MK Scout District are delighted to invite all Scouts and Explorers within the eligible age range for the World Scout Jamboree and the Alternate International Experience selection weekend.  This means that they must have been born between 22^nd July 2005, and 31 July 2009 and be available for the Jamboree dates of .1st - 12^th August 2023 South Korea. You will also need to continue in scouting.

What is the WSJ going to be like? www.2023wsjkorea.org  have a look! It will be the most amazing experience for those that attend. More information will be released as we move closer to the Jamboree.

We also will have a small presentation from the MK participants of the last Jamboree in 2019 over the selection weekend.

Alternate International Adventure – The venue for this is still to be released and we will keep you posted and let you know more about this on the weekend. The dates will be very similar to those of the Jamboree.

MK Scout District has been allocated 10 places for the WSJ and 8 places for the Alternate International Experience as part of the Buckinghamshire WSJ Unit and the UK Contingent.

What preparation to the participants do? The Bucks Unit will meet approx. 8 times for team building and getting to know each over the next 2 years. This will be a mixture of days and weekends. They will be based across Buckinghamshire.

What are the costs? No costings for either trip have been released yet. Again, we have been told that we will have more clarity on this ready for the weekend. Please do not let the cost affect your decision to come along to the selection weekend.

Part of the experience for Young People is for them to fundraise for this trip with parents, family and the support of their Scout groups and MK Scout District. The Scout District will have some funds available to start each young person off. More information regarding the financial side will be discussed with the district treasurer on the weekend. We will also be looking at fundraising ideas as part of the weekend.

How do I apply for the trips? Please apply for registration at the MK Website  https://mkscouts.org/event/milton-keynes-district-selection-weekend/ There is a small charge for administration and food for the selection weekend of £10.00 per young person. Please declare if you are only interested in one trip.

How will we select participants for the events? The selection weekend will start with a night hike starting from MK Guide Centre, Heron's Lodge, Bradwell Road, Loughton Lodge, Milton Keynes, MK8 9AA at 6.30pm and a full weekend of activities based around the principles of scouting and above all fun! Please ask your young person to have a little think about why they want to go. We will have 3 teams involved in selecting young people – the planning team, past participants & District Leaders, and the Young people themselves. The selection weekend will be a wonderful experience and a chance to get to know more Scouts and Explorers from across Milton Keynes.

Your Young Person will be asked some questions over the course of the weekend and therefore we ask that they have a think as to why they would like to attend an international experience.

The weekend will finish at 4pm on Sunday 17th November at The Quarries campsite. There will be a small debrief where we will talk about the next steps and finances.

Your Scout will not need a tent, but they will need normal camping kit including full waterproofs, a warm sleeping bag (a liner or additional sleeping bag it is a summer season one), cup, bowl, plate, and cutlery, hiking boots or hiking shoes (NO TRAINERS) and plenty of layers to keep warm. They will be hiking with kit so it will need to be in a rucksack. We will test the weight of the bag and make sure it is not too heavy – any additional kit will be transported for them. Remember to borrow kit from friends or ask at the email below if you need something.

What happens then? We will offer the places for the trips after the event, and we will have a parents and participants meeting to look at more of the details for activities over the next 2 years. You will be invited to meet the whole leadership team by Buckinghamshire County Scouts and we will kick off fundraising with you.

We are really looking forward to the weekend and hope you are too.

If you have any questions at all, please email [email protected] or call 07437012689