National Scout jamboree (Scouting America)
The National Scout Jamboree is a gathering, or jamboree, of thousands of members of Scouting America, usually held every four years and organized by the National Council of Scouting America. Referred to as "the Jamboree", "Jambo", or NSJ, Scouts from all over the nation and world have the opportunity to attend. There is also an event called World Scout Jamboree which is the same concept but instead of national it is international. They are considered to be one of several unique experiences that Scouting America offers. The first National Jamboree was scheduled to be held in 1935 in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Scouting, but was delayed two years after being cancelled due to a polio outbreak. The 1937 Jamboree in Washington attracted 25,000 Scouts, who camped around the Washington Monument and Tidal Basin. The event was covered extensively by national media and attended by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Following the disruption from 1938-1945 of World War II, the next National Jamboree was not held until 1950 in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Subsequent National Jamborees have been held around the country as a means to promoting Scouting nationally. From 1981 to 2010, the National Jamboree was located in Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia. Since 2013, National Jamborees are permanently held at Summit Bechtel Reserve in Mount Hope, West Virginia.
A National Jamboree is held for approximately a week and a half and offers many activities for youth participants and the 300,000 members of the general public who visit it. Staff members generally arrive several days in advance, and depart several days after participants leave, depending on their assignments. Subcamp staff stay in the subcamps with the troops, while most other staff stay in a staff camp.
First National Jamboree
The first National Jamboree was held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. from June 30 to July 9, 1937. It was attended by 25,000 Scouts. It set the stage for future National Jamborees.Celebrities visited the National Jamboree, including well-known broadcaster Lowell Thomas and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. While at the National Jamboree, Scouts also attended a three-game baseball series between the Washington Senators and the Boston Red Sox at Griffith Stadium, as well as toured nearby Mount Vernon.
List of Jamborees
The National Scout Jamborees have been held at a number of different locations.| Year | Location | Theme/Notes | Dates | Attendance |
| Washington, D.C. | BSA Silver Jubilee | Cancelled due to a polio epidemic. | ||
| 1937 | Washington, D.C. | BSA Silver Jubilee | – | 27238 |
| 1950 | Valley Forge, Pennsylvania | "Strengthen Liberty" | – | 47163 |
| 1953 | Irvine Ranch, California | "Forward on Liberty's Team" Area now called Newport Center and Fashion Island Jamboree Road built for the event | – | 45401 |
| 1957 | Valley Forge, Pennsylvania | "Onward For God And My Country" | – | 52580 |
| 1960 | Colorado Springs, Colorado | "For God and Country" BSA Golden Jubilee | – | 56377 |
| 1964 | Valley Forge, Pennsylvania | "Strengthen America's Heritage" | – | 50960 |
| 1969 | Farragut State Park, Idaho | "Building to Serve" | – | 34251 |
| 1973 | Farragut State Park, Idaho | "Growing Together" | – | 73610 |
| 1973 | Moraine State Park, Pennsylvania | "Growing Together" | – | 73610 |
| 1977 | Moraine State Park, Pennsylvania | "Forward Together/Scouting USA" | – | 28601 |
| 1981 | Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia | "Scouting's Reunion with History" | – | 29765 |
| 1985 | Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia | "The Spirit Lives On" BSA Diamond Jubilee | – | 32615 |
| 1989 | Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia | "The Adventure Begins...With America's Youth" | – | 32717 |
| 1993 | Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia | "Scouting...A bridge to the Future" | 4 8 1993– | 34449 |
| 1997 | Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia | "Character Counts...Be Prepared for the 21st century" | – | 36015 |
| 2001 | Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia | "Strong Values, Strong Leaders...Character Counts" | – | 42002 |
| 2005 | Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia | "Character Not Only Counts, It Multiplies" | – | 43307 |
| 2010 | Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia | "Celebrating the Adventure, Continuing the Journey" | – | 43434 |
| 2013 | Summit Bechtel Reserve, West Virginia | "Go Big. Get Wild." | – | 40795 |
| 2017 | Summit Bechtel Reserve, West Virginia | "Live Scouting's Adventure" | – | 31000 |
| Summit Bechtel Reserve, West Virginia | "Face the Challenge" | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | ||
| 2023 | Summit Bechtel Reserve, West Virginia | "Forward" | – | 15700 |
| 2026 | Summit Bechtel Reserve, West Virginia | "Elevate" | – |
Organization
Like the Boy Scouts of America's national organization, the National Jamborees were originally divided into regions—Western, Central, Southern, and Northeast. Each region was made up of five to six subcamps, with twenty in all. Each subcamp has its own latrines, shower facilities, food commissaries. Each subcamp contains a number of troops, identified by a three or four digit number depending on the location of the subcamp within the encampment.The 2005 National Scout Jamboree had 20 subcamps, identified by number and named after famous explorers
Effective with the 2013 National Jamboree, subcamps are not operated by the regions, but by sub camps that contain contingents from different parts of the country. Separate subcamps are also maintained for adult staff, Venturers, and international contingents.
