PARTAKING IN THE LARGEST event of the World Scouting Movement was one of the most memorable experiences we had as boy scouts. The 21st World Scout Jamboree in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was even more special, for it also commemorated the centenary of scouting founded by Lord Robert Stephenson Baden Powell. With the theme “One World, One Promise,” we got the opportunity to meet a lot of people and to understand diverse cultures other than our own. As a global movement, scouting is making a real contribution to create a better world. This means that through our involvement at a local level, we are playing a constructive part in the society
The prospect of participating in a two-week campaign trip outside the country urged us to apply last February. Perhaps it was luck or maybe it was fate that included us in the Philippine delegation. A letter from the City of Makati Council confirmed that we passed their screenings—and the rest was history, a thrilling history.
We immediately forwarded our travel documents to the council. As official delegates, we also had to undergo an intensive three-day training to prepare us to live in a foreign country. It was hard, but it was great.
Days passed by quickly, and finally, it was time for us to depart for the United Kingdom. We were accompanied by City Mayor Jejomar Cabauatan Binay of Makati, Boy Scouts of the Philippines national president, and his wife, Dr Elenita Sombillo Binay, along with other national officials. On July 25, we boarded an economy-class plane and had our first stopover at the Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates.
After five hours of waiting, we had our connecting flight to London Heathrow Airport in London, England, on July 26. Then, we rode a coach toward the main camp site, the beautiful Hylands Park, Chelmsford, the south east of the United Kingdom. Upon our arrival, we were warmly welcomed by the Hindi, the English, and the Italians—our neighbors in J24, our jungle sub camp, where we would be staying throughout the jamboree.
The biting cold weather of July 27 left us hungry and shivering. It was a good thing that the English scouts gave us food and warm milk. Though we were very tired, we could not sleep yet because we still needed to pitch the tents that would shelter us for the night.
The Grand Arena staged the Opening Ceremony on the afternoon of July 28. More than 28 000 young people and 12 000 adult leaders from more than 150 countries were marveled by a skydiver bringing the flag of the World Scouting Movement across the sky down the arena. It was highlighted by a magnificent fireworks display. We were speechless throughout the ceremony.
Our next few days were packed with different activity modules. Our first activity was the Starburst where scouts were immersed in a community service by helping in weeding out the grass. For a day, we participated in two activities, the Trash in the morning where we were encouraged to think about how we can re-use everyday materials and what impact our actions have on the planet, and the Elements in the afternoon, where it was largely based on science and technology concepts including the four elements: air, fire, earth, and water. The wet and wild activities in Splash! allowed us to try on water sports such as canoeing and kayaking. We also visited Energise where we had the opportunity to explore and to understand the food, hobbies, and cultures of other nations. We reflected on the issues and the challenges facing the global community in the Global Development Boulevard where we also made a commitment to make the world a little better when we return home. The Gilwell Park Adventure is a whole day activity where we tackled on adventurous obstacle courses and learned more about the history of scouting as we toured the Gilwell Park. The most exciting activity was the Sunrise Day on Aug. 1 where we met the great-grandson of Lord Baden Powell. He shared that it was delighting to know that the 20 boys who started the movement with his great grandfather boomed into millions of boys and girls united by a common goal of making this world a better place to live in.
The jamboree ended after 12 days and was capped with colorful cultural presentations of participating nations. We were so engrossed and in turn, the Filipino delegates proudly performed the novelty dance Pinoy Ako with matching swaying of the hips to the catchy melody of the song.
Looking back, the entire jamboree had been very educational for us. We were basked in activities that were so different from the jamborees in the Philippines, and it seems that the time given to us was not enough to savor it all. Though there were instances that we felt extremely tired or had difficulty understanding different languages of different people, we gained lessons that made us realize what scouting is all about. It is about doing good things to others, respecting people’s beliefs and traditions, improving potentials and self-character, being involved in caring for the environment, and so much more.
We returned to the Philippines carrying the same promise that Lord Baden Powell and the 20 scouts recited 100 hundred years ago—”to do my duty to God and my country, to help other people at all times, and to obey the Scout Law.”
