I'm just doing the job

One of the invisible jobs at the Jamboree that are noticed only when they aren’t done, is cleaning the toilets and showers. British Donna Doner is a Shift Leader for the team cleaning toilets and showers in the adult camping area. She had applied especially for this job: "I think that it's a really important job and therefore I applied for it. Though I'm their leader I'm working here like one of them." she said with a rag in one hand and a brush in the other.

Bog Squad

Arturo Loza from Bolivia is one of the hard-working members of Donna's team. "I think there are only few who are coming to the Jamboree for cleaning the loos, but I don't complain. This job needs to be done by someone anyway," he said.The cleaning is done by two eight hour shifts a day and each team has certain toilets and showers to be responsible for. "If we are finished earlier than in eight hours, we'll leave then", Arturo continued. In addition to work the team is of course having a lot of fun together and has their own special humour. One sign of this is their name "Bog Squad". The team has decorated its buggy with full-blown vinyl gloves and written its name on those "balloons" on the buggy's roof.

Difficulties along the way

In the beginning of the Jamboree rainy weather and muddy ground were adding extra mess to toilets and showers. Now the teams are facing a different problem, people that are assigned to them but aren't showing up for their shifts. As the job still needs to be done, the others must work even harder.

Also cultural differences in toilet and shower behaviour are complicating teams' work. Donna gives an example that in some cultures people are used to putting the paper into trash instead of into the pan and they have to be advised to act differently. Washing shoes in showers will sooner or later block the drains with mud and grass. Showers must then be closed and that of course lengthens the queues in busy hours.

Luckily the cleaning teams are now receiving support from volunteers from other teams and contingents. "This isn't exciting and I'm not enjoying this but if I had to do it again I would absolutely do it," said Andy Harris who was spending his day off among the members of the UK contingent helping "Bog Squad", yesterday morning.

Thankful to all of them

Donna keeps praising her team as well as all those who have been helping them, "People in my team are amazing, I cannot thank them enough! They are doing this hard job under a great pressure without any complaints," she rejoiced. Donna was glad that others have also noticed their work and are thanking the team when passing by.Why couldn't we all do our part of the job for the "Bog Squad". Let's put paper into pans and walk with muddy shoes. When ever you feel that you could give a hand to the cleaning team, don't hesitate to join them even for only a short moment!

World Press on Scouting's Sunrise

A new century dawns
From the Sydney Opera House to the peak of Mont Blanc, Scouts around the world have been gathering to celebrate Scouting’s one hundred years of fun and friendship.

With over 28 million Scouts around the world renewing their Promise at 8am local time, Scouting’s Sunrise is biggest and most significant expression of peace and unity the world has ever witnessed. It is the perfect opportunity to look to the past, present and, most importantly, the future of Scouting. Happy Scouting Sunrise!
(Scout Association)

Boy Scouts honor founding with ceremony
Wednesday marked the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts.
On Aug. 1, 1907, Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the movement, blew a Kudu horn at 8 a.m. to begin an experimental camp for 20 boys on Brownsea Island off the coast of England.
Wednesday morning, Scouts all over the world replicated the beginning of that movement by blowing the Kudu horn. The group of 10 atop Mill Mountain included Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Eagle Scouts from the Roanoke Valley.
(Roanoke.com - US)

President urges to obey Scout promise
The President and Chief Scout yesterday called on the Maldivian Scouts to obey the Scout promise and Law and to maintain the spirit. He made the statement in his speech at the function held this morning at the Official Ground to renew the Scout promise on the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the World Scout Movement. (Jesus - Germany)

Centenary Scouts go back to where it all began - breakfast on Brownsea
As 28 million members of the Scout Association marked the movement’s centenary, a representative contingent from all over the world celebrated on the island where it began.
(Times Online - UK)

Scouts across the world mark 100 years of trooping
Millions of Scouts will today renew their pledges to celebrate 100 years of the movement at events held at sunrise around the world.

Around 40,000 Scouts in the UK are expected to take part in sunrise events, reaffirming their promise to build a tolerant and peaceful society.
(The Herald - UK)

Still prepared after 100 years
The World Organisation of the Scout Movement marks its first centenary and heralds the start of the second century of its existence with a “scouting sunrise” today. Members of the Scouting Association of Malta gathered on the Granaries, in Floriana, in the early evening yesterday and remained there overnight to renew their scout promise at eight this morning together with the rest of the World Movement.
(Delfi – Lithuania)

Scouts in centenary celebrations
Millions of scouts around the world have renewed their promises in ceremonies to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the movement’s founding.

