on these cultural interactions and loving it.”
On Friday, July 26, all activities at the summit were closed
for a day-long cultural celebration. The Scouts were encouraged
to share elements from home—food, music, dance, costumes,
stories and games—with each other.
“The cultural day was the most popular activity according
to our survey of the Scouts,” says Walsh. “That is what they
enjoyed more than anything else—being able to interact with
fellow Scouts from around the world, taste their food, see
their dances and clothing and learn about and experience
their cultures.”
The cultural day culminated with a stadium show featuring
a parade of nations singing native songs and displaying the
flags of their home countries.
“There was a huge group from Mexico hiking, and a Scout in
front was playing a guitar. They were singing ‘Country Roads’
in Spanish. Just seeing them love West Virginia was incredibly
beautiful,” says Corio. “Every time they hear ‘Country Roads’
back in their home countries, they are going to think of West
Virginia and their experience at the world jamboree.”
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The Scouts stayed connected at the jamboree and beyond
with Novus, pre-programmed, Bluetooth-enabled wristbands
that clicked together, allowing the Scouts to exchange emails
and social media handles.
“We had competitions about who could trade the most
contacts,” says Walsh. “They were also used to check in at
various activities. At the stadium shows, we would light wrist-
bands up by country. They turned out to be not only pretty
popular but more durable than we expected.”
The more than 10,000 adult volunteers and unit leaders
also got the chance to experience West Virginia beyond the
summit. This world jamboree was the first to offer experiences
for unit leaders on their days off, from golfing and shopping to
hiking and whitewater rafting in Raleigh and Fayette counties.
“This was the first time we were able to offer bus tours out
into the local community for the leaders on their days off. It was
very popular,” says Walsh. “They would leave in the morning
and come back in the late afternoon. We got the adults out of
the camp and helped support the local communities around
the summit.”