A group of Scouts from Burnham-On-Sea will be among 3,000 young people and adult volunteers from across the UK joining 30,000 youngsters at the 23rd World Scout Jamboree in Japan this summer.
The event will see Scouts from across the world coming together in a traditional environment with Japanese Scouts and their families, gaining a greater understanding of Japanese culture.
The World Scout Jamboree will be held in Kirara-hama from 28th July until 8th August 2015.
They will be staying in Oita Prefecture, which is famous for its hot springs and has over a million people living across 14 cities. The city Oita is twinned with Bath in North East Somerset, and this is one of the reasons the Scouts from Somerset are heading there.
One of the elements of the trip will be ‘Home Hospitality’, where the Scouts will live with Japanese families and immerse themselves in local life.
Over the four days that the Scouts will spend with families, gain experience of day-to-day Japanese life including meal times, socialising and house traditions.
Each of the Scouts will stay with a different family in the same area and therefore will have differing experiences depending on the family traditions and what they plan to show them during their time with the family.
Rob Cash, one of the leader, said: “This will be an amazing opportunity for the young people to experience Japanese life, something they will remember forever. It will be a challenging adventure where they will make new friends from the other side of the world.”
Byron Chatburn, UK Contingent Leader for the 23rd World Scout Jamboree, said: “The World Scout Jamboree changes the lives of the young people and adults that attend. Home Hospitality is a unique opportunity to taste Japanese life and develop an understanding of a different culture and way of life.”