Brownsea Island, in Poole Harbour, Dorset, where the first camp for 20 boys was held by Robert Baden-Powell in 1907, is the focus of celebrations.

Some 300 scouts from 160 countries have set up camp at the National Trust site. Some 40,000 scouts and leaders from across the world are also at a 12-day jamboree near Chelmsford, in Essex. The Hylands Park event, opened on Saturday by Prince William, is believed to be the biggest event in the history of the Scout Association.
(BBC News - UK)

Happy birthday - Scouts celebrate 100
More than 200 Nelson Scouts were on Wednesday morning among the first in the world to celebrate scouting’s centenary.
(The Nelson Mail – New Zealand)

Facts and Figures
• On Sunrise day, British radio transmitted about 200 reports on the Ceremony.
• On Saturday, we appeared in every mayor newspaper and in most of the regional newspapers in the UK.
• During this Jamboree, we have been front page news in the Daily Telegraph three times so far. Normally, it’s really difficult to get on the front page.
• There was a five minutes report on the Sunrise in the CBBC news round, a British news programme for children.
• Channel 5 covered the whole of Scouting’s Sunrise day.
• CNN broadcast an extensive report on the Sunrise day. It also integrated a lot of Jamboree video material.
• BBC World had a large report on the Sunrise event. More than 148 million people all over the world watch BBC World every day. Most of the audience comes from Asia or America.
• The 21st World Scout Jamboree 2007 has given 272,000 results on Google. For Scouting’s Sunrise there are 42,200 results.
• The official Jamboree site receives almost one million page views per day, three hits per second. • The top stories on thejamboree.org daily attract about 150,000 readers.
• The Promise FM live stream had 22,000 listeners through the whole Jamboree.
• Since January 2007, thejamboree.org has had 30 million page views.
• Most of the reports on this Jamboree are positive.

A Free Hug!

At the jamboree, you can see a lot of signs which say things such as “Free Hug,” or “Hug Me!” I am very surprised and a little bit shocked because I never see these things in Taiwan.

In most eastern countries, for example Taiwan and Japan, people are usually shy and introvert. Perhaps it is formal or just a kind of culture, but I believe that it makes us always be polite and we hardly hug the people who aren’t our relatives.

This is a new challenge for me, and also for other Taiwanese. Before I came here, I couldn’t have imagined it and I certainly would never have tried it. But after I saw a lot of people hugging, I saw them laugh and look happy, and I felt like having a go.

Finally, I went and hugged the person who was holding the sign. People around us all hugged together. I started to laugh and I understood the magic inside hugs, inside “Free Hug!”

This might be crazy in my country, but I believe they will like it after they try, so next time, perhaps I will be the one who is holding the sign in Taiwan!

A very modern Baden Powell

Amongst the many new faces at the Sunrise ceremony, one man with a familiar name came out to join the celebrations. Lord Robert Baden Powell, grandson of our founder was there to see the lasting legacy of his namesake.

It’s a difficult equation to think about, what would a man steeped in the past think of the legacy and modern fresh appeal of the movement now. He was clear: “Something like this, particularly this jamboree with its motto would have sent him round the bend, he would have been so excited so pleased, and here at this jamboree that people are mixing together and there just becoming friends as they have something in common, it’s lovely.”

The current Baden Powell has clearly defined memories of his grandfather after listening to him as a small child.

“I do know he was very egalitarian, democratic, and free. He was very keen that everybody in this life should be made aware that no one is better than anyone else, nobody has a god given right to be superior to anybody else that everybody is the same. The first world war very much upset him because it was so terrible that there was this war going on, he saw that there could be a message for peace if only the people dropped this thing of nationality”

So it’s clear our founder would have approved of the Jamboree’s ethos where race or religion is no barrier to communication, something the modern day Baden Powell saw for himself.

“The sunrise ceremony was very moving; it was quite exciting standing on the stage. When they mentioned Lord Baden Powell was coming out, it’s the one thing that all the people of this jamboree have in common, the name Baden Powell, it means something to them. When we came on you just got this great wave, like a magnetic current, I’d experienced that two or three times before but to experience that today it was the most powerful.”

