Leamington scout leader to take group to Japan jamboree

Mike Barrett has been selected from Scouting’s 100,000 adult volunteers to represent the UK at the 23rd World Scout Jamboree in Japan next year.

He will be leading a unit of 36 Scouts aged from 14 to 16 from across Warwickshire and Coventry to the Jamboree.

Mr Barrett said: I’m really looking forward to the challenge of leading these 36 brilliant local young people through this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“I learned so much from my time at the Jamboree in Thailand in 2002, and I can’t wait to help them have the same incredible time on their Jamboree experience that I had on mine.”

Mr Barrett attended the 2002 Jamboree as a youth member and has worked as support staff for the Jamborees in Essex in 2007, and Sweden in 2011.

He wanted to use his considerable experience of the events to support the eligible young people this year.

He was one of 300 successful adult candidates chosen after impressing at a special selection event last July.

This involved a variety of team activities and creativity tests to demonstrate why he should be part of a team.

Not only will the successful applicants get to meet 30,000 people from nearly every country in the world - and share their knowledge and experiences whilst working towards greater international understanding - this Jamboree offers them the chance to learn new skills that they can use in other aspects of their life.

Between now and the start of the event in July next year, Mr Barrett will be helping each young person in his group to raise the £3,045 participation fee.

He will also help them to develop a sense of team work and togetherness for a period of three weeks away from home in a very different cultural setting, help them to understand and value different cultural norms and practices, prepare the young people to be part of a global village with residents from every county in the world and provide opportunities for them to develop the skills for the potentially life-changing experience

Mr Barrett and the other successful applicants have been congratulated by chief scout Bear Grylls, who said: “ I know they are going to have an amazing time.”