World Scout Jamboree kicks off with a world of activities

The Jamboree is the official educational event of the World Organization of the Scout Movement and is designed for youth ages 14-17 to take part in two weeks of outdoor adventure, leadership training, friendship-making and many other things.

Summit Bechtel Reserve, also home to the National Scout Jamboree, is more than 14,000 acres of land where the Scouts can do everything from rock climbing to scuba diving.

Activities range from zip-lining high above the trees at 50 mph to whitewater rafting down the New River Gorge. Whatever a Scout wishes to do, the Jamboree is likely to be able to accommodate.

One activity that proved to be quite popular among those in attendance Tuesday was skateboarding. Summit Bechtel is home to the second-largest skate facility in the entire country and was created by a world-renowned skate park designer.

Becky Mesker, manager of Action Point Skate, one of the two parks located on the reserve, has been helping Scouts with skating since the first National Scout Jamboree was hosted there in 2013. She said it’s great to see how many youths come in to try the activity.

“Most kids have never been exposed to it,� she said. “There’s a culture around skateboarding, so a lot of them feel kind of intimidated by that, so these skate parks are a great opportunity for kids to come in, be cool and try it for the first time.�

Mesker said the program teaches Scouts everything, from how to get onto a skateboard, how to protect themselves if they fall, and even new tricks taught by skaters from across the globe.

She added that skating is the perfect activity for the Scouts because of the message it sends.

“It’s a great Scout lesson, because it teaches you that you don’t stop if you fail. So if you fall, you just get up and try it again,� she said. “I think that’s true with Scouts and every other thing. So if we can get them in here to try and do it, then, hopefully, they’ll try other new things, too.�

Kylie Seufert, of San Bruno, California, has been skateboarding for years. When she found out the reserve had a high-class skate park, she was elated.

“This is actually my first time here, and I’m so excited to be here,� she said. “I saw on the website the video of the skate park, and I just started jumping, and I ran to my dad’s room like, ‘Dad! There’s a skate park here, and I’m so excited to go!’ �

Seufert said that, even though she couldn’t bring her skateboard from home, she’s still “super psyched� to be able to skate with her friends at the Summit.

“It’s honestly been super fun. I mean, I love the skating community,� she said. “Just skating here has really boosted my confidence.�

Seufert said she believes skateboarding is a great learning experience for Scouts — and everyone else — as it introduces them to a new activity they might not have gotten to try before, since skateboarding isn’t as popular in other countries as it is in the United States.

“I think it opens up their eyes to a whole new world that they have never tried,� she said. “For them to just try it but still fall and stuff like that, it’s like they’re still learning, and they’re getting the experience that everyone else is experiencing, too.�

Seufert said she came to the World Scout Jamboree because she wanted to meet people from different cultures.

“I’m so tired of meeting people [just] from my community in San Bruno, so I want to meet some people from Italy or Brazil and all these other places, because I believe that everybody is a good person,� she said. “I also want to broaden my talking community, my friends, so I want to have pen pals, and I just want to open my eyes up to new cultures and things like that.�

In previous world jamborees, Seufert would not have been able to attend with the Boy Scouts of America; girls were not integrated into the organization until February. However, girls in a variety of other countries have been able to participate due to scouting being co-ed in other places.

Desirae Barrus, of Kuna, Idaho, said for her to be able to attend as a girl has been “a dream come true.�

“My brothers, they’ve been in since they were little, and I’ve wanted to be a part of it. And now that I’m here, it’s just so amazing to see,� she said. “I’m actually able to be the third assistant scoutmaster, because I’m 18, but it’s been the coolest experience to see the unity that’s created. We don’t even know each other, but we have these special bonds already.�

Barrus said she feels like traditional gender roles in American society played a part in the fact that girls were not part of the organization before.

“In our culture, we already have those roles. It’s like, ‘OK the males, they’re supposed to be out there, and they’re supposed to be there for the women to support them,’ and now we’ve integrated on to more women being independent, themselves, to work [and] coincide with the males,� she said.

As far as her two weeks at the Summit, Barrus said she’s looking to push herself into trying experiences that are out of her comfort zone.

“I want to try [the zip line], because that terrifies me, and I want to push myself. But it’s also meeting new people and just experiencing different cultures that I’m really looking forward to,� she said. “The reserve has anything from A to Z, so it’s mostly just pushing myself to be better. There’s definitely activities throughout the week that I want to try.