Very Special Guest

Then upon the stage walked Lord Baden-Powell, the grandson of founder BP. To a hushed audience he said: "I am very happy to be here. My grandfather started the movement with 20 boys on a camp at Brownsea Island. One hundred years later 28 million people in 158 countries are involved in Scouting across the world.

"The movement he started has become one of the instruments for peace. He would have been delighted to see how the seed he planted has grown into such a movement. "Thank you for inviting me to this unique event and in the words of my grandfather 'have a happy life and good camping'."

Rohan Puthran, 15, from Singapore said: "It was definately very emotional and bonds everyone together. The ceremony was the best way to mark the occassion."

The first to rise

5.30am and at Atoll sub-camp there was lots of activity. Participants are already lining up at the sub-camp gates ready for the Sunrise Ceremony. Armed with their Sunrise scarves, their packed breakfast and huge smiles, everyone is surprisingly full of energy.

At the head of the procession is Ross, 17 ready and raring to lead the way with his bagpipes. “I had to get up at 4.30am to tune my pipes” said Ross “Today is such a special day for Scouts. It’s such an honour to be asked to play the bagpipes leading the first sub-camp into the arena. I really hope I don’t mess up, I want everyone to be proud of me”
Following Ross was the sub-camp mascot and banner, with the rest following closely behind. The sub-camp leaders were organised and had thought everything through, which of course led to a smooth set off.

As the participants walked the long journey across site, everyone was in high spirits. Singing along with the bagpipes, chanting “Atoll” songs or performing a Mexican wave, the 1,200 strong group were excited to finally be on their way.

“Today is a Celebration, which I hope will help to lead us forward to the next 100 years” said Ben, 17, of the UK contingent.

The anticipation grew as the group were close to arriving at the Main arena, and the noise from approaching sub-camp group was deafening. Proud smiles, they can truly say they were here, the
morning of the Centenary Sunrise and were allowed to celebrate with 44,000 other people.

“Today means that all of the Scouts that have made friends over the last 100 years will be together in spirit” Helena, 17, Poland said excitedly.

Atoll sub-camp finally reached their destination, the bagpipes sounded again confirming their arrival in the main arena. As the group of new made friends settled together on the grass, to re-new the promises that they made in places far away the sense of belonging surging from the group was truly amazing.

Brownsea Sunrise

Perhaps there is no better place to reflect on the movements birth than Brownsea Island. And whilst many will mark the occasion in their own way, there are special reasons to be at the birthplace for Scouting on August 1st.

Scouts all around the world will take the day to reflect on the past 100 years and look forward to the next. Every Scout will have the opportunity to renew their promise at the 8 am Sunrise Ceremony.

Of particular significance is Brownsea Island, the birth place of Scouting. On the 1st of August 1907, Baden Powell woke the experimental camp by blowing a Kudu horn.

The camp of 20 boys had been drawn from various backgrounds; all were taught new skills and a code of honour that we now know as our Scout Law.

300 lucky Scouts from over 100 countries are waiting to see the sunrise from Brownsea. Neil Commons explained the significance of Brownsea as a focus for the 100th Birthday celebrations and what the Scouts have been experiencing during their stay.

The Scouts will wake up with a Tai Chi session before forming a carnival procession to the original campsite for the Sunrise ceremony, which will be broadcast on the Community Channel and linked to the World Jamboree.

Peter Duncan, Chief Scout of the UK will blow the Kudu horn, 100 years to the minute that Robert Baden Powell did, to start the celebrations. Six people have been chosen to comment on their experiences at the camp and will shake hands to show solidarity for fellow Scouts and our heritage.Following the Sunrise ceremony the participants will return to the four sub camps to have breakfast and then later in the day they will return to Hylands Park and the World Scout Jamboree.

For all those that are involved, wherever we celebrate, the day is about reflection and focus on the changes that we as Scouts can bring to our communities, countries and the future. Neil feels that being at Brownsea is important “it was Scouting’s birthplace. Everything has its beginnings”, despite now being a world wide organisation with over 28 million members it is important to remember where it all began.

Scouting has brought all involved a peace and many friendships all of which are still relevant today.