Jamboree, which kicks off tomorrow, July 19, and runs through July 28, 2023, at BSA’s Summit Bechtel Reserve, located on more than 14,000 acres of forested mountains in West Virginia. Every state in the nation will be represented at the Jamboree, as well as attendees from Austria, Canada, Egypt, Ghana, Great Britain, Iceland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Trinidad, and Tobago.
Typically held every 4 years, Jamborees are the BSA’s largest national events, where since its inception in 1937 more than one million Scouts, Scout leaders and staff have participated in a celebration of Scouting’s commitment to fun, friendship, outdoor adventure, service to others, personal development, diversity, and leadership.
For more than one million currently enrolled youth, Scouting is all about moving Forward, which is the theme of the 2023 National Jamboree. BSA’s incoming National Chair Brad Tilden, former Chairman and CEO of Alaska Air Group, said that, “Each person in Scouting is on their own personal journey, and the National Jamboree strengthens their forward momentum by adding a once-in-a lifetime, ‘mountain-top’ experience to their multi-year adventure in Scouting.”
First National Jamboree Attended by All Female Scouts BSA Troops
The 2023 National Jamboree will be BSA’s first National Jamboree where female Scouts are able to attend as members of Scouts BSA troops. Young women have attended previous Jamborees as part of Scouting’s Venturing and Exploring programs, or may have attended the 2019 World Scout Jamboree; but this is a landmark event for Scouting, with women representing more than 20% of the total 2023 Jamboree attendance.
Since opening up Scouting’s two largest membership programs, nearly 281,000 girls have joined Cub Scouts, and 80,574 young women have joined Scouts BSA troops. Since 2019, more than 5,000 young women have achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. “This is a historic opportunity for BSA’s young women, regardless of their rank, to experience the fun and adventure of a National Jamboree,” noted Tilden.
2023 Jamboree Agenda Loaded with High Demand Activities and Special Programs
The Summit Bechtel Reserve – the official home of the National Jamboree since the 2013 National Jamboree – provides an outdoor experience unlike anything else in the nation. Here’s a very small sampling:
o Zip-lining over 3,200 linear feet of cable
o Mountain biking on trails covering 33 miles
o Skateboarding in the second largest skate park in the world
o Technical climbing on an incredible man-made facility, hand-sculpted to mimic the local rock formations of the nearby New River Gorge
o Shooting sporting clays and trap on a range ranked #3 in the world for shooting opportunities
o Riding on a world-class BMX course ranked #2 in the world in terms of square footage
o Aquatic sports including swimming, kayaking, and paddle boarding
o White water rafting through the New River Gorge National Park surrounded by the stunning West Virginia countryside
o Earning any one of dozens of merit badges, including archaeology, chemistry, engineering, fishing, forestry, robotics, sustainability, theatre, and welding
In addition, the 2023 Jamboree will include several newly created special programs, including:
LEADERSHIP HEIGHTS – An immersive and inspirational Jamboree-long experience designed to empower Scouts to increase leadership skills and engagement in their communities, nation, and the world. The program features presentations from some of the nation’s most respected leaders across all sectors, including:
o General Stanley McChrystal – Former commander of US and International Forces in Afghanistan
o Julie Sweet – Chair and CEO of Accenture
o Deborah L. Birx, M.D. – Former White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator
o Scott Pelley – 60 Minutes Correspondent and Former CBS News Anchor and Managing Editor
o Elaine P. Ho – Chief Diversity Officer at NASA
o Eric Traupe – Former Assistant Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
o DeDe Halfhill – Renowned Leadership Expert and USAF Colonel
o Hakeem Oluyesi – Astrophysicist, and Former Space Science Education Lead for NASA
o Guy Snodgrass – Former TOPGUN Instructor and Pentagon Communications Director
o Dave Scott – Deputy Assistant Director, FBI Cyber Division
o Scott Mann – U.S. Army Green Beret, Pineapple Express Mission Leader
o Michael Sears – Director of Leadership Innovation at the Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership United States Naval Academy
o James McCloughan – Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient
o Dan McCarthy – Retired Vice Admiral, United States Navy & former Group Director Summit Bechtel Reserve
WOMEN OF CHARACTER – A 3-day event from July 21 – 23, designed to foster thought leadership, and generate support for female-centric Scouting units across the United States, to ensure that young women have the opportunity to participate in the life-changing experiences. The event will include:
o Testimonials from members of the inaugural class of female Eagle Scouts, and breakout sessions for all guests to share challenges, successes, and keys to overcoming obstacles
o Scouter-led tours of many of the action-packed activities taking place at the National Jamboree
o A keynote address by American political analyst Dana Perino, founder of Minute Mentoring®, and former White House Press Secretary, serving under President George W. Bush
o Unveiling of the Ascending Eagle bronze statue, which will be permanently installed at the Summit Bechtel Reserve, to capture the strength and spirit of young women in Scouting, and to serve as inspiration for future generations of female Scouts.
