Scouts Canada says that the Jamboree will move from its site in Buan and that activities will continue in Seoul
Parents of Canadian kids at an international scout jamboree in South Korea say they’re glad their kids get to stay there even though there have been a lot of problems with the weather and climate that could end the event.
The first week of the World Scout Jamboree in Buan was very hot. As a result, hundreds of people were treated for heat-related illnesses and thousands of British and American scouts left the site. The people from Canada chose to stay.
But on Monday, South Korean officials said they would evacuate tens of thousands of scouts ahead of a tropical storm that is expected to hit later this week. Instead, they will bring the scouts closer to Seoul, which is the country’s capital.
Bob Fairhurst, who lives in Quebec, says he’s been a “stress case” since his 15-year-old son left for the jamboree. This is especially true because the time difference between Canada and the U.S. is 13 hours. But he says that his son has been “reassuring me more than I’ve had to reassure him.”
Fairhurst said, “The job of a parent is to worry about their child.” “But I have complete confidence in the scouts and in his skills as well.”
A storm is coming, so the Jamboree will move
For the 25th World Scout Jamboree, thousands of 14–17-year-olds from 158 countries went to Buan. From Canada alone, 235 youths and 143 volunteers went to Buan. Every four years, there is a jamboree where scouts can meet other scouts from all over the world, camp outside, and take part in many different activities. The event was set to happen from August 1 to August 12 this year.
Last week, South Korea raised its warning about hot weather to the highest level for the first time in four years. On Friday, the temperature was between 35 and 38 C, which is very hot.The government says that 138 jamboree participants were treated for heat-related illnesses on Thursday and that at least 108 participants were treated for similar illnesses after the opening ceremony on Wednesday.
The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) had asked South Korean organizers earlier to think about ending the event early. In a statement, WOSM said that organizers needed to make sure there would be enough resources to deal with problems caused by the heat wave.
On Monday, WOSM said that the South Korean government had told them it would tell them how the scouts would leave and where they would go next because of the tropical storm.
“We urgently ask the government to speed up the departure plan and give all the participants the resources and help they need during their stay and until they go back home,” the organization said.
Fairhurst, who works as an organizer for the 1st Aylmer Club in Quebec, says that he last talked to his son on Monday morning. He said that his son is supposed to go to the new place near Seoul, which Fairhurst calls a “mixed blessing.”
Fairhurst said, “On the one hand, I’m glad he’s going to be safe, but on the other, it’s a little sad because he won’t get to have the experience we had hoped for.”
Even though the trip won’t be what he and his son had hoped for, he’s glad it will go on and says it was the right choice to keep the kids in South Korea.
“They took care of me when I was young,” he said.
Seoul is where Scouts Canada plans to keep going
Scouts Canada says it knows about the plan to leave the Buan site and is working closely with the Canadian contingent to provide resources and help.
“This is not an emergency evacuation,” Scouts Canada’s associate director of communications, Anissa Stambouli, said in a statement.
“It was planned that we would leave the jamboree site early to keep our youth and volunteers safe.”
Scouts Canada says that there have been no new health problems caused by the heat on the ground.
The organization says that the goal is to keep the program going in Seoul and that Canadian scouts are still “in good spirits” and enjoying the jamboree.
Situation teaches kids to be resilient, says mom
Tooka Shahriari, who lives in West Vancouver, is glad her 17-year-old son is still abroad, even though it’s hard on his family back home.
She said that the way the event was run by the organization made her more likely to send her daughter to the jamboree when she’s old enough.
“One thing about Scouts is that they teach kids how to be strong. I think this is making that happen. Things don’t go the way we want them to,” said Shahriari, adding that her son begged her to help make sure the Canadian scouts could stay.
“For them to spin, adapt, and change their plans and still have fun…”That’s exactly what I think they’re doing.”