UK Scouts Voice Their Dissatisfaction With Jamboree Organizers

Calling it “filthy” is no joke. They’re definitely boiling with anger about the situation. 🙄😮‍💨😔

Transcript

All scouts taking part in the World Jamboree in South Korea are to be evacuated from the camp site early because of an incoming typhoon. Four and a half thousand British scouts and volunteers had already pulled out of the 12-day event, blaming high temperatures and unsanitary conditions at the camp and saying it had become a health risk.

This is the unluckiest jamboree in scouting history. First came floods, then a heat wave, and now a typhoon. But it was not the extreme weather that caused the Brits to pack up and leave. It was a lack of shade, food and the filthy toilets and showers.

“We felt that it was not a safe environment to be in. And we knew when we took that decision how difficult that was going to be for young people who’ve spent two years raising money. And that’s why we feel so let down.”

The organizers were unprepared for the weather and an event of this scale.

“I think for the next jamboree, I think some questions need to be asked about making sure that the location is right and safe. The weather is right and safe. The season is right and safe and that all of the preparedness done well in advance. I have no doubt the organizations have a checklist they go through to make sure that everything is safe and ready. I think it will be added to after this event, and I think that’s the right thing to do.”

The world scout body has been pushing the organizers to close this site for days, and finally, they’ve decided it won’t withstand the winds. 35,000 teenagers are being moved to schools and sports halls. Activity teams are being rearranged. But for the Brits who left early, it’s cost them well over £1,000,000.

“Participants are not going to pay more. They’re not going to pay more. They’ve already fundraised enough.”
“So who is paying for it?”
“It will come out of our reserves. You know, we had commitments to these reserves. That will, of course, mean that we can’t now do things that we wanted to do over the next 3 to 5 years.”

The UK wants an inquiry into what went wrong. For now, the incoming typhoon is providing cover for an event that seemed dangerously out of its depth.

Jean Mackenzie, BBC News, Seoul.

When I was a kid, I got bitten by one of those venomous mosquitoes, and I couldn’t stop shivering! My parents rushed me to the hospital, and thankfully, I was saved. Mosquito poisoning can be fatal!