Troops and Contingents
Attending the National Jamboree is an intensive and expensive process. Considering the logistics of having thousands of youth and their leaders concentrated in one area at one time, the National Council coordinates the entire National Jamboree process. A normal troop or crew cannot petition to attend the Jamboree as participants, instead, the local council establishes a National Jamboree committee which is charged with promoting and facilitating the experience to their members. Local council committees typically have volunteer members responsible for finance, fundraising, training, recruitment, transportation, touring while en route to the Jamboree site, and other functions where appropriate.To attend the National Jamboree, a Scout must be a currently registered member of Scouting America in a Scouts BSA troop, Venturing Crew, or Sea Scout Ship. If attending as a member of Scouts BSA, a Scout must be at least 12 years of age and no older than 17 years of age. If attending as a member of a Venturing Crew or Sea Scout Ship, a Scout must be at least 13 years old and have completed the eighth grade or is age 14 and not yet 21 years of age.
To attend the National Jamboree as a contingent adult leader, an adult must be a currently registered member of Scouting America and no less than 21 years of age.
Youth members sign up for the National Jamboree through an application process and each Scout is assigned to a National Jamboree troop. Large councils are granted multiple National Jamboree troops. After being assigned a National Jamboree troop, members are given their troop numbers, a participant's patch for wear on the Scout's field uniform, and the council's National Jamboree shoulder patch. Training and preparation for the National Jamboree often begins more than a year before the actual National Jamboree begins.
Staff
Youth and adult volunteer and professional Scouters provide a number of services to the National Jamboree by being on staff. Additionally, when the National Jamboree was at Fort A.P. Hill, members of the military and government services also assisted with providing services to the National Jamboree. National Jamboree staff are given special tokens of their service, plus many of the different staff groups have special patches or pins that are sought after by youth and adult participants. In addition to the staff that provide services in subcamps and at the activity centers, many other staff members work in areas that serve the entire National Jamboree. Staff members arrive a number of days before the National Jamboree begins and usually depart on the same day or a few days later.The Summit
The BSA announced in June 2008 that locales interested in permanently hosting the National Jamboree should submit applications to the National Council. Permanent jamboree site considerations included to be donated or leased for 100 years, water, natural beauty, transportation, ability to also host World Jamborees, and use as a high adventure/training center in non-jamboree years.Goshen Scout Reservation in Virginia was selected for the new site in February 2009,
but was withdrawn due to significant restrictions on land utilization and local community opposition.
The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve in the New River Gorge region was chosen as the new home of the National Scout Jamboree in November 2009. The purchase of the property was made possible by a $50 million gift from the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation. Other donations, including a $25 million donation from The Suzanne and Walter Scott Foundation and a gift of an undisclosed amount from Mike and Gillian Goodrich, as well as other donations, have brought the total amount of contributions for The Summit to over $100 million in under one year. A portion of the property is a reclaimed mine site once known as Garden Grounds. It is located along the New River Gorge National River near Mount Hope, West Virginia and north of Beckley, West Virginia.
Early announcements from The Summit team at the 2010 National Scout Jamboree, and subsequently on Facebook announced that Venturing would be a part of the National Jamboree, not just as staff, but as participants. This marked the first appearance of Venturing at a National Jamboree, and the first attempt to expand the program to include the senior Scouting program of the BSA since the attempted inclusion of Exploring at the 1989 National Jamboree.