FLOOD BUCKET PROGRAM – A large-scale service project involving the assembly of at least 5,000 cleaning kits by Scouts attending the event. The “Flood Bucket” cleaning kits serve as essential “first aid” resources that provide flood victims with the practical and emotional support necessary to begin restoration of their homes and personal belongings.
Participating Scouts will assemble the kits and include a personalized note to the flood victims. The completed kits will be transported to a warehouse and distributed as needed to flooded areas throughout West Virginia.
Jamboree Site is An American Reclamation Success Story
For many decades, extensive coal mining, strip mining, and tree harvesting operations were located on the BSA’s Summit Bechtel Reserve’s 10,600 acres. Hundreds of people lived and worked in mining and forestry camps on the property, beginning in the 1850s.
In 2009, when Scouting selected the Summit property to develop as its permanent home for future Jamborees – and consistent with its longstanding commitment to sustainability – the organization committed to undertake what was a significant reclamation project, to convert the property back into an ecologically sound environment where forestation and wildlife could thrive and humans could enjoy responsibly.
A few examples of Scouting’s reclamation and sustainability efforts on the Summit property include:
o Resource Conservation – Initiatives targeted Abandoned Mine Lands (AML), including addition of a 2:1 slope over sheer rock faces left from strip mining, and planting seed beds to prevent erosion.
o Energy – Buildings are designed to use 30 percent less energy than conventional structures. Scouting has also made investments in on-site renewable energy generation, including geothermal wells, photovoltaic solar panels, and wind turbines to reduce operating costs.
o Water – The Summit uses a network of 60 acres of swales and rain garden to treat runoff by filtering it through plants. The Summit also employs gray-water systems, low-flow fixtures, and composting toilets to reduce water use by two-thirds.
o Materials – Timber was salvaged for reuse in structures, while other materials were sourced from within 500 miles of the project to reduce emissions.
o Economy – By requiring at least a 25 percent local labor force and materials from nearby, developing the Summit supports the local economy. Every dollar spent in a local business re-circulates seven more times in the regional economy.
o Habitat Conservation – More than 1,000 acres of the Summit’s most ecologically valuable land has been dedicated as a nature preserve.
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About the 2023 National Jamboree
o Journalists may register for media credentials here: https://jamboree.scouting.org/media/ or contact [email protected].
o Learn more about the Jamboree at , https://www.natjamboree23.org/ or by downloading the Jamboree app on Apple or Google Play.
National Jamboree B-Roll
https://www.flickr.com/photos/boyscoutsofamerica/albums/72177720307153593
National Jamboree Stock Images https://www.flickr.com/photos/boyscoutsofamerica/albums/72177720307051287
PLEASE NOTE: Photos should be credited as “Photo courtesy of Boy Scouts of America” or “Photo: Boy Scouts of America.”
2023 National Jamboree Logo
https://scouting.webdamdb.com/bp/#/folder/10595459/
About the Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America provides the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people to be “Prepared. For Life.®” The Scouting organization is composed of more than 1 million youth members between the ages of 7 and 21 and approximately 960,000 volunteers in local councils throughout the United States and its territories. For more information on the Boy Scouts of America, please visit www.scouting.org.
How to Join Scouting
For information on joining the Boy Scouts of America, please visit https://beascout.scouting.org/.
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Scott Armstrong
Boy Scouts of America
[email protected]
2023 National Jamboree 2023 | Coming July 19-28, 2023
Originally published at https://www.einpresswire.com/article/643855367/boy-scouts-of-america-kick-off-20th-national-jamboree-a-10-day-adventure-for-more-than-15-000-scouts-and-scouters
