WORLD SCOUT JAMBOREE

WORLD SCOUT JAMBOREE
2015 REPORT

Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 2
Overview of the UK Contingent ...................................................................................................... 3
Units .......................................................................................................................................... 3
IST .............................................................................................................................................. 3
The survey ..................................................................................................................................... 3
Kit .................................................................................................................................................. 4
Personal issue kit provided .......................................................................................................... 4
IST and JPT ..................................................................................................................................... 7
Travel ........................................................................................................................................... 11
Unit travel ................................................................................................................................. 11
IST travel ................................................................................................................................... 11
Airport assistance ...................................................................................................................... 13
Tokyo Experience .......................................................................................................................... 14
HoHo ............................................................................................................................................ 16
Communications ........................................................................................................................... 18
Join in Jamboree (Japan in a Box) .................................................................................................. 22
Unit Support ................................................................................................................................. 23
Finance ......................................................................................................................................... 26
Summary .................................................................................................................................... 294
1

Introduction
Building on the success of the communications for
the Jamboree, the Contingent Management Team are
sharing this report for the UK Contingent at the 23rd
World Scout Jamboree.
The CMST prepared a more detailed report running to 73 pages and surveys
of the Contingent produced a report of a further 27 pages. The level
of detail will be useful to the teams planning for future Contingents. The
CMST report includes confidential and commercially sensitive information
and is therefore unsuitable for wide circulation. This shorter summary
report has been prepared to be suitable for wider circulation. The information
based in this report not only represents the views of the Contingent
Management and Contingent Support Teams but also extends to the comments
and views of the Contingent members also.
The purpose of this document is to have one central document, encompassing
the views and feedback of the UK Contingent to support and enable
future contingents whilst providing detailed responses to the survey
data.
This is the final report following the opportunity that the Contingent was
given to comment via the survey.

Overview of the
UK Contingent
and
The Survey

Overview of the UK Contingent
The UK Contingent attending the Jamboree was made up of 4,015 members split between
Units, the International Service Team (IST) and the 42 member Contingent Management and
Support Team.
The planning and delivery of the Jamboree Experience for Units and IST was overwhelmingly
successful. This report while recording details of the planning and delivery for Japan, has been
prepared to respond to the survey and includes our own findings.
The Jamboree Experience for the Contingent members was as follows:
Units
75 Units (4 leaders + 36 participants) took part in a 3 part experience:
Mimasu Tokyo – 3 nights in Tokyo pre or post Jamboree**
HoHo – 2 nights pre or post Jamboree**
23 rd World Scout Jamboree
Some units included members from Girlguiding, Branches, and Solidarity Patrols.
IST
In addition to the Jamboree, the option was provided by the Contingent for “ISTokyo” ‐ 2 nights pre
Jamboree in Tokyo and a visit to Hiroshima.
IST members also had the option of travel being provided by the Contingent, or to arrange their own
transport.
Additionally, the Travel provider offered a number of optional post Jamboree tours.
** To fit with school holidays, Scottish Units completed HoHo and Mimasu Tokyo before the Jamboree.
The Survey
There are 442 responses to the Jamboree survey, this is significantly more than in previous years and
has enabled us to review the data and respond in this document. The demographics of the survey
were:
The IST who constituted the largest group of respondents at 44% (197). This was followed by the
participants at 24% (107). A total of 260 adults stated which organisation they were from, 85.4%
(222) and 14.2% (37) were from Girlguiding. 0.4% (1) was from British Scouting Overseas.
A high percentage of the respondents (81.9% / 212) were from England, 6.2% were from Wales, and
11.6% were from Scotland, and 0.4% were from Northern Ireland.
The average age for the adult respondents completing this survey was 33.4 years old, and the 21 to
30 age group which yielded the most number of respondents.
There were 107 respondents who were participants at the Jamboree, and the average age for the
participants was 15.7 years old.
We’ve split this report into key areas; Kit, IST, travel, programme, HoHo, communications, Unit
Support, and finance.
3

Kit

Kit
The CMT role was assigned in November 2012 with the main objective to work with
Scouts Shops Limited (SS Ltd) to develop and provide equipment suitable for the Contingent,
including:
uniform and other personal issue kit
optional personal kit
tents
The initial task was to review the feedback from past Jamborees, gain views from previous youth
participants and a CMT member that had attended events in Japan previously to assist with the
initial direction of the personal issue kit development and selection process. The initial meeting with
Scout Shops Ltd was held in February 2013.
As the programme progressed the focus of the role moved towards distribution and logistics and
included the requirement of supporting the logistics of the crates and kit containers and providing
support to the IST and JPT to deliver activities from the UK at the Jamboree site.
Personal issue kit provided
The UKC 2015 WSJ participant fee included the provision of essential personal issue kit with the
following purpose:
To ensure that each participant had a formal uniform
To ensure that each participant had at least some form of the essential kit required for
travelling (bags, etc…)
To assist with dealing with the environmental conditions likely to be experienced (hot &
humid climate, i.e. water bottles, hats, wicking T‐shirts, etc…)
To instil a sense of unity, belonging and pride through the use of a common brand
throughout the provided kit
The table below shows the personal issue kit that was provided to each participant. Please note:
spares of some essential or regularly used items were provided.
Participants / Unit Leaders / CMST International Service Team (IST)
2 x uniform tops 1 x uniform top
1 x scout shorts 1 x scout shorts
2 x scarfs 2 x scarfs
1 x woggle 1 x woggle
2 x WSE s/g 2 x Union s/g 1 x WSE s/g 2 x Union s/g
3 x participant badges 2 x participant badges
2 x water bottles 2 x water bottles
1 x water bottle holder & strap 1 x water bottle holder & strap
1 x hat 1 x hat
1 x neck towel 1 x neck towel
1 x pac – a – mac 1 x pac – a – mac
1 x t‐shirt (red) 1 x t‐shirt (orange)
1 x sheet sleeping bag 1 x sheet sleeping bag
1 x large wheeled travel bag (75L) 1 x large wheeled travel bag (75L)
1 x daysack (35L) 1 x daysack (35L)
1 x camping chair
1 x carry mat
4

