National Scout Jamboree Bulletins

September 2008 Bulletin- Registration

Things are really picking up for our 100th Anniversary Jamboree. Approximately 45,000 Scouts, leaders, and staff from all 50 states, territories, and some foreign countries will have the opportunity to live, work, and play together in an atmosphere of Scouting fellowship at the 2010 National Scout Jamboree, July 26–Aug. 4, 2010. Council contingents will arrive on Monday, July 26, 2010, and will depart on Wednesday, Aug. 4. The setting for the jamboree is Fort A.P. Hill, near Bowling Green, Va. This is a historic area near Washington, D.C. Other nearby cities are Williamsburg, Yorktown, Jamestown, Richmond, and Fredericksburg, Va.

Information and registration instructions are on the jamboree Web site, www.bsajamboree.org. There is a lot of information on the Web site, including Scout and leader qualifications, how to sign up, a promotional video, a map of the jamboree, and our famous jamboree countdown clock!

Online registrations now number more than 12,000, including staff and leaders. More than 6,000 youth participants have applied and have been approved by local councils. Registration issues have been resolved with the approval process running smoothly.

The biggest issue with the jamboree application process is the way the MyScouting accounts are being created. As it states on the log-in page of MyScouting, all jamboree applications must be submitted from the account of a parent or guardian. (MyScouting accounts can be created by parents/guardians even if they are not registered with the BSA.) Some accounts are mistakenly being created with the youth’s BSA member ID number in the profile. This will result in an “invalid member ID number” error.
Contact your local council for contingent information, travel plans, and fees. If you are interested in serving as one of the 8,100 staff members, go to MyScouting.org and create an account (if you don’t already have one) and follow the registration procedures listed below.
Adults (volunteers) registering to serve on staff: Download Instructions

November 2008 Bulletin- Jamboree Tours

Most council contingents take time to visit areas close to Fort A.P. Hill when attending national Scout jamborees. Popular visiting sites have been Washington, D.C.; New York City; Williamsburg, Va. to visit the Jamestown Settlement; and various Revolutionary and Civil War battlefields. The United States Military Academy at West Point and the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis are also popular sites.

In the Transportation and Tour Guide available to councils on MyBSA, there are many details on contingent visits, including address and contact information for Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Virginia, New York, Maryland, and other convention and visitor bureaus as well as the Federal Tourist Center at Independence National Historical Park. In the guide, there is also information about inexpensive overnight accommodations at military instillations and colleges and universities. To access the guide, log into MyBSA, go to Resources> Jamboree Division> Transportation & Tour Guide 2010. This guide will help a great deal in developing your tour.

Most councils have already planned and budgeted several days to make these visits, but perhaps have not fully planned their itineraries. Often, this is the only opportunity many of the Scouts will have to visit the United States Capitol and their congressman’s and/or senator’s office. Many members of Congress like to meet Scouts and their leaders, and will often arrange tours of the Capitol.

The White House is always a popular visit. Public tours of the White House are available for groups of 10 or more people. Requests must be submitted through one's congressional representative and are accepted up to six months in advance. These self-guided tours are available from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday (excluding federal holidays), and are scheduled on a first come, first served basis approximately one month in advance of the requested date. We encourage you to submit your request as early as possible since a limited number of tours are available. All White House tours are free of charge. For the most current tour information, call the 24-hour line at 202-456-7041. Please note that White House tours may be subject to last-minute cancellation.

A great resource to help plan your Washington, D.C., visit is the U.S. House of Representatives Web site. It contains useful information and links to popular tourist sites in the city. Click Here.

Other Web sites that may help in planning for the 2010 National Scout Jamboree are:
United States Military Academy at West Point: Click Here.
United States Naval Academy: Click Here.
Williamsburg, Virginia: Click Here.
The official tourism site for Washington, DC: Click Here.

Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Junior Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 1616