VOKASI NEWS – The World Scout Jamboree is a grand gathering of scouts around the world that is held every four years in various countries of the world in turn. The World Jamboree aims to serve as a forum for cultural exchange and friendship between Scout participants from various countries. This year, the World Jamboree was held in Saemangeum, North Jeolla, South Korea in early August. The 2023 World Jamboree was the 25th World Scout Jamboree. During the event, hundreds of youth participants reportedly fell ill due to the extreme heat.
Youth Participants Affected by Extreme Heat
In a statement issued on Monday, the World Organization of the Scouting Movement (WOSM) said the Korean government has confirmed that the jamboree was a failure. Why did this happen? The event was held to coincide with extreme climate change. Temperatures in some parts of the country have exceeded 38 degrees Celsius. Other factors were the threat of typhoons and the organizers’ mistakes.
The heat wave that occurred in South Korea had an impact on the World Jamboree event. A total of 400 cases of heat exhaustion were reported on the first night. Many had to be treated in emergency hospitals. The COVID-19 outbreak also infected around 70 participants.
A typhoon occurred on Monday (7/8/2023) which triggered a tropical storm. This forced the organizers to evacuate all participants from the Saemangeum campsite. Typhoon Khanun is the name of the hurricane that is feared to hit the Jamboree area. The jamboree was better disbanded early to prevent unwanted harm.
Addressing Issues and Ensuring Safety
The World Jamboree campsite in South Korea had been hit by heavy rain since before the event. As a result, rainwater stagnated and the ground became muddy. However, a few days later the campsite dried up due to the hot weather. Some groups of Scouts did not lack food because they could still buy from the minimarket provided by the organizers. However, the location was a bit far and they had to queue under the hot air.
Some Muslim Scouts found unclean food containing pork provided by the organizers. The contingent has ordered halal food.
“There are crackers. We idly use Google Translate and it turns out it contains pork. This morning, how come there are more. Some kind of jelly,” said Fayya, a contingent from Indonesia.
However, he said that the organizing committee continues to try to fix all these shortcomings.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yool has called for an “unlimited” number of buses with “air conditioning” facilities, where the Scout Jamboree participants can rest and cool off. In addition, President Yoon also ordered the dispatch of water tank trucks,” South Korea’s press secretary, Kim Eun-hye, said in a statement.
President Yoon also ordered officials to improve the quality of food provided to the teenage participants and called for all government agencies to join efforts to solve the problems at the 2023 World Scout Jamboree camp in South Korea.
Author: Aulia Suci Wulandari
Supervisor: Angkita Wasito Kirana
Editor: Muhammad Duiqi Alfiansyah (Branding Team Faculty of Vocational Airlangga University)