The exclusivity of the scarf design was compromised by the emergence of online copies.
This resulted in a change to the UKC scarf design to include a UKC crane on the back as
opposed to the Union flag.
With regards to the survey, there was clear divide in the views and feedback regarding kit across the
UK Contingent. There were a number of positive comments in relation to the kit, and various aspects
of the kit were highly praised by the Contingent in terms of the usefulness / practicalities of the kit
that was provided.
“Kit was generally good and fit for purpose”
“Wicking T was ace, and I don't really like synthetics!”
“The holdalls with wheels were a stroke of genius, made life much easier thank you!”
“The water bottles were life savers”
In terms of the quality of the kit, some respondents were disappointed in the quality of the kit that
was provided. This was mainly concentrated on the holdalls, day sacks, and the water bottles, this is
reflected in the quotes below:
“The bags were poor quality, it's such a shame to receive items that are essentially only good
for one event. Such a waste of resources (and people's money)”.
“Awful quality…our main bags split before we left the house”
Aside from the quality of the kit, the UKC, were positive about the overall amount (quantity) of the
kit that they were provided as part of their issued kit. There were some personal differences in the
opinions about the multiple items of the same kit that were provided:
“Two water bottles per person wasn't really necessary”
Some respondents felt that poor quality kit is a reoccurrence at Jamborees and previous
feedback had not been taken into account:
“…feel like not all of the suggestions were taken into account from previous jamborees, kit
provided was NOT reliable for the intense use as required when taking part in a Jamboree”
“the cargo bag was of poor quality ‐ again!”
“the cargo bags we have had for the last few jamborees are almost single use and throw
away due to poor build quality ‐ this is wasteful and basically a poor investment”
We asked Scout Shops to respond to the Contingent comments regarding the quality of the bags.
‘The few initial issues with these bags were not consistent and the total number of bags with
faults was about 2% which is well within current bench marking for bags of this quality, it also
fitted with the number of contingency bags available for replacement purposes. As this piece of
kit is ‘critical’ the smoothness of the journey it would be worth considering the possibility of
increasing the quality/spend.’
Having then queried Scout Shops about the 2% figure, they made a further comment as follows:
We are fully aware of the quality issues with the cargo bags and both we and the participants
are disappointed that the product was not up to our usual high standard. Although the actual
5

number of bags returned to us was fairly low, looking at comments from the event,
the amount of faulty stock is probably higher than our estimations as some
participants weren’t able to return the bags to us. We want to provide top quality
products for events such as the Jamboree and suggest establishing one or two standard bag
styles which can be used for all events. We propose to wearer test several quality and price
levels in advance to ensure the design is robust. Once a standard has been agreed, the bags can
then be provided in the correct event colour and graphics.
Looking to the next event
Have the patterned material designed from the outset with the logo. The logo must be designed
with Scout Shops to ensure feasible.
Look at the possibility of an early workshop with the CMT so that we can include all individual
opinions and ensure we are setting expectations against budget. This may enable early range
sanction.
Look to raise the quality of our offer to ensure the participants have more use from some of the
items post jamboree, which may involve larger budgets but is a key request of the 2015 contingent.
Suggest more UKC souvenir items which rely on high minimum orders to make possible, so that
participants receive more different and unique products.
6

IST and JPT

IST and JPT
Information for IST was issued in Autumn 2013 by a variety of means; launched at Gilwell
Reunion 2013 with an origami flyer and scouting magazine article with a 6 week period given for IST
to complete an on line application.
After the closing date at the end of October 2013, names and contact details of both scouts and
guides who had applied were sent to the appropriate Regional Co‐ordinator to be invited to the
selection event. Selections were held in regions over the same weekend at the beginning of February
2014; they were run by regions but attended by a member of the CMT and local CST to answer
questions and to deliver a short presentation.
Clear information about the demands and challenges likely to be faced by IST was given and
reinforced regularly in bulletins and training events.
Regional selectors were also asked to identify those IST on their list who as a result of extra
interview questions, could be considered for JPT. This was an area of some confusion as information
about the role was not forthcoming from SAJ. However, those who had been identified as JPT were
offered the opportunity to come up with programme activities to be delivered on the jamboree site.
The JPT whose ideas were successful and were subsequently involved in developing, preparing and
delivering an activity on site found it to be a rewarding experience utilising their skills and expertise
and enjoyed having direct involvement with participants.
There were 5 CST members, (The I Support Team) whose principal role was linked to supporting the
IST but who also had secondary roles to support units.
Having met as an IST group at the first training event in July 2014, regions were encouraged to meet
socially and managed on a regional/local level. The I Support Team was assigned to regions but,
unfortunately not all members were invited to attend events and were not always aware of the
support (if any) that regions required before the jamboree. Those from the team who did attend
regional events reported that they were invaluable in meeting IST.
At the AAW the IST had been put into groups of 40 within 5 sub camp areas. Although this was not
utilised in Japan, it did mean that the UKC knew where people were camping. IST liked the different
UK IST sub camp badges.
There was a daily presence of I Support Team members for a significant amount of time (often 7 +
hours) in the adult restaurant with a small portable whiteboard during morning and evening meals.
Support in this way was well used and helped to overcome many minor issues.
Those IST members wishing to use the jamboree as the residential Gold DoE were invited to liaise
with one of the I Support Team who is a Gold DoE assessor. To date, 50 reports have been written to
support the Gold DoE award which is a huge help to those who attended the Jamboree.
With regards to the survey, for the question concerning IST support, there were 256 respondents in
total, and 72% (183) felt they had received the appropriate support when visiting the I Support Team
during mealtimes on event. There were 42 (16.5%) respondents who did not visit the I Support Team
at mealtimes. Some qualitative responses stated that:
“…I had no major problems that I couldn't solve myself while in Japan.”
7

