Polish First Lady and South Korean First Lady met with scouts at the Belweder Palace, who will participate in the 25th World Scout Jamboree in August, held in South Korea. The next Jamboree will take place in Poland in 2027.
Jamboree, which is the largest educational event for young people, will be held from August 1st to 12th this year in SaeManGeum, near the Byeonsanbando National Park. It will be attended by approximately 40,000 participants, over 7,000 volunteers, and staff from all countries and territories where the Scout Movement operates. Poland will be sending 535 participants.
During today’s meeting at the Belweder Palace, representatives of the Polish delegation shared their preparations for the Jamboree with the First Ladies. As part of their preparations, they visited the Korean Culture Center at the Korean Embassy in June, where they participated in workshops introducing the culture, history, cuisine, and alphabet of Korea. They also had conversations with Ambassador Hoonmin Lim.
The spouse of the President of Poland today inquired about the Korean words the scouts are learning before their departure to facilitate communication on-site. Agata Kornhauser-Duda, in her conversation with the scouts, admitted that she was surprised to learn that each scout only has one opportunity to participate in the Jamboree as a participant. However, this condition does not apply to the scout leaders. The guests revealed that this is one of the reasons why they eagerly await the trip, as it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most of them. The Jamboree takes place every four years, and each participant must be fourteen years old but not yet an adult.
As the scouts explained, the Jamboree is a special time when young people from around the world have the opportunity to get to know each other’s cultures, customs, scout songs, and, of course, social games. Therefore, during the meeting at the Belweder Palace, they invited the First Ladies to compete in one of their favorite games – bottle caps. Agata Kornhauser-Duda admitted that she is familiar with this game from her childhood. The official Polish delegation to the 25th World Scout Jamboree consists of 535 individuals from all regions of Poland. The delegation includes scouts from the Polish Scouting and Guiding Association, the Scouting Association of the Republic of Poland, and the Independent Circle of Scout Instructors “Leśna Szkółka” – scouting and guiding organizations under the Honorary Patronage of the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda.
Each participant must be fourteen years old but not yet an adult. The participation in the Jamboree is based on the formation of patrols and contingent troops. A patrol consists of 9 participants and 1 adult instructor, while a contingent troop consists of 4 patrols, which means 36 participants and 4 adult instructors.