It’s considered the ultimate adventure for scouts — and for the first time ever, the Canadian Scout Jamboree is taking place in Nova Scotia.
4,500 youth between the ages of 11 to 14 will be calling Camp Nedooae in Elderbank, N.S., home for the week while the jamboree takes place. Participants aren’t just from Canada but have travelled from around the world for the event.
“We’ve got participants and volunteers from 15 different countries, including as far away as New Zealand, Liberia to Scotland, the U.K., really from all over. We’ve got a great representation of the global scouting community here,” said Keegan Eatmon, spokesperson for Canadian Scout Jamboree.
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The jamboree offers young people a week of experiencing new adventures and exploring new activities, all while connecting with other scouts while staying at the camp.
1,000 volunteers are dedicating their time and energy to help put the event on for the kids.
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“Every four years, we have the Canadian Jamboree, so each scout gets one opportunity to go in their kind of scouting lifetime to experience this type of event,” said Eatmon.
“It’s really important that we have a great event, and a lot of planning and hard work goes in by a team of volunteers over the past number of years to pull it together.”
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Although there’s many outdoor activities — like mountain biking, archery and water sports taking place at the camp — there’s also new and innovative things for the youth to try out, like learning how to operate drones.
For Burlington, Ont., native Bradley Thibert, 12, one of the most important activities at the Canadian Scout Jamboree is badge trading.
“It helps you meet a lot of people and it can really, you can make new friends doing it because you can trade with them and continue to trade with them and get to know them better,” he said.
14-year-old Benjamin Westbrook came to Nova Scotia from Dallas, Texas, to take part in the jamboree.
“The reason why I think it’s great to be in scouts is because it helps you to be outdoorsy,” said Westbrook.
“You can sit inside all day and play games but it’s not as good as being out in the outdoors.”
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Officials say the scouting experience is a good opportunity to help empower young people.
“Our program really is about young people leading themselves and each others to create this well-rounded character to really go out and have success in the world and become better people and contribute to the community in a new and incredible way,” said Eatmon.
The 2017 Canadian Scout Jamboree wraps up on Friday.
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