“…I think it would be a good idea to talk to some of the other larger contingents
(such as the USA) about what their IST support did. They seemed to be around
much more, and available for ISTs to talk to.”
The overall usefulness chart of the I Support Team was interesting, as the respondents felt that the I
Support Team were very useful before the Jamboree (79%), and during the jamboree, the response
was very useful (61%). After the jamboree, 94% of respondents stated that they did not access any
support from the I Support Team at this stage.
The IST Inbox was a new source of support that the IST could access on their journey towards the
Jamboree. This was brought in to provide more tailored support to the IST members.
There were 256 respondents who used the IST Inbox, and 57.4% (147) of respondents found the
responses to their questions were either helpful or very helpful. 75 respondents (29%) did not send
a query through to the IST inbox for support.
However, for support via the IST Facebook page, 253 people responded to the question, and 123
(47%) found Facebook responses helpful or very helpful, and 92 (36%) respondents did not post a
Facebook questions. Those who passively used Facebook as a source of support (looked at responses
for information, but did not post), there were 90 respondents, and 35 (38%) respondents found this
method helpful or very helpful. A third (33%) of respondents did not read the comments on
Facebook pages.
Some respondents felt that there should have been more of a presence out on site and in the Staff
Sub camp to provide emotional and pastoral support for those who were struggling. One respondent
stated that the CMST were stretched too far at the Jamboree to cover all of the practical and
pastoral aspects required by the UKC:
“The support in Tokyo was very good. During the Jamboree I did not need much help but
could see it was there if required…”
“On the IST Sub camp, a lot of people were really struggling and just seeing someone from
the team to acknowledge how hard it was and giving encouragement would have helped
morale which at times got really low. Appreciate the team were stretch and this wasn't
possible.”
See survey results below:
Did you get the appropriate support when you visited the IST Team at meal times in the IST
Restaurant?
I did not
visit the
IST Team
in the
Restaura…
No
12%
Yes
72%
Value Percent Count
Yes 71.8% 183
No 11.8% 30
I did not visit the IST 16.5% 42
Team in the Restaurant
Total 255
8

How helpful did you find the response to any queries you sent through to the IST inbox?
I did not
send a
query to
the IST
Inbox
29%
Not at all
helpful
3%
Somewha
t helpful
10%
Very
helpful
27%
Helpful
31%
Value Percent Count
Very helpful 27.3% 70
Helpful 30.1% 77
Somewhat helpful 10.2% 26
Not at all helpful 3.1% 8
I did not send a query to 29.3% 75
the IST Inbox
Total 256
How helpful did you find the response to any questions posted on the IST Facebook page?
I did not
post a
question
on the IST
Facebook
page
36%
Not at all
helpful
4%
[CATEGOR
Y NAME]
[PERCENT
AGE]
Very
helpful
20%
Helpful
29%
Value Percent Count
Very helpful 19.8% 50
Helpful 28.9% 73
Somewhat helpful 10.7% 27
Not at all helpful 4.4% 11
I did not post a question on 36.4% 92
the IST Facebook page
Total 253
Looking to the next event
Information about the CST team support in the restaurant was sent out in our last bulletin in July
2015, but sending it out and re‐forcing it in earlier bulletins and events would help to ensure this
simple but effective means of communicating on a personal level reaches all IST and they are fully
aware of the CST presence and support offered on site.
The option of IST having a single or double occupancy tent with the same design as the UKC was a
success. The use of a tent tag with names allowed for location of IST in the sub camps is
recommended for location purposes.
9

Introducing the unit of 40 IST from different regions in a sub camp area was also well
received. Introducing it at the 1 st training camp would allow for a group identity to be
established earlier.
Offer to support the Gold DoE and other Scout and Guide awards was a fantastic success and
support to the IST and should continue for future events if possible.
Many Units report that they had fantastic support from local IST on the event. Inviting local IST to
help out at training camps and fundraising had been suggested at Unit Leaders weekends and is
recommended that this carries forward to the next WSJ.
10

Travel

Travel
Overall the travel element for Japan went very well. It was built up as layer upon layer of
the different elements needed for travel to cover all air and ground transport needed for all the
Units, IST, CMST and guests. Whilst there was initially one overall plan for units and IST travel to
start the planning process off, including the tendering process, there were so many factors which
had to be taken into account which produced a much more complicated travel plan.
Early stages and the tender process ‐ The need to start the tender process in Oct/Nov 2012 actually
meant that the CMT had to form a lot of the thinking behind the shape of the Jamboree for units and
IST to be able to get enough detail for the Tender. This was good as it gave us all a shape for the
experience and for clarity when tendering (even though it changed quite a bit). At this point we set
the expected dates of the experience overall and were aiming for a three part experience for units
(Tokyo, Jamboree, HoHo) (It was always known that the Scottish units would need to do HoHo first
and return straight after the Jamboree due to school holiday dates).
Unit travel – Unit travel elements were agreed to be:
Coaches from home central meeting point to airport if greater than 1 hour (approx. half
units)
Flights to Japan and back
Ground travel from airport to HoHo or Tokyo accommodation
Transfer to Jamboree
Jamboree to HoHo or Tokyo
Transfer to return airport
Coaches from airport to home (approx. half units)
Additionally units with members from highlands and islands or overseas (BSO, Branches etc.) who
required travel from their main starting point to connect up to their international flights. These
additional travel arrangements took a large amount of planning. For nearly all we arranged their
flights to arrive at least one day earlier than the international flight to Japan and asked the units to
host them, to avoid any issues with travel connections.
IST travel – The planned travel options for the IST, initially were options A‐C below with option D
being added after IST selection events, due to requests from IST members
A. Travel, Tokyo, Jamboree ‐ 745
B. Travel, Jamboree ‐ 18
C. Jamboree only ‐ 70
D. Tokyo and Jamboree ‐ 131
As we started to develop the ideas around the overall offer for the IST we decided to ask the travel
company if they would like to offer optional post event tours to the IST.
Overall the tours proved to be very successful with over 630 members of the IST doing one of them.
The Japanese tours were more expensive, due to the cost of the country but well liked as many
people wanted to see more of Japan. The Beijing Tour was the most popular due to the content of
the tour and the opportunity to visit another country.
Out of interest the numbers of people on the tours were:
Action Tour (including climbing Mount Fuji) ‐ 135
Adventure ‐86
Culture tour ‐ 45.
11

