A backstage pass to the World Scout Jamboree

After reading Senior Editor Bryan Wendell’s first-person account of the 2011 World Scout Jamboree in Sweden, check out more great World Jamboree content below.

First, watch this exclusive video:

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Then catch up on Bryan’s blog posts

• Did you miss Bryan’s live coverage from Sweden? Click here to see what you missed.

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Next, read 6 random World Jamboree facts

• Celebrity watch: Bear Grylls, host of “Man vs. Wild” and Chief Scout of the U.K. Scout Association, passed the torch from England to Sweden to start the jamboree; the prime ministers of Sweden, Denmark, and Finland stopped by for a tour; and Sweden’s King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia watched the closing arena show from the front row.
• Just visiting: In addition to the 40,061 Scouts and Scouters camping at the jamboree, more than 3,000 visitors stopped by each day.
• The scenic route: With 10,000 miles separating Sweden from Australia, the Aussies traveled the farthest distance to the jamboree. But their trip wasn’t the longest. That honor belongs to 12 Scouts from Uganda who rode their bikes to Sweden—a journey that took more than a month.
• Enjoy the view: The jamboree’s signature structure, a tower constructed in the center of the site, soared 130 feet above the action. It took a week to construct and was built with 20 tons of wood and ropes. The tower served as a visual signpost for finding your way around, and the brave could even climb the 72 steps to get a photo-worthy view at the top.
• Staying connected: Everyone’s on Facebook these days, and Wi-Fi hotspots on site allowed Scouts and Scouters to confirm Facebook friendships just moments after the real ones developed.
• We’re gonna need a bigger cart: Over the two-week jamboree, participants ate 95,000 onions, 75 tons of carrots, and 300,000 ice creams.

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Ready to attend the next jamboree?

There’s a jamboree—either world or national—every other year, meaning plenty of opportunities for you, your son, or your daughter to attend. Here’s the scoop on the next four jamborees:

• 2013: The Summit. July 15 to 24. The first national Scout jamboree held at the new West Virginia high-adventure base. Register now at bsajamboree.org.
• 2015: Yamaguchi City, Japan. July 28 to Aug. 8. The 23rd World Scout Jamboree.
• 2017: The Summit. The second national Scout jamboree at the new site.
• 2019: The Summit. The 24th World Scout Jamboree, jointly hosted by Scouts Canada, Scouts de México, and the BSA.