I applied for the travel bursary in 2023 to attend the 25th World Scout Jamboree in South Korea as a member of the International Service Team (IST). This was a really important opportunity for me as I went to America in 2019 as a participant of a world scout jamboree and it was my opportunity to give back in my own way to those who gave me such an enjoyable experience in 2019.

As part of the IST my role involved supporting and helping look after some of the 55,000 young people, aged 14 to 18, who attended the jamboree. My role specifically was running off-site transportation, this involved looking after and being accountable for the young people while they were doing off-site activities. I found this job highly rewarding as well as challenging at points. The role meant I would be looking after up to 40 young people at a time, helping and challenging them to stretch and develop themselves while on the activities. However, I was also responsible for if any of them became ill with heat stroke or injuries occurred, which was sadly inevitable in our environment.

The jamboree itself was supposed to last 3 weeks, with me and the IST arriving early to aid in the setup up however, the site was far from prepared when we arrived, which became a big issue. The time when we were supposed to be staying was during monsoon season, meaning spontaneous heavy rainfall as well as temperatures of 40ºC+ were to be expected, the site however was equipped for neither of these natural forces. For the few days before the young people arrived on site we spend hours labouring to dig the small ditches into drainage trenches, erect shelters so there was at least some shelter and learn how to perform our specific roles. However our efforts fell short as the site was soo big, meaning the site was nowhere near ready when the participants arrived.

After a few days of living in a sun-beaten, swamp-like campsite, the Korean Army turned up to aid in our battle against nature, however it felt fruitless at this point. My role off-site transport became very enviable as we had air-conditioned busses and dry ground to walk on. On the 3rd day after the young people arrived it was decided to pull the UK contingent from the jamboree and stay in Seoul and with a cyclone on the horizon it was probably a good idea. We stayed spread across Seoul and over the following days the rest of the Jamboree came to Seoul too, this started the first jamboree in a city. We held ceremonies in Stadiums and churches, activities in the Olympic park, I did all I could to help the young people still feel the enjoyment and enjoy the activities they signed up for.

Through all the hardship I persevered in my personal challenge to help those I could, meet new people and share as much kindness as I possibly could, following our Quaker teachings “to walk cheerfully over the earth, looking for that of god/good in everyone.” Being a part of the service team gave me this opportunity. The experience was a challenge as it involved stepping up and out of my comfort zone to take a lead when it was needed and to work hard when I wanted to sleep, but I did it.

I want to thank the Sidcot Education Trust for helping give me this opportunity and I challenge anyone who has adventures in mind, or plans to travel to take up the opportunity as it will be an amazing experience, even if it wasn’t what you were expecting. Go out there, challenge yourself and live adventurously.

Here is a link to a video Tom tom shared with us during the trip. Click here

TomTom Lloyd

Class of 2023