Free time ‐ 30
Beijing ‐198
Dubai ‐ 50
It was made clear to the IST that these were optional tours booked as a private relationship with the
travel company, not as part of the UK contingent offer ‐ however it was apparent that not all IST
understand the relevance of this when making their payments (i.e. if they missed the deadline they
thought it didn’t matter that much) or on the tours expected the UKC to be there to support them.
The various permutations of travel options and optional tours, plus regional airport departures gave
us more than 49 different IST travel groups to manage, not just the bookings for but the flow of
information all the way through. With all these options it was necessary to be very clear about
information provided to the IST from the start and at each stage the options available and stick to
that with no deviations.
There were a total of 254 respondents in relation to the optional tours. Around 60% of these
respondents took part in a tour, with the Beijing Tour being the most popular (24% / 61).
In relation to their overall opinion of the optional tours, 81.6% of respondents appreciated the
opportunity to go onto the tours following the Jamboree. However, the two lowest responses were
that only 39% of the respondents thought that the tour was good value for money, and 49% said
that they enjoyed the tour.
From the survey, the general view of the tours was positive:
Which statements best describe your opinion of the UKC optional tours regardless of whether you
took part? (respondents were asked to pick all that apply)
100
80
60
40
20
0
82
71
I appreciated the I think there was a
opportunity for post good variety of tours
Jamboree Tours with available including
fellow IST different countries
49
I enjoyed my tour,
the activities
available and the
company
39
The tour was good
value for money
(bearing in mind the
relative costs of the
different countries )
52
The tour was a good
way to see the
country and wind
down from the
Jamboree
HoHo travel ‐ Arranging the travel to HoHo was one of the most complicated piece of the jigsaw – as
the CMT member for travel had to arrange a detailed plan for every Unit with each individual
prefecture. This was a challenge not simply due to the language barriers but also due to waiting
times from the prefectures and quality of information provided.
Tokyo Travel (to and from airports). Overall this went very well. All units were transported by coach
or train from the airport to the accommodation. IST arriving at Haneda airport used the train, those
at Narita airport by coach.
One of the biggest challenges in planning was in relation to Japan Rail and confirmation of travel.
This took a disproportionate amount of time and planning. In the end it all worked out OK, although
didn’t always provide the travelling experience we wanted – rushing 300 IST on to one train in 2
12

minutes when they were all exhausted and carrying bags wasn’t what we had planned for
or wanted. The positive of this was that check out from the hotel was smooth which
enabled the CMST team to prepare for the Units arrival just a few hours later.
This was echoed by an IST member in the survey:
“The bullet train was a very stressful experience, and whilst we were prepared for getting on
the train, the experience itself was very nerve racking and stressful leaving several people in
tears and little support on the train to check everyone was all right once on board”.
Some IST members enjoyed travelling en‐masse:
“The memory of travelling from Shinagawa to Hiroshima will stay with me for a long time,
the tension of queuing for the Shinkansen and the thrill of all making it onto the train!”
“Simple straight forward (a LOT of hurry up and wait...& wait...& wait some more) but some
of this was probably unavoidable such as for the bullet train (which was kind of a fun
challenge really!!!) I liked the feeling of "tribe" travelling together and getting to know more
of the IST on route”
On the return journey to Tokyo after the Jamboree units did not have their cargo bags with them as
these had gone the night before in luggage trucks. This worked really well.
Airport assistance
At the airports in Japan we had CMST and Travel Places staff meeting and greeting. This was a really
good idea – both as it was fun for the CMST and nice for the units but also helped to deal with any
travel issues /connections.
In terms of the survey, the overwhelming response from the qualitative feedback from the IST and
the leaders was positive.
“Travel with UKC went swimmingly”
“Very well organised, received more than enough information. It was fantastic!”
“Bullet Train was amazing”
Finally, overall 98% of the respondents we either satisfied or very satisfied by the travel provided by
UK Contingent.
Reading through the survey results it was clear that Units and IST didn’t know where the
responsibilities lie between the UK Contingent, the Jamboree organisers and the travel company (for
additional tours). This is something that we need to make clearer for the next event so contingent
members are aware of what we do and don’t have influence or responsibility over.
Looking to the next event
Bulk buying doesn’t make travel cheaper – sheer quantity meant we didn’t get a discount.
Additionally, there was only a finite number of direct flights to Japan which did inconvenience some
Units and IST members. This may be easier for America. Requesting information from units or IST
was a challenge. There was always somewhere between 10% ‐30% who always missed the deadline.
This caused difficulty in getting travel booked. Overall, contingent managed travel was well received
and should be considered as another element for future events. The additional tours, whilst not
managed by TSA, were generally well received and should be considered, with parameters, for
future events.
13

Tokyo
Experience

Tokyo Experience
The initial idea for the event was based on the Contingent Leader’s vision for the
Jamboree experience which was for a three part experience home hospitality, the Jamboree and a
pre event in Tokyo. Early on it became apparent that due to challenges with number of flights and
availability of HoHo post Jamboree that the contingent would need to be split with half taking part
in the Tokyo experience or HoHo, before and half after the event. Following this, educational
objectives for the Tokyo Experience were produced for agreement from the project
board/operations committee.
The programme for both Units and IST allowed for approximately 50% of the time in the city to be
free to explore. Having this amount of free time allowed the experience to be shaped by the
individuals.
All young people and IST had the opportunity to experience a rich and varied range of cultural
activities through the planned programme where IST had a traditional Sumo meal with
demonstrations, everyone had the opportunity to experience earthquakes on a simulator as well as
explore and view the city from the Sky Tree. The Units also had an evening at Joypolis which show
cased teen fashion, technology and entertainment. Tokyo live allowed all units the opportunity to
experience a range of foods, entertainment and activities that were all traditionally Japanese.
Allowing everyone to purchase their own meals and food in a range of establishments, whilst very
challenging to implement (via the cash wallets), made it easier and more flexible especially for those
with dietary requirements to find food they could consume. The ability to travel on public transport
(underground and bullet trains) allowed young people gain a greater sense of independence with
some units allowing young people to explore in small groups without an adult.
One aspect of the programme that wasn’t as successful as planned was the contingent gathering for
the post Jamboree version of Tokyo Live. Whilst prior to the Jamboree we had used a purpose built
venue which allowed for lighting and sound to be installed there was no availability post event,
therefore the large halls at the National Youth Centre were used. Whilst comparatively the cost was
the same for both events it was felt that the experience was not. From the outset an attempt was
made to make the two events as similar as possible but due to constraints with the venue and
changes as the Jamboree got closer this was not possible. Whilst the majority of the young people
present enjoyed themselves, when looking at the two different experiences through social media
some felt they had missed out.
IST Experience ‐ One new element of the UK Contingent experience was the addition of a pre
Jamboree experience for the IST. This used a similar model to that of the units and allowed the IST
freedom to plan their own programme as well as enjoy some planned programme organised by the
UKC. This allowed the IST to acclimatise and settle in country before starting work on site. It also
added to the IST quality experience. One extra feature of the Tokyo IST experience was the addition
of the Hiroshima visit on the way to the Jamboree, which IST wouldn’t have been able to do at
another point. 876 IST / JPT members selected ISTokyo at an additional cost.
Looking to the survey, most people were satisfied with the range of programmed activities that the
UK Contingent arranged during Tokyo.
Thinking about your Tokyo Experience, please rate the following. (1 is poor, and 4 is excellent)
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1 2 3 4 Responses
The range of activities organised by UK
8.9 %
19.0 %
40.5 %
31.6 %
79
Contingent
7
15
32
25
The range of activities suggested by
16.0 %
24.0 %
44.0 %
16.0 %
75
the UK Contingent
12
18
33
12
Time between activities to move
26.0 %
20.8 %
36.4 %
16.9 %
77
around Tokyo
20
16
28
13
Time to explore by yourself / in your
27.8 %
25.3 %
29.1 %
17.7 %
79
Unit
22
20
23
14
Opportunities to interact with other IST
14.5 %
17.1 %
40.8 %
27.6 %
76
/ Units
11
13
31
21
Looking to the next event
Self‐programmed time was well received and should be considered in future along with money (if
possible) for meals to allow young people to shape their own experience. The use of public
transport was a more efficient way of traveling around such a large location and provided more
independence. If we were to replicate an event twice either make it the same or aim for a very
different event to avoid conflict. The Contingent Management Team needs to manage expectations
clearly in terms of programme and accommodation in advance with Contingent members.
15

HoHo

HoHo
An early meeting (February 2013) was arranged with the Jamboree Organisers and
confirmation received that the whole contingent could be accommodated in Japan, although with
half prior to and half after the Jamboree itself. This information enabled dates to be finalised and
the exact nature of the flights required to be confirmed.
A practice Jamboree was held in Japan in August 2013 and this was used for a number of purposes –
1. To test the organised homestay system and look at paperwork, procedures and practicalities
that would need to be explained to Unit Leaders.
2. To host a reception for each local area that would be arranging our hospitality and allow
good practice to be shared by those who had experience of hosting UK Scouts. Holding a
business card prize draw enabled us to build up a good mailing list of contacts.
3. To distribute translated advertising flyers to each local area (and by UK Scouts to local
groups they met/camped near to) to promote home hospitality and encourage families to
volunteer to host UK Scouts.
Information was provided in plenary and in workshop sessions on three occasions – the two Unit
Leader Weekends and All‐Adults Weekend. In addition a full section was provided in the
electronic Leaders Handbook and handouts were uploaded to the Forum as well as updates
provided in regular Unit Leader Bulletins. As the culture and customs are very different the
information included useful language words and phrases; cultural hints and tips (particularly
around gift‐giving); safety advice on earthquakes and tsunamis; information on food and eating
etiquette; and detailed information on staying in a Japanese home. Sample speeches for formal
receptions were provided and examples of gifts received were shown. Initially this just
described the overall experience; it then provided what training and preparation the Unit should
be carrying out; and finally answered specific questions once actual programmes and
information had been received from the hosts. One “major” gift (an inscribed Quaich, friendship
cup) was provided to each Unit to present to the local organiser. In allocating Units to particular
local areas we built upon existing links – formal town twinning’s; informal Scouting contacts; and
geographical similarities e.g. furthest north UK Unit to furthest north area of Japan. 15 out of
75 Units were paired in this way and in many cases this made their HoHo experience better than
it could have been and opened up funding possibilities through local authorities keen to develop
existing contacts.
Helpful advice on taking formal group photographs quickly; “marching” into formal receptions
shortest to tallest, four abreast so that everyone can be seen; practicing patrol “party pieces”
that can be performed in different locations or altogether to make a longer programme; and
having thank you certificates, extra Unit badges, and some simple foodstuffs that can be used at
welcome parties etc. was outlined in training to help prepare Units so that they gave the best
possible impression of UK Scouting.
The Japanese host families (who are not as used to having overseas guests) found this to be a
wonderful experience and were extremely sad to say goodbye. Many of those who hosted prior
to the Jamboree made the effort to drive for many hours to visit the Jamboree site and meet
those whom they had hosted. Younger siblings had created hand‐written welcome greetings
and families really enjoyed themselves.
In terms of the survey, HoHo was well received:
“The training supplied by the UK team was great. [sic] Hoho was the best experience ‐ but too
short.”
16

Looking to the next event
Due to Japanese working weeks and reduced holidays, this was only possible to be an
overnight experience. For future events HoHo should be for as long as is possible to allow for the
most intercultural learning. As much responsibility should be passed across to Unit Leaders as
possible so that they benefit from “learning by doing” and have the ability to replicate the
experience themselves. All four leaders in the Unit should have a Nights Away Permit so that they
fully understand what being responsible for young people in a residential experience involves.
17

Communications

Communications
Communications was a diverse area of the Jamboree project with interdependencies across all other
project areas and other HQ departments, most notably the HQ media team. For the first time a
specialist team was recruited to support communications and it was the passion and dedication of
this team working in real partnership with HQ staff that made this area a success. The life of the
communications strand for the Jamboree can be divided into the following areas, each considered in
detail below:
a. Communications Team
b. Communications Planning
c. Brand and Visual Identity
d. Contingent Communications
e. Digital & Social Media
f. Join in Jamboree (Japan in a Box)
g. Media including Unit Communications Champions, Young Spokespeople, Young
Correspondents
Constructing a communications strategy and plan for an event as large and complex as the jamboree
was a considerable challenge due to the range of audiences, the variety of their interests and the
numerous channels that could be used to engage them. There is also a tension between the need to
innovate in the use of new channels and the overhead required to manage these. This would have
not been successful without support from staff and volunteer mentors who were communications
experts.
The communications plan for the jamboree was complex and fast paced. An online google document
was used to manage this which very successful and should be repeated although the overhead
associated with managing the communications plan and collecting all the inputs needed should not
be underestimated.
The official channels of communication between the CMT and the contingent were carefully
managed to ensure information was distributed as effectively as possible and enquiries were
answered efficiently. These communication methods are summarised in Table 1 below.
A conscious decision was taken not to use social media to distribute ‘official’ information wherever
possible. This was sometimes challenging to maintain, particularly on site where the pace of events
moved very quickly.
Method Used For Unit IST/ Other
Leaders JPT
E‐mail
UK Contingent (uk.contingent.scouts.org.uk) Distributing Newsletters and Yes Yes Yes
Official communications.
IST Communications
Answering IST/ JPT Queries No Yes No
(ist.communications@scouts.org.uk)
Handbooks
Unit Leader Handbook
Providing information at start of Yes No No
event planning
Participant Handbook & Countdown On Event Diary/ Reflection Yes No Yes
Calendar
IST Handbook & Countdown Calendar On Event Diary/ Reflection No Yes No
Newsletters
18

Unit Leader Newsletter
IST Newsletter
Facebook Groups
UK Contingent
IST/ JPT
Forum
Unit Leaders
Providing Updated Information
to Unit Leaders
Providing Updated Information
to IST/ JPT
Answering questions from a
variety of audiences
Answering questions from IST/
JPT
Sharing documents, answering
questions
Yes No No
No Yes No
Yes Yes Yes
No Yes No
Yes No No
Early on in the project it was identified that Unit Leaders needed support in being able to
communicate effectively with their parents and supporters and they could in turn support the
overall Jamboree media profile by generating on brand content. To support this objective each Unit
was asked to appoint a communications champion. To support these leaders online webinar based
training was provided as well as a 2 day residential course, run concurrently with the Scouts Speak
Up Training.
As with previous events three Scouts Speak Up (Young Spokespeople) training events were run with
3 places offered per unit. Take up for these events was high as they were valuable for the
participants. These should be repeated for future events.
Overall the Jamboree generated 1009 unique pieces of media coverage reaching over 30 million
people in the UK.
An effective digital and social media presence was essential to engage parents, supporters,
contingent members and the wider movement. In the early stages of a project it was difficult to
refine the exact channels the contingent would use as the team felt a strong need to be innovative in
this area. In the end it was practical management that limited the channel selection to Twitter and
Facebook. These were effectively managed using Hootsuite to schedule content, particularly around
large events such as Unit Leader weekends. The use of social media for the UK Contingent was
highly received by the respondents:
Overall, how important do you think the use of social media has been before, during, and after the
Jamboree?
Before the
Jamboree
During the
Jamboree
After the
Jamboree
Very important 54%
41%
35%
275
203
171
19

Important 29%
28%
31%
146
138
150
Somewhat important 13%
19%
26%
68
93
127
Not important at all 4%
13%
8%
21
67
38
The contingent’s web presence was fraught with difficulty during this project, caused primarily by
the difficulties of moving TSA’s web presence to a new design and content management system. This
stalled the jamboree website and made it difficult to use. When it became clear that this would not
deliver before the jamboree this team designed an effective word press based solution
(ukcontingent.co.uk). Whilst the site was effective and well‐built it came too late in the project to
engage a large user base effectively. Not having a central place for IST bulletins was challenging and
this was echoed by an IST member;
“…it would have been useful to have just one website that bulletins etc. could be posted to
so that all the information was in one place instead of the dozens of e‐mails with even more
attachments which, when it came to finding you know you had read somewhere, involved
trawling through previous correspondence. A search facility on a web page would have been
much easier.”
Interestingly, there was a difference in what the respondents thought was the best single source of
information which was of benefit to the UK Contingent.
“…the best communication was the bulletins as can refer back to them”
“I was able to get all the information that I needed from the emails that our unit leaders sent
out”
“…I found that the use of social media was very important during the lead up to the
Jamboree as it helped me really get into the spirit of the Jamboree”.
In terms of the survey, the IST stated that they found the bulletins useful or very useful (42.7% /
111). Similarly, there were 75 Unit Leaders who responded in relation to usefulness of the bulletin,
and 48% (36) found the bulletins very useful, and 37% (28) found them useful.
The challenge on event was that there wasn’t a strong wifi connection which was difficult for some
IST members. For Units, the issuing of the dongles was universally well received:
20

“Whoever came up with the idea to use the Dongles should be highly
commended. Fantastic tool that was used as much as we could to inform all at
home what was happening. The site Wi‐Fi was handy but not consistently
available”
For the IST there was a general concern regarding lack of information on event from the organisers.
This is something that we will feed back to WOSM for the 2019 event.
21

Join in
Jamboree
(Japan in a Box)
Photos from @cambswsj and
@golddiggers2015

Join in Jamboree (Japan in a Box)
The Japan in a Box Join in Jamboree resource was one of the flagship deliveries of the jamboree
project. Rather than distributing a paper based resource with Scouting Magazine a box of equipment
and activities were distributed to each Jamboree Unit. Local groups could then sign up to express an
interest in a unit visiting to deliver a Japan in a Box programme. The paper resources from the box
were also made available on programmes on line. This resource couldn’t have been developed
without the significant input of staff members. This input could have been planned further in
advance.
On average the programme had excellent take up across the UK. Over 1000 requests were made for
the Japan in a Box through the sign up form and anecdotal evidence indicated that at least another
1500 visits were made by units across the country. Some Unit Leaders refused to engage with the
programme at all meaning complete counties missed the opportunity to have Japan in a Box sessions
run for them. In hindsight this issue should have been escalated to the line managers of the leaders
concerned.
An important secondary product of this initiative was to support the Unit Members with materials
they could use to make presentations about the Jamboree. Feedback from Unit Leaders and
participants indicate that this was successful.
Looking to the next event
The challenge with on event communications is possibly bespoke to Japan. We know that the site
for the 2019 event has access to Wi‐Fi so participants and IST will be able to access the internet
more freely. Additionally, we will feed back regarding more notice boards around the site.
We think the Join in Jamboree resource this year was well received and, based on the positive
feedback, would look for a similar model for 2019. The training for participants and Unit Leaders
(Comms Champions) worked very well and there was a spike in good quality news stories appearing
about the Jamboree.
Technology at TSA should be improved to enable better quality communications to be shared with
contingent members and consideration for an online repository. This is outside of the control of the
contingent but will be proposed to TSA HQ. However, it was also noted that respondents to the
survey favoured varied communication channels, there isn’t a one size fits all approach for
communications.
22

Unit Support

Unit Support
The UK was originally allocated 68 units to attend the Jamboree. We allocated patrols to
Counties based upon their share of 14‐18 years olds taken from the 2013 census data during March
2013. This was done such that there were complete units within each Country/region. This also took
in to account the location of where the Guide patrols would be coming from in order to make sure
that they were located together. We then asked the Counties to formerly accept and underwrite the
cost of the patrols that we had allocated to them or accept a lower number. We were later
allocated a further 7 units by the organisers. We then went through a process of trying to complete
units from single counties where possible, whilst being mindful of any leadership teams that had
already formed.
In April 2013 we issued guidance to all Counties to select the leaders for the patrols. We decided
that we would also introduce an official role of Deputy Unit Leader., This was to try to prevent over
reliance on a single unit leader given the jamboree we were expecting. The role of Unit Leader is a
County appointment and Counties ran their own selection. We provided a detailed pack on our
preferred selection criteria.
One of the areas where we can continue to learn is around the selection of adults. The selection
process still gave rise to Unit Leaders who did not meet the level of experience, knowledge or skills
that we would expect. There are some further thoughts required round the criteria for unit leaders.
We would suggest looking for leaders that can always adopt a positive mind set, are very flexible and
capable of adapting to the situations that they find themselves in, additionally, there should be some
experience of World Scout Jamborees or similar events in order to reduce the burden placed on the
support structure and in particular the staff at TSA. It was noticeable that where there was a lack of
experience the level of additional support was significantly higher and more than would be
sustainable if too many units adopted this approach.
It is important the leaders are able to be self‐sufficient and look after the needs of the young people
in their care. This is a very important message that needs to be reiterated throughout the selection
and training process. Additional strain was put on the contingent team where leaders were not able
to take the majority of responsibility for looking after the welfare of the unit. We saw a number of
instances where a leader’s negative attitude was adopted by young people, where it would have
been possible to make the situation a positive experience for the young people. These instances
were a minority and the majority of the unit leaders were excellent in carrying out their duties and a
credit to the association.
From the survey we know that the respondents for the selection of UL and AULs went through a
similar process, using interviews, tasks, and application forms as tools to select. The number of UL
and AUL selected from activities involving young people was slightly lower at 19 respondents (70%).
Given the large time that the UL and AUL would spend camping, only 33% of respondents were
selected following a residential component to their selection. For the participants and the Units,
64% of the respondents (55) were selected by both their District and their County. Similarly to the
adults, an application form, an interview, and tasks with other applications were the three
components used to select the participants for their units. Again, given the large residential
component of a jamboree, only 44% (38) of respondents were selected based on a residential
(overnight) component.
In the build up to the event we ran three training events for the Unit Leaders. This comprised two
training events in November 2013 and November 2014 which were held in Warwick University and
the all adult weekend in May 2015 held at Gilwell Park. These worked well and there was plenty of
content to fill the weekends.
23

A very comprehensive Unit Leader handbook was also prepared. This was the largest to
be prepared and had a lot of content that was specific to the culture and customs to be
ready for in Japan. This was a fantastic source of information for unit leaders. However
the electronic delivery was not as well used as we had hoped. This was designed to make it easier to
pass out updated information, and be more environmentally friendly but was not utilised in Japan.
The CST assigned as Unit Support members were allocated to support units based on their locality as
far as possible. They visited events and communicated regularly with the unit leaders. It is important
to encourage CST to make sure that they get to know and support all members of the leadership
team and the young people as well as the Unit Leader.
On event the office was very active offering leaders a place for respite in the shade or where
necessary the air conditioning. This focal point was very important so that people knew where to
come where they could find help 24 hours a day. All units were requested to be visited on a daily
basis by their CST support. On event CST Unit Support could have made more use of their respective
back up members to ensure all units got required levels of attention even when they were called
away to help with a particular issue or on their day off.
We were required to parachute leaders in to help with either particular young people, or to fill in for
unit leaders who were unable to fulfil duties. Where possible we also tried to utilise IST members to
help in these areas. The IST were a fantastic support to the contingent in this way. We reaped the
rewards of having encouraged strong links with the IST and the units in the build up to the event in
this respect.
In addition to this all members of the CMT took time out to visit units. This was always appreciated
and should be encouraged. Another positive of this was that the CMT feedback of these was that
they were among their best jamboree moments.
From the survey, the overall helpfulness of the CST over the course of Jamboree was answered by
424 respondents, and more than 75% (322) respondents felt that the CST were either helpful or very
helpful.
“CST did a great jobs and well done to all”
“I don't see what all the negative hype was about. I had a wonderful time.”
“Compared to Sweden, they were infinity [sic] better. IST felt like they were part of the UKC
and that we mattered…. Japan CST/CMT did so much, be that organising the
Tokyo/Hiroshima stuff, tents, mats, chairs, and POCARI SWEAT!!! It made the Japan WSJ
experience a much better Jamboree than previous ones”
However, some respondents felt that on event the support of the CST was stretched:
“Pre‐camp information was excellent but I feel the team were stretched too far at the
Jamboree. It would have been nice to see CST team around the Jamboree”.
Looking forward to the next event
More involvement from local line manager and a local TA to support the training of the ULs. The
“backup” unit support person was a good system and was utilised on event to good effect. More
should be done in the build up to make sure those relationships are established. Regular written
24

communications are valued and provide a fast way of disseminating information at critical
times. Having a Unit Leader who is the main point of contact with the contingent makes
the communication channels work more efficiently. Daily visits to units on event enabled
us to identify issues quickly, react to them and prevent them escalating. Using IST to back fill leaders
who were incapacitated was very useful in not overstretching the team and providing appropriate
support.
Undertaking and then feeding back on a local review would be useful way of implementing more
improvements in the future. In addition we would recommend that a local review is undertaken of
the units Jamboree experience. This should be extensive and cover finance, disclosures,
communication, how they spread the word more widely to the moment, relationship with CMST,
media coverage, leader selection, young person selection, etc.
25

Finance

Finance
The fee for participants and Unit Leaders was £2,850 pp, for IST A £2,550 pp, IST B £2,250
pp, IST C was £1,025 pp and for IST D was £1,415 pp.
The UK Contingent also fully funded three solidarity patrols from Botswana, Bhutan and one
composite patrol from across Eastern Europe. The UK Contingent also subsidised some Branches to
attend the Jamboree.
The counties paid the Finance team through invoices who then passed on the money to Travel
Places. County payments were made promptly and there are no debtors to the Contingent from this
process.
CMST and IST / JPT paid the Contingent via WorldPay using the payment portal through Eventsforce.
This system was highly effective and enabled swift payment and reconciliation. Some contingent
members paid via cheques which isn’t immediately compatible with Eventsforce but these payments
could be manually updated. This was a laborious process and should be discouraged for future
events. There was consistently between 10% and 15% of IST/JPT members who refused to make
payments each tranche. This was a time consuming process of calling / emailing and even using
social media to contact and encourage people to make payment. It is unclear why some members
were reticent to make payment as the payment schedule was released at the IST selection event so
members were aware of the financial commitment prior to joining the contingent. Furthermore,
less than 2% of the consistent late payers applied for the Hardship Fund so finances were not the
barrier to making payment.
The Hardship Fund was means tested which meant that those most in need had access to funds.
This worked well and gave those in need of financial support the assistance and support required.
There were two waves of funding, the first in May/June 2014 and the second in November/
December 2014. This gave people whose personal circumstances had changed an opportunity to
apply. Hardship Fund grants were awarded to 53 people in June 2014 with a total amount of £9,750.
The second wave was awarded to 106 people in December 2014 with a total amount of £19,650.
The Contingent was also supported by Adam’s Fund. Adam, an IST member walked from Land’s End
to John O’Groats, a total of 1,492 miles in 79 non‐stop days and raised a total of £10,316.
The Contingent Management Team were able to make two reductions in fees, the first was
identified for IST members. This was due to us bringing in additional IST members (700 extra) and
the reduction in flat costs as spread across more members.
The second reduction was due to the Contingent hedging the yen at a favourable time and the costs
of the flights coming in cheaper than budgeted.
The reductions were mostly met with positivity, particularly easing financial burdens. However,
there was some anger from Option C and D people who felt that the fee should have been reduced
equally across all IST rather than based on identifying where the savings were made and making the
reductions based on that.
From the survey, most respondents were satisfied with the fee for the Jamboree:
Thinking about the total cost of your Jamboree experience, how would you rate the value for
money? N.B. Value for money in this case does not mean "cheap", but mean the "overall quality" of
the product.
26

Poor
value
4%
Satisfacto
ry value
18%
Good
value
49%
Very
good
value
29%
Value Percent Count
Very good value 29.1% 125
Good value 48.6% 209
Satisfactory value 18.1% 78
Poor value 4.2% 18
Total 430
The total income for the UK Contingent is £10,768,649. The total expenditure is £10,546,238. The
final surplus will be reduced for irrecoverable VAT which is currently being calculated.
In accordance with the agreed formula, the final surplus will be allocated in the following way:
20% to The Scout Association for taking the project risk.
40% to the Hardship Fund for future international events.
40% towards supporting Solidarity projects.
The expenditure was as follows:
Expenditure
Amount
All travel £5,858,230
Event fees to organisers £2,187,539
Programmed activity & food for travel days £997,936
Kit, equipment and transport costs £709,687
Insurance £281,658
Salary costs £144,936
Unit Leader and IST training events £121,732
Solidarity support £66,722
Communications, marketing and promotions (inc Japan in a Box) £65,541
Selection events, meetings, Unit visits and overseas preparation visits £65,077
On event operational costs £47,180
The percentage of expenditure is:
27

3%
1%
1% 1% 1% 1% 0%
7%
9%
21%
55%
All travel
Event fees to organisers
Programmed activity & food for travel days
Kit, equipment and transport costs
Insurance
Salary costs
Unit Leader and IST training events
Solidarity support
Communications, marketing and promotions (inc Japan in a Box)
Selection events, meetings, Unit visits and overseas preparation visits
On event operational costs
Looking forward to the next event
The counties paying invoices to HQ worked very well and should be continued for the 2019 event.
The Hardship Fund grants being means tested should be continued to ensure we always provide the
best support possible to those in financial need.
One of the biggest challenges from the 2015 event was IST payments and consideration should be
made for sanctions and even removal of non‐compliant IST members from the Contingent.
Alternatively, Counties could be asked to underwrite the IST payments also so all contingent
payments are consolidated which would make processing payments at HQ much swifter.
28

Summary

Summary
In all, the UK Contingent for the 23rd World Scout Jamboree was a success. In the main,
the majority of the respondents thoroughly enjoyed the Jamboree experience. There have been
some challenges and learning points that need to be addressed for future events such as kit,
communications, technology and individual payments. The purpose of this report is to look at how
we can continue to strive to improve, flex and adapt to meet the needs of the contingent and the
ever changing world. We know that there are some issues that we faced in Japan that won’t be
apparent in America but we also understand other challenges will be presented.
Looking to the survey, we see that both the role of Unit Leader and IST were enjoyable:
Would you recommend applying to be a Unit Leader / Assistant Unit Leader to a friend?
No
4%
Yes
96%
Value Percent Count
Yes 95.8% 68
No 4.2% 3
Total 71
Would you recommend the IST / JPT experience to a friend?
No
4%
Yes
96%
Value Percent Count
Yes 96.4% 241
No 3.6% 9
Total 250
Would you recommend applying to be a participant to a younger Scout / Guide?
No
1%
Yes
99%
Value Percent Count
Yes 99.0% 101
No 1.0% 1
Total 102
29

Do you think will be involved in another international event in the near future?
80
70
60
50
40
70
59
30
20
23
18
10
5
3
0
Yes, Roverway
2016
Yes, Moot 2017 Yes, 24th WSJ
2019
Yes, other
international
opportunity
I'm not sure yet
No
30